In this video, Ask This Old House host Kevin O’Connor explains how he landed one of the most important jobs on the staff—without even trying.
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Kevin O’Connor explains how he became the host of ASK and This Old House. With a bright future in finance, Kevin and his wife sent in a letter to This Old House about their home at the same time Ask This Old House was starting. A few weeks after the crew performed a house call at Kevin’s home, he received the job offer from the production crew, and the rest is history.
Host Kevin O’Connor never dreamed of hosting Ask This Old House, but a string of good luck seemed to drop the job into his lap.
Kevin was always a fan of This Old House and enjoyed working with his hands. When he and his wife bought their first home, they purposely looked for a fixer-upper. After handling some of the projects themselves, the O’Connors sent a letter to the This Old House team.
Unknown to him, a new show was already in the works: Ask This Old House. After receiving his letter, the crew arrived at Kevin’s house for a house call. The crew helped Kevin handle some projects around his home, and his personality sparked an interest. About a month later, Kevin received a phone call from the production team asking if he would be interested in hosting the show, and he knew he couldn’t turn it down.
While he was excited to take the job, Kevin didn’t think it would last long. As he explained his leaving to his then-boss in the finance industry, Kevin asked him to keep a spot open, as he thought he’d be back in the finance world in around 12 months. That was almost 20 years ago.
Kevin got his start by working with the crew of experts and tradespeople. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey had Kevin dig ditches. General contractor Tom Silva put Kevin to work cutting wood. He built his skillset with on-the-job training, but his excitement for new projects and to learn never needed bolstering.
Kevin’s favorite part of his job is when he gets to work side-by-side with the crew. He finds satisfaction in working with his hands and appreciates the opportunity to shift from the host to the crew. He tries to hand his love and satisfaction down to his kids with projects around their home, hoping that it might stick with them. His other hope? That his kids don’t work in television.
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About Ask This Old House TV:
From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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How Kevin Became Host | Ask This Old House
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His Boyfriend was the director?
Fun story, had no idea!
I enjoy watching this old house and ask this old house!
You’re an awesome host Kevin! Keep up the great work!
The ginger the ginger 🤣
Kevin is such a crucial part of This Old House. One of the things I observed right away when I started watching (primarily in videos on topics I was familiar with) would be that the other crew members, while obviously great, can sometimes jump ahead, assuming some part of the project is obvious to viewers. Kevin does a great job at interrupting at the right moments with a question (that he likely already knows the answer to) that gives them an opportunity to explain it in more depth or cover the part they skipped.
You can't blame them… it's called the "curse of knowledge" – not remembering what it was like to not know something that you're now an expert on. Kevin is great at breaking that "curse of knowledge" and remembering what it was like to not know something so that the other crew can share their knowledge more effectively.
Thanks for years of education and entertainment! Lifelong fan of the show, you guys are the only reason I bought the Roku stick.
I remember when this aired all those years ago. Seeing Kevin as a customer on a house call and then later seeing him as the host.
Kevin has done a good job at ATOH. Very likable fellow.
Having Kevin respond to some Instagram posts was so awesome. Love this show
Am glad you did to Kevin, it’s great having you on the show, be watched this show for many years
How did that guy become a host? Just kidding. Great job Kevin. We love watching "your" show.