Beyazıt Öztürk

Beyazıt Öztürk — Biography

Beyazıt Öztürk, known simply as Beyaz, is a Turkish presenter, showman, comedian and actor born on 12 March 1969 in Bolu. His father, of Artvin origin, was a police officer, and his mother had immigrated from Bulgaria; his father's postings meant a childhood spent across several Anatolian towns. While studying ceramics and sculpture at Eskişehir's Anadolu University, he grew interested in radio, and first signed his cartoons "Beyaz" in a satirical magazine, Gına, that he produced with friends. An offer from Radyo Klas took him to Istanbul, where he began professional broadcasting with the show "Gece Tavuğu" before moving on to Number One TV.

He hosted the talk show Beyaz Show from 1996 to 2018, becoming a household name despite being unable to pronounce the letter "r." In 2016 a phone-in caller's remarks about the conflict in southeastern Turkey drew wide backlash on his program and a prosecutor's inquiry. He later turned to stand-up comedy and joined the judging panel of O Ses Türkiye in 2018. He released a folk album, "Beyaz Türküler," and wrote a column for Aktüel magazine. His role in Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? earned him a Sadri Alışık award, and he also appeared in Nihavend Mucize, Dansöz, O Şimdi Mahkum and Eyvah Eyvah 2, as well as series such as Yalan Dünya and Karım ve Annem. In 2026 he opened his first sculpture-and-ceramics exhibition, "Şeyler," and he currently hosts Beyaz'la Joker on Kanal D.