Like many of you, I was excited to see the second season of “Punk’d” on MTV. I saw most of the episodes last year, and besides getting to see Ashton Kutcher’s adorable face, it’s hilarious to see pranks being pulled on big name celebrities.

But this time, I know the lead prankster. No, not Ashton (I wish). I know BJ Novak, who before this week, was a stand-up comic and a writer on the failed Bob Saget series, “Raising Dad.” BJ grew up in Newton, Mass. and attended Harvard University. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, which seems to have worked out very well for him. I spoke to him the day after the show premiered, and he told me about his experiences.

After being spotted doing stand-up at a small Hollywood show last June, a producer invited BJ to meet the heads of casting in L.A. who like to keep track of young comedians. As an afterthought, he suggested BJ audition for “Punk’d,” which took place the next day. They were far into the audition process, but Ashton was impressed with BJ and hired him immediately.

You probably remember Dax and the other pranksters from last season’s show. The cast has to change because they begin to get recognized and can no longer fool celebrities. This is the reason BJ had to keep his new job a complete secret from all of his friends while they filmed the entire season.

BJ, who is 24 years old, began the show Sunday night by pretending to be Hilary Duff’s road test instructor at the department of motor vehicles. Duff, the 16-year-old star of “Lizzie McGuire,” listened to BJ tell her that “cars are not toys” and “driving is a privilege not a right.”

“It’s funnier to pretend that you don’t know the person,” he said.

Each “Punk’d” segment actually takes about two hours, but it gets cut down to five minutes for TV. BJ hopes the extra footage will make it on to the DVD.

I asked BJ why they seem to be punking more rappers than last season. In the first episode, Missy Elliot was punked. Next week it’s Bow Wow’s turn.

“I wonder if Ashton is responding to Chris Rock’s comment at the VMA’s,” he said, referring to the Video Music Awards when he said Ashton wouldn’t dare punk a rap artist because they’d come after him with a gun.

What’s so impressive is that a good portion of the show is improvised by BJ and the other cast members. There are no second takes. When they film it, it’s for real.

Another fun fact about the show is that there is an accomplice for each “punking.” Otherwise, there would be no way to know that the star would show up at the right moment and time. Think of it like a surprise birthday party. In Usher’s case, his brother was in on it. Sometimes it’s a friend or an agent.

For those of you who missed it, the Usher sketch was really great. BJ played a salesperson at a fancy clothing store. He pretended that Usher’s friend had stolen some merchandise, but Usher could make up for it if he agreed to do a rap promotion for the store. Usher isn’t a rap artist and he wasn’t interested. He told BJ to just press charges against his friend. It didn’t make it into the show, but BJ turned to usher’s bodyguards and asked, “Are you guys famous too?”

BJ got used to seeing Ashton every day on the set, but he admitted he was somewhat star struck when Ashton called his cell phone.

“I’d answer the phone and hear, ‘Hey BJ, it’s Ashton,’ and I’d have to hide the expression of surprise on my face,” he said.

He hasn’t partied with him yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

Next up for BJ is an appearance on “The Late Show with Conan O’Brien” and maybe another TV show in the works.

I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing a lot more of BJ.