Mike Darnell

Who is Mike Darnell?

Michael H. Darnell is an American television executive who is most well known as the Director of Specials for the Fox broadcast network from 1994 until 2007, and president of alternative entertainment from August 2007 until June 2013, titles which effectively had him oversee the network's reality television programming division during the genre's rise. Darnell is currently President of Unscripted and Alternative Television at Warner Bros. Television, which he began on August 12.

Darnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Eileen and Gene Darnell. His father was a policeman, and Mike was raised and attended public school in Philly's Northeast section. When he was 10, a talent manager saw him singing at a Police Athletic League event and encouraged him to do commercials. When he was 12, his family moved to California, where he eventually appeared in or voiced-over some 60 commercials. He also appeared in TV episodes such as Sanford and Son, Welcome Back, Kotter and Kojak. Later he worked as a bank teller to help pay his way through Cal State-Northridge. He also played piano at a night spot. Soon after graduating, in 1994, he had an internship at 'Entertainment Tonight, which he says he "hated," and then started working in the news unit of the new Fox affiliate station in Los Angeles, KTTV. He stayed with Fox for the next 19 years.