John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series "The Simpsons". Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in advertising. He was later hired to work on comedy series "Saturday Night Live" in the mid-1980s as a writer. He later contributed to fellow writer George Meyer's short-lived "Army Man" magazine, which led him to join the original writing team of "The Simpsons", beginning in 1989.