Television March 20, 2026
‘Extra’ Remembers Senior Producer Steve Sunshine
Our “Extra” family was hit with sad news this week. We lost a beloved member of our team who, for all of us, will forever be remembered as a ray of sunshine.
For 18 years, Steve Sunshine was “Extra’s" star whisperer, landing exclusive interviews with everyone from Alec Baldwin to Al Pacino — even President Obama and First Lady Michelle.
And Steve was utterly devoted to his wife, Maddie. They were the creative force behind the sitcoms “Webster" and “Julie" starring Julie Andrews, and films that included "Son of the Pink Panther" and “Serrano: The Musical.”
As one of “Extra's" senior producers, Steve booked and developed thousands of segments. But the moment that we still talk about today was when Steve landed an exclusive with then Senator Barack Obama — and the shoot almost turned disastrous.
Everything that could go wrong did — and we got spoofed by Jon Stewart on the “The Daily Show”!
Sadly, the man whose name was fittingly Mr. Sunshine passed away this week. Steve and his many contributions to “Extra" will never be forgotten. We're sending all our love and deepest condolences to Maddie and the entire family.