Being the Chief Pot Stirrer for "The Soup" and its predecessor, "Talk Soup," has been a lucrative gig from up 'n' comers in Hollywood. A brief look at their résumés.

Greg Kinnear (1991-95)

Before: Hosted "College Mad House," a cross between an obstacle course and a toga party.

During: Dashing good looks and artificial charm suggested he had been kidnapped from the set of "Good Morning, Edina!"

After: Short-lived stint as an NBC late-night host, followed by roles in "Sabrina," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "As Good As It Gets," for which he received an Oscar nod.

John Henson (1995-99)

Before: Relatively unknown stand-up comedian; often mistaken for being Muppet master Jim Henson's son.

During: A grown-up version of the geek from every John Hughes movie.

Kinnear

After: Co-host and producer of ABC's "Wipeout"; often mistaken for being Jim Henson's son.

Hal Sparks (1999-2000)

Before: Less-than-glamorous credits include Lance in "Chopper Chicks in Zombietown."

During: The most exciting thing about him was his name.

After: Least horny of the main characters on "Queer as Folk," which means he has sex only three times per episode.

Aisha Tyler (2001-02)

Before: Stand-up comedian; sang in all-female a cappella group while attending Dartmouth College.

During: Appeared more enamored of than embarrassed by shows she was supposed to be trashing.

After: A regular of "The Talk," host of "Whose Line Is it Anyway?" and voice for "Archer," contender for Busiest Woman in Hollywood.

Joel McHale (2004-15)

Before: Improv performer in Seattle; small roles in TV and film.

During: A grating smart aleck — but you still want to buy him a beer.

After: Has a role in upcoming miniseries of "The X-Files"; may return for another season of "Community."

Neal Justin