Robert Smigel
The sly satirist behind 'SNL's' most savage puppet, Triumph, and the absurdist mind that shaped a generation of alternative comedy.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American comedian, writer, and actor·Birthday: February 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Robert Smigel operates in the shadows of comedy, a writer and performer whose most famous character is a cigar-chomping puppet dog. After cutting his teeth at Chicago's Second City, he became a defining writer for 'Saturday Night Live' in the 1990s, where he created the acidic 'TV Funhouse' cartoons and unleashed Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on an unsuspecting world. Triumph's interviews, a blend of childish puppetry and devastating insult comedy, became cultural events. Smigel's influence extended as a key collaborator with Adam Sandler, co-writing films that blended slapstick with a specific, affectionate Jewish humor. His work, whether through a puppet's felt mouth or a cartoon's subversive script, consistently targets hypocrisy and pretense with a uniquely intelligent silliness.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Robert was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and voiced Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, a pop-culture phenomenon known for brutally hilarious interviews.
- Won an Emmy Award for writing on 'Saturday Night Live' and created its acclaimed 'TV Funhouse' animated segments.
- Co-wrote the hit animated film 'Hotel Transylvania' and its first sequel, helping launch a major franchise.
- Was the head writer for 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' during its formative and influential early years.
Did You Know?
He provided the voice of the 'Animaniacs' character 'The Brain' for a single episode before the role was recast.
He is a close friend and frequent collaborator of Adam Sandler, appearing in many of his films.
His 'TV Funhouse' cartoon 'The Ambiguously Gay Duo' (with Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert) spawned several sequels.
He is married to comedian and actress Michelle Saks.
“I put a dog puppet on television to say what others couldn't.”
