Jon Lovett, Pod Save America Co-Host and Former Obama Speechwriter, Cast on Season 47 of Survivor
“I have no outdoor skills. What am I doing here?” Lovett asked in a preview for the upcoming season
Season 47 of Survivor will have a familiar face among its cast: Jon Lovett!
During a preview for the next installment of CBS’ long-running hit that aired on Wednesday, May 22, the podcaster, comedian and former presidential speechwriter was featured among the competitors vying for the million-dollar prize and title of sole survivor.
“I have no outdoor skills. What am I doing here?” said Lovett. “I went camping as a cub scout. I threw up and went home!”
The star follows in the footsteps of other notable personalities who have competed on the show, including White Lotus creator Mike White, Facts of Life actress Lisa Whelchel, SWV singer Taj Johnson-George, Country singer Whitney Duncan, football coach Jimmy Johnson and a slew of athletes like Brad Culpepper, John Rocker, Danny McCray, Julia Landauer, Elizabeth Beisel and Steve Wright (among many others).
Lovett wrote speeches in the Obama administration for three years before transitioning into a popular career in podcasting. He began with The Ringer’s political podcast Keepin’ It 1600 before co-founding liberal media company, Crooked Media. The Long Island native is a regular on their flagship podcast Pod Save America and since March 2017 has hosted the panel show Lovett or Leave It.
Outside of podcasting, Lovett has found success in Hollywood, writing on season 3 of HBO’s The Newsroom. He also co-created the NBC comedy 1600 Penn with Josh Gad and Jason Winer, serving as an executive producer and writer on the series throughout its only season. The show starred Gad as well as an ensemble cast that included Jenna Elfman and Bill Pullman.
Romantically, Lovett was previously linked to investigative journalist and author Ronan Farrow, who proposed to Lovett in a draft of his book Catch and Kill after 8 years of dating.
Though the couple kept their relationship away from the spotlight, they never made it down the aisle. Lovett revealed in a March 2023 episode of Lovett or Leave It that he was single, saying his “10 and a half year” relationship had ended.
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Survivor’s 46th season wrapped with 29-year-old salon owner (and expectant mother) Kenzie Petty from Charlotte, N.C. winning in a 5-3 vote.
In the season 47 preview, Lovett wasn’t identified by name. But his Crooked Media co-founder and former speechwriting colleague Jon Favreau confirmed the casting on Twitter. “What did I tell you?” Favreau, 42, wrote. “Eat Pray Lovett.”
