David Cross
He paces the stage like a man baffled by human stupidity.
11 specials · 1996–2026
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David Cross paces the stage wearing whatever he had on that afternoon, looking vaguely disappointed. He works through bits like a man solving a frustrating puzzle in real time. The rhythm is uneven on purpose. He will start a thought in a quiet, tired mutter, letting the premise simmer. Then his voice tightens and climbs a full octave as he slips into a high impersonation of whoever is annoying him, usually someone confidently ignorant. When the joke lands, he lets the mic hang at his side and sighs, letting the quiet sit in the room.
Specials
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The End Of The Beginning Of The End
An unpolished, club-set hour of political fatigue and personal absurdity.
YouTube
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A grumpy look at Brooklyn parenting and modern American absurdities.
Veeps · 83 min
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67 min
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David Cross rails against fatherhood, colonics, and the Trump era.
Comedy Dynamics · 70 min
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An anxious, irritable time capsule of late-2016 American political panic.
Liberal Jew-Run Media Productions · Album · 74 min
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A shaggy, defiant hour of confrontational political comedy.
Netflix · 74 min
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Cynical political stand-up recorded in George W. Bush's Washington.
Sub Pop · Album · 73 min
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A hostile double album recorded during a tour of rock clubs.
Sub Pop · Album · 1 h 59 min
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An hour of articulate complaining about late-nineties American consumerism.
HBO · 55 min
On stage
He helped build the 1990s alternative comedy scene. He proved you could perform without polish, reject setup-punch rhythms, and treat the audience like they need to catch up. He still plays theaters to crowds that grew up on his cynicism. The broader culture eventually aligned with his persistent exasperation, making his outrage feel less like a provocation and more like a shared release.
His strongest material takes a minor hypocrisy and pushes it into the surreal. He finds the absurdity in a tiny interaction and stretches the logic until it breaks. The weaker stretches happen when the surrealism drops out entirely, leaving only raw political grievance. When he skips the joke to just yell about the news, the set drifts toward a lecture. But when his anger stays focused on petty specifics, the frustration works as an engine.
Audiences often arrive expecting the bumbling characters he plays in sketch and television. Instead, they get the unedited, deeply irritated comic who wrote them.
Turning points
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Emmy Win for The Ben Stiller Show
David Cross served as a writer and occasional performer on The Ben Stiller Show, leading to a Primetime Emmy Award win and initiating his creative partnership with Bob Odenkirk.
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Grammy Nomination for Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!
Cross released his critically acclaimed double comedy album Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!, earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Janeane GarofaloBoth emerged through the alternative comedy movement of the early 1990s and share a sharp, politically minded stand-up style.
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Patton OswaltBoth are core figures of the alternative comedy scene celebrated for biting cultural satire and prominent indie label stand-up releases.
Podcasts
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Senses Working Overtime with David Cross · host
Interview show hosted by David Cross featuring conversations with fellow comedians, actors, and creators.
Also on screen
- 1997–2002
- Men in Black
- 2003–2019
- Arrested Development
- 2007–2011
- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- 2010–2016
- The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
- 2010–2011
- Running Wilde
A clip to start with
A clip of David Cross