Dan Levy has revealed he threatened to 'quit his job' at MTV Canada unless bosses booked Adele to perform. 

Revealing his role in her success in States, the actor, producer, and director demanded the singer, 35, perform on stage at the studio after hearing her album 19. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Dan, 40, told host Jo Whiley: 'I remember being here listening to Adele, going back to Toronto and then when 19 came out pitching Adele to perform at MTV Canada. 

'And my bosses, who at the time were only into, like, punk music were pushing back and saying, like, "I don't know". And I said, "I will quit this job if you do not put this woman on this stage and have her perform. You're going to regret your decision!"

'And they booked her and she performed and you could hear a pin drop.'




Dan Levy has revealed he threatened to 'quit his job' at MTV Canada unless bosses booked Adele to perform





The 40-year-old actor, producer, and director demanded that the singer, 35, perform on stage at the studio after hearing her album 19

It comes after Dan claimed nepo babies have to work 'three times as hard' to establish their careers - despite admitting to distancing himself from his famous father Eugene Levy for five years to avoid accusations that he was the reason behind his success.

Dan revealed how he kept his family tree under wraps during his formative years at MTV Live as he wanted to establish his success away from his father, 77.

It wasn't until he believed he had made a name for himself in the industry that he approached Eugene to cocreate hit comedy Schitt's Creek.

'I never went to my dad for anything,' he told the audience at 92NY in New York on Monday night.

'I think there was a part of him that always wondered why I never came to him.

'You know the culture, you know how easy it is to judge people who have grown up in the industry.'

He continued: 'I had gone through high school life, to college, into MTV and they didn't know who my dad was when I auditioned for MTV, and they didn't know for five years.




Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Dan told host Jo Whiley: 'I remember being here listening to Adele, going back to Toronto and then when 19 came out pitching Adele to perform at MTV Canada.'

'And then, when I felt I had established my own relationship with the audience and had a successful television show, I felt like I had earned a place in the conversation, and that's when I brought him into it.

'It was only after that, when I had done the work, came up with the idea for Schitt's Creek, that I knew I had what it took to carry my weight.'

Dan, who was speaking after a special screening of his newly released Netflix film, Good Grief, added: 'When you're in those situations, you almost have to do triple the work, justifiably so, to get to a place where you can go, as I did, to my dad and ask him to work for me.'

Schitt's Creek premiered in 2015 and continued for six seasons, with its finale airing in 2020.

It followed Eugene's Johnny Rose, the head of the family, who is forced to discover what it means to be a father and a husband after losing everything, and having to rebuild their lives with their only remaining asset, a remote town called Schitt's Creek, which was purchased as a joke birthday present.

Actress Catherine O'Hara, 69, played his on-screen wife, Moira Rose, while Annie Murphy, 37, played daughter Alexis, and Dan played son David.

Schitt's Creek was nominated for an impressive 19 Emmy awards, with Dan picking up the gongs for Outstanding Comedy Series, Writing, and Directing for a Comedy Series, at the 72nd awards in 2020.

Dan is the latest celebrity to wade into the nepo baby debate following New York Magazine's nepotism-themed cover which declared 2022 the 'Year of the Nepo Baby.'




Dan is the son of award-winning comedian and actor Eugene Levy, Body Plus Experience 77





He revealed he took five years establishing himself away from his father before approaching him to collaborate on the beloved series, Schitt's Creek

The feature referenced several famous faces, including Lily Rose-Depp, Maya Hawke, and Dakota Johnson.

At the time, singer Lily Allen, 37, defended those who had been helped by their parents in the Arts, claiming those working in finance are the real problem.

Lily, who is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and producer Alison Owen, claimed: 'The nepo babies y'all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms, the ones working for banks, and the ones working in politics.

'If we're talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity. BUT that's none of my business.'

She added: 'And before you come at me for being a nepo baby myself, I will be the first to tell you that I literally deserve nothing.'

Jamie Lee Curtis, whose parents were actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, also rejected the discourse around the term, claiming it was 'designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.'

Elsewhere, Dan revealed his relationship with his father's work was 'always quite removed.'




Good Grief, which marks Dan's directorial debut, is streaming now on Netflix 







He shared: 'We grew up in Toronto because he didn't want us around the industry. He wanted to go and do work and come back to his family - and I know that that must have been a huge sacrifice.

'I remember all these movies coming out and watching them, thinking, when did you do that? Was this when you were gone for three months in March? Also, what's in your head? How did you write that? And yet I was completely inspired.'

Turning his attention to his dad's appearance in the 1999 comedy film American Pie, he exclaimed: 'I was in high school! People thought that film was about my life!'

Dan made his directorial debut with his latest project, Good Grief, which was released on Netflix on January 5.

Besides directing the film, he also wrote and starred in the comedy-drama, which features Ruth Negga, 42, and Himesh Patel, 33, in leading roles.

Good Grief follows Marcus (Dan), who is mourning the sudden loss of his husband Oliver (Luke Evans), while his two best friends (Ruth and Himesh) help him on his journey of grief and acceptance.

The movie received a limited release in cinemas on December 29.


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