Podtalk: Rob Smigel as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Chicago’s Den Theatre, June 3, 2024

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CHICAGO – I call him the Rosetta Stone of Show Business for the modern comedy era. Rob Smigel will appear in Chicago as the legendary Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the Den Theatre LIVE on Monday June 3rd, 2024, with “Let’s Make a Poop,” featuring special guests and more! Get tickets and more info at POOP.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (voice of Rob Smigel) brings his celebrated game show “Let’s Make A Poop” to Chicago with celebrity panelists former (and disgraced) Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Cubs legend Ryan Dempster, WGN Weatherman Paul Konrad and more surprises to come.

Let’s Make a Poop
Photo credit: TheDenTheatre.com

After years of toiling in the Catskills burying hookers for Henny Youngman, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog became an overnight national treasure after first appearing on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” in 1997. He has famously pooped on the Westminster Dog Show, “Hollywood Squares”, Bon Jovi, Star Wars fans, the VMAs, J Lo and Eminem, Comic Con, the Michael Jackson trial, “American Idol”, “Real Housewives of Atlanta”, the World Cup, Bonnaroo, the Chabad Telethon, Chicago’s Wiener’s Circle, Ralph Nader, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Awards, the province of Quebec, Donald Trump’s inauguration and impeachment trial, the January 6th hearings and more.

The humanity behind Triumph is Rob Smigel, who has become a legend in his own right. He is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer AND puppeteer, known for his SNL ”TV Funhouse” cartoon shorts (the “Ambiguously Gay Duo”) and the voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He started his career in Chicago at the Players Workshop, before becoming a writer on SNL during the 1985-86 season, where he participated in the classic Da Bears SuperFan’s roundtable and wrote the William Shatner “Get a Life” sketch, among many others. With Conan O’Brien, he wrote the cult favorite “Lookwell” pilot with Adam West and was Conan’s first head writer for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” He also co-wrote (with Adam Sandler) the first two “Hotel Translyvania” films and “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan “ (in which he also appeared).

In Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Rob Smigel talks about the “Let’s Make a Poop” Game Show …

In video clip, the pitch is made and the catchphrase is uttered …

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com