Jeff Dunham
Jeffrey Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist and comedian who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including "Late Show with David Letterman", "Comedy Central Presents", "The Tonight Show" and "Sonny With a Chance". He has six specials that run on Comedy Central: "", "", "Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special", "", "", and "". Dunham also starred in "The Jeff Dunham Show", a series on the network in 2009.
Jeff Dunham
At the end of 1988, Dunham was told by James McCawley, a talent booker for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", that Dunham would be given a spot on the coveted program. Though the 26-year-old Dunham was elated that his 10-year goal was arriving two years early, McCawley later cancelled Dunham's appearance after attending, with Roseanne Barr, a public performance of Dunham's the day before Dunham's scheduled "Tonight Show" taping. McCawley informed Dunham on the day of the scheduled taping that he had been wrong in his initial assessment of Dunham, whom he now said was not ready for "The Tonight Show". Dunham continued to tighten his act in Los Angeles clubs, performing the same six-minute segment with Peanut a total of nine times for McCawley over the next few months. Finally at the Ice-House in Pasadena in April 1990, after Dunham did the same segment, McCawley informed Dunham that he would finally get his "Tonight Show" appearance. Dunham and Peanut appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" on April 6, 1990, alongside guests Bob Hope and B.B. King. Following his bit, he was invited to sit on Johnny Carson's couch, a mark of approval on Carson's show. Upon sitting down next to Carson's desk, Dunham pulled out Walter, who told Carson sidekick Ed McMahon, "Stop sending me all your damn mail." At the time, Dunham saw his "Tonight Show" appearance as his big break, but was frustrated at his parents' initial disapproval over Walter's use of the words "hell" and "damn", and he would toil in obscurity for another twelve years, continuing his stand up at venues such as The Improv chain, and appearing in small roles on TV. One of these was a 1996 episode of "Ellen", in which he appeared with Walter. Dunham also appeared with Walter in a TV commercial for Hertz. Dunham would appear on "The Tonight Show" a total of four times, as well as similar TV venues such as "Hot Country Nights", appearing in one segment with Reba McEntire. This exposure helped make Dunham a large theater headliner, a rare accomplishment for a ventriloquist, but by the mid-1990s, his television appearances had dwindled, and with them, so did his stage audiences.