Richard Appel

Richard James "Rich" Appel (born May 21, 1963) is an American writer, producer and former lawyer. He is best known for writing and producing Fox animated sitcoms such as "Family Guy", "American Dad!", and "The Simpsons". He also co-created "The Cleveland Show" with Seth MacFarlane and Mike Henry.
Background.
Appel was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. He graduated from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he wrote for "The Harvard Lampoon" with Conan O'Brien and Greg Daniels. He originally worked as a lawyer. He began a career in television writing in 1994. Appel married author Mona Simpson in 1993. They had two children together before divorcing.