Who is Christopher LaVoie? Man behind ‘4 Days’ reality shows has history of run-ins with police, dubious business ventures
When the man who coined the phrase “reality television” became a household name after his MTV reality show “4 Days Out” became a phenomenon, he didn’t flinch.
Christopher LaVoie, 34, has a history of running afoul with police and is the target of a federal fraud investigation, but he’s become a darling of the Internet and a celebrity in his own right.
“I live my life this way because it is just who I am. I am a normal guy that happens to be highly successful at what I want to do,” LaVoie told The Times on a recent Wednesday evening.
LaVoie is perhaps most famous for the TV show he helped produce, “4 Days Out,” which was the highest-rated, most-watched reality show on Showtime. It followed the exploits of his character, “Chris LaVoie,” and his friends in and around New York City over four days.
This year, the show will return with a sequel, but LaVoie said he is no longer taking part. He and his wife, Lauren, have sold the rights to the series to a company called 4Life, which has produced similar reality shows on the Discovery Channel and CNN.
LaVoie, who grew up in New York City, is the son of immigrants from Haiti. He attended the Manhattan College of Technology, but dropped out and started creating his own reality TV shows. He said he had been writing his own reality series before he ever met his future wife, Lauren.
“She is a really good writer and she is also a talented photographer,” he said, before adding, “We met when I was 23; she was 18. I’m 39 now, and still married.”
LaVoie has been featured on “Entertainment Tonight,” hosted the New York City version of “The Apprentice,” and was on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” He is also known for his work as a television producer and