David Brenner
Stand-up comedian · 1936–2014

David Brenner

Who David Brenner is

American stand-up comedian, actor and author from Philadelphia who wrote and produced television documentaries before turning to comedy in 1969. A pioneer of observational comedy, he was the most frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, with 158 appearances and 75 turns as guest host, and he starred in four HBO specials. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2014.

At a glance

Born
1936
Died
2014
Style
Observational
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Stand-up specials
David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance!
Albums
Excuse Me, Are You Reading That Paper?
Podcasts
Soft Pretzels With Mustard, Revenge Is the Best Exercise, Nobody Ever Sees You Eat Tuna Fish and 1 more
On screen
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Snip, Nightlife and 1 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Podcasts

Where they got their start

Came up the same way

Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson:

The Launching Pads: the shows the comedians came through →

Comedians like David Brenner

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1936Born
  2. 1975The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (158 appearances; guest host 75 times, 1975–1984) On screen
  3. 1976Snip (star, 1976; shelved before broadcast) On screen
  4. 1983Excuse Me, Are You Reading That Paper? (1983) Album
  5. 1983Soft Pretzels With Mustard (book, 1983) Book
  6. 1984Revenge Is the Best Exercise (book, 1984) Book
  7. 1986Nightlife (host, syndicated, 1986) On screen
  8. 1986Nobody Ever Sees You Eat Tuna Fish (book, 1986) Book
  9. 1989Worth Winning (film, 1989) On screen
  10. 2000David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance! (2000, HBO; Las Vegas) Special
  11. 2003I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup (book, 2003) Book
  12. 2014Died

Questions about David Brenner

What stand-up specials has David Brenner released?

David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance!.

What podcast do they host?

Soft Pretzels With Mustard, Revenge Is the Best Exercise, Nobody Ever Sees You Eat Tuna Fish and I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Snip, Nightlife and Worth Winning.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (158 appearances and 75 turns as guest host).

Who are some comedians like them?

Jerry Seinfeld (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Andy Kaufman (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Bill Engvall (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Bob Newhart (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) and Buddy Hackett (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026