# Stephen Chao

> Stephen Chao is the co-founder and CEO of WonderHowTo, the Santa Monica how-to video network he launched in 2008 after a combustible career in television. He created the reality formats America's Most Wanted and Cops at Fox, rose to president of Fox Television Stations, and was fired ten weeks later for hiring a model to strip during a speech about censorship in front of Rupert Murdoch. He later ran programming at USA Network. A Harvard classics major and former National Enquirer reporter, Chao built a second act around free, searchable tutorials covering everything from food hacks to augmented reality.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at WonderHowTo
- **Organizations:** WonderHowTo, Fox Television, News Corporation, USA Network, Stephen Chao Incorporated, National Enquirer
- **From:** Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Preparatory, Phillips Exeter Academy, BA, Classical Studies (cum laude), Harvard University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Created America's Most Wanted and Cops, two of the longest-running reality formats in US television, Rose to president of Fox Television Stations and later president of USA Cable, Responsible for the USA Network dramedy Monk

## Career timeline

- **1977-1981** — Co-wrote a Fodor's travel guide to Turkey, worked in France, and reported for the National Enquirer, where he broke the O.J. Simpson-Nicole Brown romance story
- **1983** — Joined News Corporation as Vice President of Acquisitions and Corporate Development
- **1986** — Developed America's Most Wanted at Fox, a concept he called 'electronic lynching'
- **1987** — Greenlit Cops after John Langley pitched following beat cops in Broward County, Florida
- **1992** — Promoted to president of Fox Television Stations in June; fired ten weeks later after a censorship-themed conference stunt
- **1992** — Spent six weeks working at a McDonald's in Redondo Beach
- **1993** — Founded Stephen Chao Incorporated, producing for ABC, CBS, NBC, Universal, Columbia TriStar and Nickelodeon
- **1998** — Hired by Barry Diller as president of programming and marketing at USA Network; oversaw Monk among other shows
- **2000** — Promoted to president of USA Cable
- **2001** — Resigned from USA Cable in November
- **2006** — Co-founded WonderHowTo with Mike Goedecke in Santa Monica
- **2008** — Launched WonderHowTo.com in January with backing from General Catalyst Partners

## Achievements

- Created America's Most Wanted and Cops, two of the longest-running reality formats in US television
- Rose to president of Fox Television Stations and later president of USA Cable
- Responsible for the USA Network dramedy Monk
- Built WonderHowTo into a how-to network reaching over 13 million monthly users by 2018

## Latest updates

- **2018-01** — WonderHowTo reported reaching more than 13 million monthly users across its how-to network.

## Links

- Website: https://wonderhowto.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-chao-2571956
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/WonderHowTo
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkj_STWwEGM
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/gadgethacks

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/stephen-chao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04