In recent years, Dan Levy has become a household name due to his performance as David Rose in the hit series Schitt’s Creek. Levy’s work on the sitcom reached far beyond being in front of the camera, as he created the show with his father Eugene Levy under their production company. However, Levy has been in the public eye since the early 2010s, when he was a television host for MTV Canada, as well as an early role on the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Levy is one of many trades and pairs his projects with a great deal of heart — from MTV host to multi-Emmy-winner, here’s a look at Levy’s career.

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MTV Host Dan Levy

     John Sheater/Getty Images

Before David Rose was born, Levy was a television host for MTV Canada, most infamously known for hosting with Jessi Cruickshank on The After Show, and even hosted the MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet. The thought of Levy being a reality television host might not come as much of a surprise, due to his charming nature. He was a co-host for a variety of after-show specials, including The Hills: The After Show. Via etalk, Levy stated that his work on The Hills: The After Show made him take a long departure from reality television. Levy stated, “I was doing The After Show for The Hills, and when you work so closely with a reality television show — and I love The Hills — it kinda takes the magic out of the experience of watching reality television ‘cause you kinda end up knowing too much about how it works.” As far as acting goes, Levy can be recognized from the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation where he played a film producer. Degrassi will be receiving a revival on HBO Max, but it is highly unlikely that Levy will make an appearance being that his role was minor.

Up The Creek

     CBC

In 2015, Schitt’s Creek premiered on CBS Television, and eventually made its way to Netflix. The sitcom proved to be full of heart, embodying humor and love all while offering important life lessons through comedy. Levy wrote and produced the show alongside his father Eugene, and the two even played father and son in the series. In an interview with Variety, Levy stated his work in reality television helped inspire him to create the show. He claimed, “It’s all over reality TV, and we have this kind of intimacy into the lives of very wealthy people. What do these people look like when they have nothing?” Thus, the Roses were born. Schitt’s Creek guards an array of awards under its umbrella. However, it wasn’t until the show’s sixth and final season that Levy would bring home four Emmy Awards for Schitt’s Creek, one of which being the award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Dan Levy Today

     Netflix

Since the conclusion of his mega hit sitcom, Levy has been busy. In 2020, he appeared in Hulu’s Happiest Season alongside Kristen Stewart. The movie is a holiday rom-com that features a same-sex couple as well as a prominent LGBTQ+ cast. In August 2022, it was confirmed that Levy would be joining the cast of Netflix’s Sex Education for its fourth season. He will be playing a character named Thomas Molloy, who is a famous author.

Outside his work in both acting and writing, Levy is a huge advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, The Human Rights Campaign honored him with the Visibility Award, which is an award that “recognizes the outstanding efforts of those who use their talent and visibility to help better the lives of LGBTQ people.” As cited by Gopride, the HRC President Alphonso David cited Levy’s work on Schitt’s Creek as an outstanding effort to help center in on LGBTQ+ visibility by making the town and its people accepting of people for who they truly are. This small but incredibly important detail cited by Alphonso encapsulates the true heart of Schitt’s Creek and shows how clear Levy’s intentions and his drive to better humanity truly are. Levy is a gift to this generation, and will surely continue to be so for decades to come.