Who Is Ivan Ivanović

Ivan Ivanović (born in Belgrade on 22 October 1975) is a Serbian television host and comedian. He is best known as the creator and host of the late-night talk show “Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem” (Evening with Ivan Ivanović), which since 2010 has drawn viewers with satire, interviews and charity campaigns.

Before becoming one of the most recognizable hosts in Serbia and the wider region, he held ordinary jobs, including work in security. He began his television career in 2007 as the host of the quiz show “Keš taksi” on Fox television. He then hosted the reality show “Survivor” and, after that, a show of his own, which became his trademark.

This biography follows the path of Ivan Ivanović from his childhood in a working-class neighborhood in Voždovac to prime-time television. It also covers his most important shows, his departure from TV Prva, his move to Nova S, his charity work and his private life.

Early Life and Childhood

Ivan Ivanović was born on 22 October 1975 in Belgrade, where he grew up and where he still lives and works. By his own account, he came from a working-class family and grew up in a working-class neighborhood. According to one biographical source, it was the Braće Jerković neighborhood in Voždovac, in the apartment of his grandfather Rade.

He showed a sense of humor very early. In the fourth grade of primary school, at a School Day celebration, he gave his first stand-up performance, which lasted about six minutes. He combined parts of the popular play “Šok” with sketches from “Indeksovo radio pozorište” (Indeks Radio Theater).

He has admitted that he was undisciplined and a weak student. Even so, as he told the weekly “Vreme”, he always felt he would one day do something big, although he did not know what.

Education

After primary school, Ivan Ivanović enrolled at Sveti Sava Gymnasium in Belgrade. At the time he planned to become a doctor, but biology and chemistry did not go well, so he soon gave up on that plan. He stayed on good terms with his chemistry teacher Anđelka, and at school he was known for imitating his teachers.

After finishing secondary school, he spent some time looking for the right direction. In the end he enrolled at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law. He reasoned that his skill with words might help him in the legal profession.

He took a very long time to finish his studies, which ran in parallel with his television career. In an earlier interview he mentioned that he had a few exams left until the so-called “small diploma”. Sources differ on the exact year of graduation: 2016 is the most commonly cited, while the weekly “Vreme” notes that he graduated in his forties.

Early Career

Before television, Ivan Ivanović worked jobs that gave no hint of a public career. As a student he worked in security, and by his own words his first job was collecting parking fees. He later said that only on television did he feel for the first time that he was in the right place.

He began his hosting career in 2007, when he started presenting the quiz show “Keš taksi” on Fox television. That engagement was a turning point, because it showed that his humor and quick wit worked very well in front of the cameras.

After “Keš taksi” he appeared in the reality show “Survivor – Povratak u civilizaciju” (Return to Civilization, 2009), where he was one of the hosts. The show had high ratings and opened the door to a format of his own.

Rise to Fame

Thanks to the success of “Survivor”, Ivanović received an offer to make his own show. He chose the late night show, a late-night talk-show format that, as he explained, is the pinnacle of television show business. “Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem” began airing on 14 May 2010, when Fox television became TV Prva.

The format included an opening monologue on current events, sketches, regular segments and conversations with guests from culture, sports, politics and entertainment. The humor was often political and satirical, and Ivanović stressed that he never presented anything in the show that had not already been a headline in the media.

Besides the show, he was the entertainment programming editor at TV Prva and also hosted the morning program on B92. For Prva he also reported from major sporting events, including the US Open in 2011.

Greatest Achievements

Ivan Ivanović’s greatest professional achievement is undoubtedly the long run of “Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem”. According to the weekly “Vreme”, he was the only author who survived a change of political regime in Serbia, working under both Boris Tadić and Aleksandar Vučić.

Guests on the Show

Many well-known people appeared in his studio. They included international stars such as Bryan Ferry and Sting, politicians Boris Tadić and Aleksandar Vučić, and tennis player Novak Đoković. Vuk Drašković also appeared, and his interview drew an exceptionally high share of the audience. Ivanović was the first to invite Aleksandar Vučić onto his show at a time when Vučić was in opposition.

