What Is Robert Smigel's Net Worth?
Robert Smigel is an American actor, comedian, producer, director, and writer who has a net worth of $3 million. Robert Smigel is best known for being the creator, puppeteer, and voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and for his "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts on "Saturday Night Live." Smigel began his career as a writer for "Saturday Night Live" in 1985. He wrote for "The Dana Carvey Show" in 1996, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" from 1993 to 2000, "TV Funhouse" from 2000 to 2001, and "Saturday Night Live" from 1985 to 2013. Robert has impersonated Alan Dershowitz and Woody Allen on "SNL" and Al Sharpton, Al Franken, Lorne Michaels, and Sinbad in "SNL" "TV Funhouse" cartoons. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards and eight Writers Guild of America awards. Smigel co-wrote and directed the films "The Week Of" (2018) and "Leo" (2023), and he co-wrote "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" (2008), "Hotel Transylvania" (2012), and "Hotel Transylvania 2" (2015). Robert created the charity event "Night of Too Many Stars" to raise money for autism education after his son was diagnosed with the disorder.
Early Life
Robert Smigel was born on February 7, 1960, in New York City. He is the son of Lucia Smigel and dentist, philanthropist, and innovator Irwin Smigel. Robert grew up in a Jewish household and attended Jewish summer camp. He studied pre-dental at Cornell University before earning a political science degree from the New York University College of Arts and Science in 1983. Smigel studied improv with Josephine Forsberg at The Players Workshop in Chicago, and Bob Odenkirk was also a student there. In the early '80s, Robert joined the local comedy troupe All You Can Eat.
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Career
Smigel was hired as a "Saturday Night Live" writer for the 1985–1986 season after producers Tom Davis and Al Franken saw him In a sketch show. Robert was not a victim of the purge of cast members and writers that occurred after that season ended, and he subsequently began writing memorable sketches such as the one in which host William Shatner told "Star Trek" convention attendees to "get a life." Though Smigel was primarily considered a writer, he had a recurring role as Carl Wollarski in the "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketches, and he voiced Bighead in "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" cartoons. In the late '80s, Robert teamed up with fellow "SNL" writers Conan O'Brien and Bob Odenkirk for the Chicago improv comedy revue "Happy Happy Good Show." Robert and Conan co-wrote a pilot for NBC called "Lookwell," but it was not picked up. When "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" launched in 1993, Smigel was hired as the show's first head writer. In 1997, he debuted what would become his most well-known creation, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, on the show, and Triumph would go on to appear numerous times. Triumph released the album "Come Poop with Me" in 2003, and the following year, the DVD "Late Night with Conan O'Brien: The Best of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog" was released. Triumph has also appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and he co-starred with Jack McBrayer on "The Jack and Triumph Show" on Adult Swim in 2015. In 1996, Robert was a writer on ABC's "The Dana Carvey Show," on which he debuted "The Ambiguously Gay Duo."
In 2000, Smigel got his own Comedy Central series based on his "TV Funhouse" segments from "SNL," and eight episodes aired. That year he also voiced a bulldog in the Adam Sandler film "Little Nicky." Smigel, Sandler, and Judd Apatow co-wrote 2008's "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," and Robert played an Israeli electronics salesman named Yosi in the movie. He co-wrote and produced the animated Adam Sandler films "Hotel Transylvania" (2012) and "Hotel Transylvania 2" (2015), and he co-wrote 2018's "The Week Of" with Sandler and directed the film. The duo also co-wrote the 2023 animated film "Leo," which Smigel co-directed with Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim. In 2022, Robert and several people involved with "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" were arrested for unlawful entry at Washington, D.C.'s Longworth House Office Building while filming a Triumph the Insult Comic Dog segment for the show. According to CBS, "Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed." They added, "After leaving the members' offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police." A few weeks later, federal prosecutors announced that no charges would be filed.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vulture Festival)
Personal Life
Robert married Michelle Saks in 1993, and they have welcomed three children together. Michelle was a lighting technician at the Chicago theater that hosted the comedy troupe Robert was a member of, All You Can Eat and the Temple of Dooom, and she later became a comedy writer. Robert and Michelle were both executive producers on 2017's "Night of Too Many Stars," which earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). The couple has served on the board of the non-profit organization NEXT for AUTISM, which "transforms the national landscape of services for people with autism by strategically designing, launching, and supporting innovative programs."
Awards and Nominations
Smigel has earned 20 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for "Saturday Night Live" (1989 and 2002) and Outstanding Interactive Program for "Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs" (2013). Out of 16 Writers Guild of America Award nominations, Robert has won eight: Comedy/Variety – Music, Awards, Tributes – Specials – Any Length for "Saturday Night Live 25" (2001) and "Triumph's Election Watch 2016" (2017) and Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006) and "Saturday Night Live" (2007 and 2009).
