The Comedian List / Comedians / Dave Attell
Queens · Long Island · InsomniacDave Attell
The comic’s comic who drank his way across America on Insomniac and still writes some of the tightest jokes in the business.
- Born
- January 18, 1965, Queens
- Raised
- Rockville Centre, Long Island
- Known for
- Insomniac with Dave Attell
- First hour
- Captain Miserable (2007)
Who is Dave Attell?
Dave Attell is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer from Queens, raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island. He started at open mics after graduating from New York University in 1987.
A 1993 Letterman set got him hired as a writer on Saturday Night Live. He later did The Daily Show’s “The Ugly American” segment and hosted Comedy Central’s Insomniac with Dave Attell, The Gong Show with Dave Attell and Comedy Underground. His specials include Captain Miserable and Road Work.
On Tuesdays with Stories #679, Attell comes up as one of the headliners young Boston comics were opening for in the early 2000s.
Timeline
- 1987NYU grad; starts at open mics
- 1993Letterman debut; joins SNL as a writer
- 1999The Daily Show’s “The Ugly American”
- 2001Insomniac with Dave Attell
- 2007Captain Miserable (HBO)
- 2014Comedy Underground; Road Work
Specials, TV & more
On My Show Notes
Live My Show Notes episode pages that mention Dave Attell.
- MyShowNotes ✓ Sam Morril on TYSO – #376
Dave Attell FAQ
What show did Dave Attell host?
Insomniac with Dave Attell on Comedy Central, plus The Gong Show with Dave Attell and Comedy Underground.
Did Dave Attell write for SNL?
Yes, for the 1993–94 season.
Where is Dave Attell from?
Queens, raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island.
If you like Dave
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Bill BurrPhotos: Jim Florentine: Photo: Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Mark Normand: Photo: Neal Brennan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Joe List: Photo: Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Sam Morril: Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Patrice O’Neal: Photo: King Taco, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Bill Burr: Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Illustration: initials card by The Comedian List (no free-licensed photo yet). Facts checked Oct 26, 2026.
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