Dandelion

At 60 years old, David Spade is still leaning into his classic persona of the self-deprecating, slightly aggrieved guy who gets pushed around by life, as exemplified by his title bit about a real-life altercation at a McDonald’s that proved he’s far more of a delicate dandelion than a tough guy. It is a style of comedy that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, finding comfort in the low-stakes annoyances of modern life, like the absolute rage of not getting a thank-you wave after letting someone merge in traffic. He also rants about a heavy, corded microphone throwing out his clavicle on stage, mocking his tech setup in a way that aligns perfectly with his old-school, analog exasperation.

Filmed at the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado, in October 2024 and released on Prime Video in May 2025, the hour represents his first stand-up special since 2022’s Nothing Personal. At this point in his career, he had transitioned into the elder-statesman status of late-90s comedy, spending his time co-hosting the popular Fly on the Wall podcast with Dana Carvey and preparing to release the film Busboys with Theo Von. Rather than trying to update his act for contemporary political discourse, Spade leans heavily into the kind of classic, low-friction premises that defined his early career. He takes aim at charity auctions, the ever-shifting landscape of online adult entertainment, and the cultural ubiquity of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. His physical comedy shines during a story about his childhood in Arizona, where he claims his resemblance to a tanned Macaulay Culkin made him an easy target for odd encounters.