Hely has written for the television shows The Late Show with David Letterman (receiving an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Comedy Show); Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; and American Dad. He is currently a writer for 30 Rock.
Hely has also authored or co-authored two books. The Ridiculous Race, written with Vali Chandrasekaran and published in 2008 by Macmillan, chronicled a real-life race around the world between Hely and Chandrasekaran. Each set off from Los Angeles in opposite directions, with only one rule: "No airplanes." In 2009, Grove/Atlantic published Hely's debut novel, How I Became A Famous Novelist.
Hely attended the Roxbury Latin School and Harvard University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Harvard, Hely served two terms as president of the Harvard Lampoon.