Robert Smigel

Robert Smigel is a writer, producer, actor and director known best for his Saturday Night Live “TV Funhouse” cartoon shorts, including The Ambiguously Gay Duo, Fun With Real Audio, and the X-Presidents, and as the creator and voice of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, the foul-mouthed puppet who has mercilessly mocked everyone from Star Wars and Bon Jovi fans to Eminem and Ted Cruz. Triumph debuted on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, for which Robert served as the first Head Writer/Producer, creating numerous bits including “In the Year 2000” as well as providing the mouth/voices for Conan’s celebrity “Clutch Cargo” interviews of Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump and many more.

Robert met Conan at SNL, where they collaborated on many sketches including the infamous Nude Beach and the Girlwatchers (with Tom Hanks). They also wrote and produced the legendary unsold pilot Lookwell starring Adam West. Robert’s own best-known sketches at SNL included the Chicago Super Fans, Schmitt’s Gay Beer, William Shatner and the Trekkies, Mastermind Reagan, The Sinatra Group, Seinfeld’s Stand Up & Win and Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish and “Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight” song.

Most recently, Robert co-wrote, co-directed, wrote songs for and voices characters in the animated Netflix movie, LEO, starring Adam Sandler, Bill Burr and Cecily Strong, which is the service’s most successful animated film ever. He also co-wrote and produced Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2 and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. His film debut as a writer/director was The Week Of (2018) starring Sandler and Chris Rock.

Robert has had roles in many Sandler films as well as This is 40, Punch Drunk Love, Marriage Story and the upcoming Sundance hit Between the Temples with Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, as well as featured roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Portlandia and What We Do in the Shadows.  

Robert has won three Emmys for his work on SNL and for Night of Too Many Stars, a biannual benefit he and his wife Michelle created that has raised over $30 million for autism programs nationwide, hosted by Jon Stewart. Robert’s Triumph Election Special ’16 earned Hulu its first-ever primetime Emmy nomination. His Grammy-nominated comedy album for Triumph, Come Poop With Me, somehow lost despite classics like “Underage Bichon” and “Cats Are C***s”.

For more from Triumph (and sometimes Robert), follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

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January 2024

Press Contact: Michael O’Brien – michael@mobe.nyc