Dave Attell
About Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer, best known as the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell. He was born in the New York City borough of Queens to a Jewish family and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island. He graduated from South Side High School and, after graduating from New York University in 1987 with a degree in communications, began performing at open-mic nights.
Attell's first television appearance was in 1988 on VH1's Stand-Up Spotlight. On November 23, 1993, he made his first appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, which was seen by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, who recruited him as a writer and occasional performer on SNL for the 1993-94 season. In 1995 he was featured on two HBO specials alongside Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle, and in 1999 the network signed him as a regular commentator on The Daily Show, where his segment was called "The Ugly American" and where he appeared for three years.
In 2001 the series Insomniac with Dave Attell premiered on Comedy Central, which Attell described as "Wild on E! for Ugly People". He later hosted The Gong Show with Dave Attell (2008) and Comedy Underground with Dave Attell (2014), and his special Dave Attell: Captain Miserable aired on HBO in 2007. In 2018 he toured with Jeff Ross on the Bumping Mics Tour, taping a three-part documentary series for Netflix, and in 2024 he released the Netflix comedy special Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns. He has been sober since the late 2000s.
Videos (1)
Videos 1 to 1 of 1.
Guest appearances (55)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Dave Attell.
Guest appearances 1 to 24 of 55.
1:07:29BERTCAST - Dave Attell, Tom Segura, & ME
Bert Kreischer
797.8K views
1:01Dave Attell is the funniest
Sam Morril
536K views
4:15How Dave Attell Would Like To Die | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
486.5K views
4:28Dave Attell Interview Part 1 04/30/14 | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
479.3K views
50:49Karate on Long Island with Dave Attell | Soder Podcast | EP 19
Dan Soder
395.8K views
1:09:57Something’s Burning S1 E02: Fish and Chips with Dave Attell and Gilbert Gottfried
Bert Kreischer
309.2K views
59:05Hot Cross Buns with Dave Attell | Whiskey Ginger with Andrew Santino
Andrew Santino
219.9K views
2:08:59Dave Attell Hates Compliments | Bertcast # 576
Bert Kreischer
204.7K views
2:44Dave Attell Interview Part 1 04/30/15 | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
140.6K views
4:11Dave Attell's Retro-Porn Nostalgia | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
135.6K views
58:50Dave Attell Can't Sleep | Breaking Bread with Tom Papa
Tom Papa
124.2K views
1:04:27No Secrets in a Trailer with Dave Attell | Jim Norton Can't Save You EP 18
Jim Norton
123.6K views
1:14:54The Art of Creating Great Jokes with Comedian Dave Attell | Ep 183
Whitney Cummings
118.7K views
1:21:30Alpha Males with Dave Attell & Ian Fidance | Jim Norton Can't Save You EP 85
Jim Norton
114.7K views
11:13The Artie Lange Show - Dave Attell (in-studio) Part 1
Artie Lange
81.9K views
22:09El VERDADERO GOAT Del Stand-Up Comedy Es Dave Attell
Gabriel Murillo
72K views
0:40Ai vs Dave Attell
Dan Soder
66.7K views
1:30Dave Attell Knows How To Solve NYC's Post-Sandy Problems | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
65.6K views
7:56Dave Attell opens NBA Hoops Card pack from 1980s
Dan Soder
63.9K views
1:24:11Dave Attell (Fitzdog Radio ) | Greg Fitzsimmons
Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons
55.2K views
20:02The Artie Lange Show - Dave Attell (in-studio) Part 3
Artie Lange
45.6K views
1:18:42Dave Attell (Fitzdog Radio ) | Greg Fitzsimmons
Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons
41K views
0:35The TRUTH about Taylor Swift with Dave Attell
Dan Soder
39.6K views
0:26Dave Attell Didn’t Know the Rizzler!!! aka 'The Twizzler' | We Might Be Drunk
Mark Normand
37.9K viewsChannels on this page: Bert Kreischer, Sam Morril, Conan O'Brien, Dan Soder, Andrew Santino, Tom Papa, Jim Norton, Whitney Cummings, Artie Lange, Gabriel Murillo, Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons, Mark Normand
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dave Attell?
Born January 18, 1965, he is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer, best known as the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell.
What is Insomniac with Dave Attell?
It is the Comedy Central series that premiered in 2001, which Attell described as "Wild on E! for Ugly People".
How did Dave Attell get hired by Saturday Night Live?
His 1993 appearance on Late Show with David Letterman was seen by SNL creator Lorne Michaels, who recruited him as a writer and performer for the 1993-94 season.
What was Dave Attell's role on The Daily Show?
From 1999 he was a regular commentator on The Daily Show for three years, with a segment called "The Ugly American".
What is Dave Attell's most recent Netflix special?
In 2024 he released the Netflix comedy special Dave Attell: Hot Cross Buns.
Comedians similar to Dave Attell
Same comedic style, across countries
