Michael Joseph Teutul (born November 26, 1978) is an American television celebrity who appeared on the reality programs "Orange County Choppers" American Chopper and American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior.
Teutul is the youngest son of Paul Teutul Sr., the founder of Orange County Choppers, and his first wife, Paula Teutul. He is the younger brother of Paul Teutul Jr., the chief fabricator on the show, and Daniel Teutul, the owner/general manager of Orange County Ironworks LLC.
At age 14, Teutul began working at his family's company, the Orange County Iron Works. After Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. started Orange County Choppers, Teutul joined them as an assistant general manager. His duties involved answering phones and taking out the trash. On rare occasions, Teutul would help build choppers, at one point building his own bike. The family business became the basis for the popular American Chopper series.
Teutul's role as part of the TV shows was to provide comic relief. Teutul frequently appeared at promotional events for the company. Teutul appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
In December 2009, it was revealed on American Chopper that Michael Teutul had checked himself into a rehabilitation center to overcome an alcohol addiction.
Towards the end of the series, Teutul tried to mediate the ongoing disputes between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr.. As revealed in Season 6 Episode 13, Michael was forced out of the business. Paul Sr. stated that Michael had many opportunities to be successful at OCC but never followed through on them. Michael joined Paul Jr. in his new business venture, Paul Jr. Designs
Teutul's hobbies include painting (he has auctioned some of his work, having recently opened up his "Wolfgang Gallery" in Montgomery, NY) and skeet shooting. In 2011, Teutul was attempting to market a line of gourmet pasta sauces under the moniker FarQueue Products, LLC.
References
Mikey's Leaving? | American Chopper - Mikey ponders leaving the show to improve his relationship with Senior. Watch AMERICAN CHOPPER Mondays at 9PM e/p on Discovery. | http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/american-chopper/#mkcpgn=ytdsc1.
External links
- Michael Teutul on IMDb