A conversation with Tomislav Nikolić, then a presidential candidate, ahead of the second round of the election, held a special place. Ivanović stated that he then threatened to resign if the show was not aired, and it was aired.

Charity Work

Ivanović is also involved in charity work. Thanks to his show, funds were raised for the reconstruction of ten houses after the floods in Obrenovac, as well as for three hospitals. In the New Year edition of the show, viewers’ wishes were traditionally fulfilled and gifts handed out, with the support of sponsors and from the host’s own funds.

Leaving TV Prva

At the end of 2018, after TV Prva changed owners, Ivan Ivanović announced that he was leaving the show. He said the final episode would air on 28 December and that he did not want to be a “decoration for false freedom”, as the portal N1 reported.

According to his claims, the new owner removed the final, charity-themed episode from the schedule. TV Prva stated that it was grateful to Ivanović for the cooperation and respected his decision. The weekly “Vreme” noted that his career at the station thus ended the way it began, “loud and stormy”.

In a conversation with “Vreme” in January 2019, Ivanović said that he had no job at that moment and had not negotiated with any television. He also mentioned that he planned to launch a new show with his team.

Nova S and New Shows

In the spring of 2019, Ivan Ivanović returned to television. His show “Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem” premiered on the Nova S channel on 5 April 2019 and aired on Friday evenings with the same team of collaborators.

On the same channel he also hosted “4 i po muškarca sa Ivanom Ivanovićem” (Four and a Half Men with Ivan Ivanović). In it, together with collaborators Srđan Dinčić, Slobodan Nešović Loka, Bane Raičević and Dragan Ilić, he commented on current topics and events in the country.

According to available information, his show continued to air after the move to the new channel, keeping the same satirical tone that made him famous.

Court Cases and Public Controversies

Because of his sharp humor and political satire, Ivanović has been involved in several public controversies. In one interview he said that, because of his comments, he was often a target of criticism in the tabloids.

According to media reports, in 2021 the Higher Court in Belgrade issued a final conviction against him for insulting Saša Milovanović, the director of “Srpski telegraf”. The same year, Ivanović and then deputy mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić appeared in court over a statement made on the show about Vesić’s summer vacation. Ivanović subsequently admitted on the show that he had made a mistake.

This information is drawn from media reports, and this biography states only what has been confirmed about court proceedings.

Private Life

Ivan Ivanović rarely talks about his private life on social media. According to Kurir, he was married to Zorica Trivić, and from that marriage he has a daughter, Staša. The marriage ended in divorce.

Ivanović has been in a relationship with Anja Petrović since 2016, as reported by Nova. In 2021 the couple had a daughter, Lola, who was born in March of that year. A house in Rovinj, Croatia, which he bought a few years ago, serves as a place to relax and recharge before each television season.

Ivanović also has a brother, Ognjen.

Interesting Facts

• He gave his first stand-up performance in the fourth grade of primary school, and it lasted about six minutes.
• He opened the pilot episode of his show with a joke about minister Mlađan Dinkić, and the audience was left speechless.
• Before television he worked in security, and he cites collecting parking fees as his first job.
• He took more than two decades to finish university, alongside his career.
• The New Year episodes of his show traditionally had a charitable character.
• He told the weekly “Vreme” that there is no alternative to television for him, because only there did he feel he was in the right place.

Legacy and Influence

Ivan Ivanović popularized the late-night talk-show format with political satire in Serbia, which is why many single him out as one of the most influential entertainers of his generation. His show set a standard for domestic television humor, and many viewers remember his monologues and recurring segments.

The profession, as “Vreme” wrote, has not yet determined whether he is a journalist, a host or an entertainer. That blurred line between satire and journalism has marked his work and often placed him at the center of public debates.