Josh Ostrovsky
Joshua Ostrovsky | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joshua Ostrovsky February 18, 1982 New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | The Fat Jewish |
| Occupation(s) | Businessperson, social media personality, author, plus size model |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | Social media presence as The Fat Jewish; co-founder of Swish Beverages; plus size modeling |
| Notable work | Money Pizza Respect (book) |
Joshua Ostrovsky (born February 18, 1982), professionally recognized as The Fat Jewish, is an American businessperson, social media personality, author, and plus size model.
Early life
Born and raised in New York City, Ostrovsky is the son of Paul, a radiologist originally from Russia, and Rebecca, a nutrition expert. He spent his childhood on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. His education included attendance at institutions such as the Packer School in Brooklyn, Trevor Day School, and the Dwight School. Early in his career, he acted in commercials, including one for Hershey's. After studies at New York University and Skidmore College—from which he was expelled—he ultimately earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the State University of New York at Albany in 2006.
Social media
Ostrovsky initiated his Instagram presence in 2011 under the username "TheFatJewish". The account gained widespread attention in 2013 following a viral spoof video that depicted homeless individuals riding Citi Bikes in a parody of SoulCycle. That same year, after a brief suspension due to content deemed inappropriate, he organized a demonstration outside Instagram’s New York headquarters; the suspension was reversed within 15 minutes. By 2014, The New York Times recognized his talent for transforming edgy humor into a significant digital audience. In 2015, Time included him among The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet. As of December 2022, his Instagram follower count surpassed 10 million.
He has capitalized on his digital influence through endorsements for companies such as Burger King, Virgin Mobile, Apple, Budweiser, Weight Watchers, and Stella Artois. In 2015, he became a brand ambassador for Seamless.
Swish Beverages
Ostrovsky co-established Swish Beverages, which introduced White Girl Rosé in 2015, followed by the Babe collection of sparkling canned wines. In June 2019, Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired Swish Beverages, marking its most significant investment in wine to date.
Film, television, and commercials
In 2009, Ostrovsky served as an entertainment correspondent on The Daily 10 (E!). He hosted the web series An Intimate Conversation, featuring rap interviews, and sold a hipster culture parody show to Amazon.com in 2013; however, it was never produced. In 2014, he secured a deal to create a scripted series for Comedy Central inspired by his own experiences. After signing with Creative Artists Agency in 2015, he frequently appeared on Bloomberg News, starred in a Super Bowl XLIX commercial for Bud Light, and featured in music videos such as DNCE’s "Cake by the Ocean" and Charli XCX’s "Boys." Ostrovsky has made appearances as himself on reality programs like 3AM and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, along with supporting roles in films including Status Update. He also took part in a 2017 advertising campaign for Malibu Rum and appears in the documentary The American Meme, which debuted at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
Modeling and fashion
In June 2012, Ostrovsky secured a modeling agreement with One Management, promoting himself as the world's inaugural male plus-size model. He appeared in the May 2015 edition of Inked magazine and graced the covers of treats! in 2016 as well as Nude in 2017. His men's clothing line premiered during New York Fashion Week on September 16, 2015, through his Dad Fashion Show.
Book
Ostrovsky was the host of an Apple Music Beats 1 radio program titled Money, Pizza, Respect. The book sharing this title, comprising a series of personal essays and photographs, was released by Grand Central Publishing in 2015. Its cover is a parody of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs.
Music
While attending SUNY Albany, Ostrovsky was a member of the hip hop group Team Facelift, where he performed under the alias Fat Jew. Established in 2004, the group signed with Duck Down Records, issued the album Mixed Emotions in 2006, and dissolved in 2010.
In September 2016, Ostrovsky co-founded Major Behavior, an EDM tribute act dedicated to Major Lazer, alongside DJ Maachew Bentley. This band toured during Ostrovsky’s IRL Tour throughout 2016 and 2017 with artists such as Dillon Francis, RL Grime, and Party Favor. They also shared the stage with Major Lazer's Diplo in May 2017. In 2018, Ostrovsky hosted the Major Behavior radio show on Diplo’s Revolution channel on SiriusXM.
Controversy
In 2015, Ostrovsky was accused of sharing screenshots of other comedians’ jokes on Instagram and Twitter without authorization, frequently removing attribution. After media scrutiny, he updated previous posts to correctly acknowledge the original joke creators.
Personal life
Ostrovsky is an ordained minister who has officiated numerous weddings, including an impromptu ceremony held at Nikki Beach in Miami in December 2017.
Bibliography
- Money Pizza Respect (Grand Central Publishing, 2015)
Filmography
| Film | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Bolt From the Blue | Luther | Short film |
| 2012 | Ben Banks | Phil Macey | |
| All Wifed Out | Will | ||
| Bottle Poppaz | Marcus | ||
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | Gleek | |
| Nerve | Dirt Beard | ||
| 2018 | Status Update | Bearded Dude | |
| The Peach Panther | |||
| The American Meme | Himself | ||
| 2019 | Uncut Gems | Noah | |
| 2023 | This Is Not Financial Advice | Self | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007-2010 | The Daily 10 | Self | Appeared in 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Rude Tube | Self | Reality program |
| 2014 | TakePart Live | Self | Reality series |
| 2015 | 3AM | Self | Featured in 5 episodes |
| Talk Stoop | Self | Season 9, episode 5 appearance | |
| Ridiculousness | Self | Season 6, episode 32 appearance | |
| 2015 | Candidly Nicole | Self | Reality show appearance |
| 2016 | Greatest Party Story Ever | Self | Season 2, episode 5 (MTV) |
| 2017 | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | Self | Reality series guest spot |
| 2017 | Million Dollar Listing | Self | Reality show appearance |
| 2018 | The Hollywood Puppet Show | Self | Season 2, episode 7 (Fuse) |
| Music Videos | |||
| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Notes |
| 2010 | "Barbra Streisand" | Duck Sauce | |
| 2014 | "#Selfie" | The Chainsmokers | |
| 2014 | "(When We Were Young)" | Dillon Francis | |
| 2015 | "Cake by the Ocean" | DNCE | |
| 2017 | "Boys" | Charli XCX | |
External links
- 1982 births
- Living people
- American television hosts
- Jewish American comedians
- American Internet celebrities
- American people in the wine industry
- Dwight School alumni
- Plus-size models
- University at Albany, SUNY alumni
- People from the Upper West Side
- Comedians from Manhattan
- Male actors from Manhattan
- Musicians from Manhattan
- Businesspeople from Manhattan
- 21st-century American comedians
- Participants in American reality television series
- 21st-century American Jews
- American people of Russian descent