David Steinberg
Who David Steinberg is
Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and director from Winnipeg who came up through Chicago's Second City and was one of the best-known comics in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s. His satirical sermons on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour drew a record number of complaints to CBS, and he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson more than 130 times. He later directed episodes of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad About You and Friends, and interviews fellow comedians on Inside Comedy.
At a glance
- Born
- 1942
- Style
- Provocation
- Came up through
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Second City
- Albums
- The Incredible Shrinking God, Disguised as a Normal Person, Booga! Booga! and 1 more
- Podcasts
- The Book of David and Inside Comedy with David Steinberg
- On screen
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Music Scene and 14 more
- Official site
- thedavidsteinberg.com ↗
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: thedavidsteinberg.com ↗.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Albums
- The Incredible Shrinking God 1968
- Disguised as a Normal Person 1970
- Booga! Booga! 1974
- Goodbye to the '70s 1975
On screen
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 1968–1969
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 130+ appearances; guest host 12 times
- The Music Scene host, 1969–1970
- The David Steinberg Show host, 1972, 1976–1977
- Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg host, 2005–2007
- Inside Comedy host, Showtime, 2012–2015
- Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mad About You director
- Designing Women director, writer and producer, 1987–1991
- Newhart director, 1986–1990
- Friends director, 1998
- The Golden Girls director, 1986
- Evening Shade director and producer, 1990–1991
- Big Sound Gabe Moss; creator, 2000–2001
- Noonday host, NBC, 1975
- The End Marty Lieberman, 1978
- Paternity director, 1981
- Going Berserk director and writer, 1983
Podcasts
- The Book of David memoir, 2007
- Inside Comedy with David Steinberg podcast host
Where they got their start
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson more than 130 appearances
- The Second City came up through the Chicago company
Came up the same way
Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Second City:
Comedians like David Steinberg
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.
- Joan Rivers also came through The Second City
- Bob Newhart also in Newhart
- Steve Martin also in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- Andy Kaufman also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- Bill Engvall also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- Buddy Hackett also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- Byron Allen also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- David Brenner also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Career timeline
- 1942Born
- 1968The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968–1969) On screen
- 1968The Incredible Shrinking God (1968) Album
- 1969The Music Scene (host, 1969–1970) On screen
- 1970Disguised as a Normal Person (1970) Album
- 1972The David Steinberg Show (host, 1972, 1976–1977) On screen
- 1974Booga! Booga! (1974) Album
- 1975Noonday (host, NBC, 1975) On screen
- 1975Goodbye to the '70s (1975) Album
- 1978The End (Marty Lieberman, 1978) On screen
- 1981Paternity (director, 1981) On screen
- 1983Going Berserk (director and writer, 1983) On screen
- 1986Newhart (director, 1986–1990) On screen
- 1986The Golden Girls (director, 1986) On screen
- 1987Designing Women (director, writer and producer, 1987–1991) On screen
- 1990Evening Shade (director and producer, 1990–1991) On screen
- 1998Friends (director, 1998) On screen
- 2000Big Sound (Gabe Moss; creator, 2000–2001) On screen
- 2005Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg (host, 2005–2007) On screen
- 2007The Book of David (memoir, 2007) Book
- 2012Inside Comedy (host, Showtime, 2012–2015) On screen
Questions about David Steinberg
Where is David Steinberg performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: thedavidsteinberg.com ↗.
What podcast do they host?
The Book of David and Inside Comedy with David Steinberg.
What TV shows and films are they in?
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Music Scene, The David Steinberg Show, Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg and Inside Comedy, among 17 credits.
Where did they get their start?
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (more than 130 appearances) and The Second City (came up through the Chicago company).
When were they born?
In 1942.
Who are some comedians like them?
Joan Rivers (also came through The Second City), Bob Newhart (also in Newhart), Steve Martin (also in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), Andy Kaufman (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) and Bill Engvall (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 a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Wikipedia — David Steinberg ↗ Birth year, Second City, Smothers Brothers sermons, Tonight Show record, TV hosting and directing, albums, book
- David Steinberg — official site ↗ Inside Comedy with David Steinberg podcast (new weekly episodes), The Book of David
Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026