Comedians will take pretty much any gig.
Well, except one.
For decades, amateur and professional comics have complained about performing on New Year’s Eve. Audiences get antsy waiting for the ball to drop or lock lips with the person sitting next to them. Not to mention, everyone’s probably sipping a drink or two.
That’s precisely why Jeff Dunham decided to mix things up.
“It’s one of the highest paying nights and one of the worst nights to do a show,” the 62-year-old comic told the New York Post in an exclusive interview. “When I started doing theaters and arenas, I said ‘I’m going to change the rules a little bit and do my New Year’s Eve show in the afternoon.’”
The famed comedian who does ventriloquism is sticking to that clever plan this year. He’ll be headlining at Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m.
“This 3 o’clock business is great because people can come to the show early. They can then go out and drink and then go to partying and it’s great.”
At the early show, which is part of Dunham’s recently-announced ‘Artificial Intelligence Tour,’ fans can expect to see the funnyman interact with classic characters of his that audiences know and love.
“My standby guys that have been there forever will be at the show. Peanut, Walter, Achmed, Bubba J. Maybe Jose. People get upset if Jose or Achmed aren’t in the show. So Jose might be added back in by New Year’s.”
And, even with how prolific Dunham is, he makes sure he isn’t just repeating material from his 13 previous specials (two of which were released in 2024!) and tours.
“I always take the the highlights from the last special and include them in the show because it helps me roll into the new material and keeps surefire stuff in the show,” Dunham explained. “I treat my show just like you’re going to see your favorite musician in concert. You expect to hear some of the greatest hits, but at the same time, you expect new stuff.’ My live shows are a happy medium.”
More than anything though, Dunham’s show is just a good time.
“I’m very proud of my act because it has no redeeming value whatsoever,” he chuckled. “We’ll have some good laughs and some goofy, stupid, fun.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
For those that can’t make the New Year’s Eve show, Dunham will be at Belmont Park’s UBS Arena on Friday, Feb. 21 and Rochester‘s Blue Cross Arena on March 20.
Jeff Dunham Prudential Center tickets
As of now, it isn’t too late to scoop up tickets for the New Year’s Eve gig at Prudential. Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown of tickets by section at the New Jersey Devils’ arena.
Don’t expect too much material about New Year’s resolutions at the show either. “When it comes to diets and those kind of thing, I don’t wait until the first of the year. If I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it right now,” Dunham noted.
Jeff Dunham tour 2025
After the Newark NYE stop, Dunham has 52 dates lined up on his ‘Artificial Intelligence Tour.’ To see if he’s headed to a venue near you, you can find his complete calendar here:
Jeff Dunham characters
Per usual, Dunham’s stable of characters that fans have grown to know and love over the years will accompany him onstage.
Just a few of those iconic dummies include curmudgeonly Walter and hyperactive Peanut, as well as those based on stereotypes like Jose Jalapeno, Bubba J and Achmed the Dead Terrorist join him onstage at all shows.
While the core characters have been with him for decades, Dunham is still innovating.
“One of the best bits that we didn’t use in the special was when I was making Peanut talk and, every once in a while, I’ll flub up completely and Peanut goes, ‘what the hell was that? Are you okay?’ I’m like, ‘I’m fine.’
He goes ‘it sounds like I didn’t have a tongue’ and he goes, ‘that’s what you need: a dummy with no tongue.’ Then it just went downhill from there in a wonderful way.”
These days, after years on the road with these iconic puppets, Dunham most identifies with Peanut and Walter.
“One of my goals in life is to not become like Walter,” Dunham smiled. “When I started out, I was young man in college. He was a 64-year-old old man but Walter hasn’t aged a day since that. Now, I’m 62. Pretty soon I’m going to catch up to him.”
To stay ahead of the bit, Dunham makes sure to address this unusual situation he’s gotten himself into.
“The joke in the show is Walter goes, ‘what’s going to happen when you die?’ I go, ‘I don’t know.’ He says, ‘I’ll probably be in the balcony on The effin’ Muppet Show.’”
“Then, I’m like Peanut because I like to think I still have a little bit of a kid left in me.”
For a comprehensive look at all of Dunham’s characters, we recommend taking a look at his website.
Jeff Dunham comedy specials
Dunham is one of the most prolific comics working today.
Prior to the upcoming tour, he’s released a staggering 13 specials dating back to 2006. As he told us, “I usually write a little bit every single day. And that’s how we’ve ended up with 13 specials since 2006.”
For a closer look, here’s how you can stream each of them.
“Arguing With Myself” (2006) can be streamed on Netflix
“Spark of Insanity” (2007) can be streamed on Amazon Prime
“Very Special Christmas Special” (2008) can be streamed on Netflix
“Controlled Chaos” (2011) can be streamed on Netflix
“Minding the Monsters” (2012) can be streamed on Netflix
“All Over The Map” (2014) can be streamed on Netflix
“Unhinged In Hollywood” (2015) can be streamed on Netflix
“Relative Disaster” (2017) can be streamed on Netflix
“Beside Himself” (2019) can be streamed on Netflix
“Completely Unrehearsed Last-Minute Pandemic Holiday Special” (2020) can be streamed on Paramount+
“Me The People” (2022) can be streamed on Comedy Central
“I’m With Cupid” (2024) can be streamed on Paramount Plus
“Scrooged Up Holiday Special” (2024) can be streamed on Amazon Prime
Jeff Dunham origin story
Dunham isn’t the first comic to get onstage with a dummy.
“When you go way back in history with this art form, you go back to vaudeville days and the ventriloquists were shoved onstage when the curtain came down so they could set up the stage for the next ‘real’ act,” Dunham said.
“It wasn’t until Edgar Bergen came along with Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd — who were two really defined characters and the jokes were so well-written — that’s ventriloquism went over on radio.”
Bergen’s success informed Dunham’s trajectory.
“I didn’t want to just be a variety act at the Comedy Magic Club. The goal was to be the headliner and be as funny as anybody else.”
So, he started when he was just eight-years-old. The Dallas native performed Cub Scout banquets as well as church and talent shows. He went that route for a decade before stepping foot in a comedy club in 1978.
“I did the opposite of most comedians because most comedians say ‘okay, I want to get into comedy.’ They’re doing comedy clubs and work their way up. By the time I got there, I was a performer and I knew how to get in front of an audience and was well-versed in how to do a show.”
After a decade toiling away in the clubs — and building helicopters on the side — Dunham was finally asked to do a five-minute set on Carson in 1990.
I auditioned for Jim McAuley at ‘The Tonight Show’ nine times before I got the call. I got eight ‘no’s’ and he just keeps saying, kept saying to me, ‘you’re just not funny enough yet.’”
“”I realized if I was going to follow these huge names or even some of the middle guys that were hilarious, I have to learn to be funny. It can’t be just amusing. So I decided instead of being a ventriloquist who does jokes, I’m going to have to be a comedian who does ventriloquism.”
Going back a year or two, Dunham got bold and would ask comedy club bookers “when can I start headlining?”
The one answer that stuck out to him was when the woman who was in charge of choosing acts at the Tempe Improv told him “you can headline when the headliners can no longer follow you.”
Dunham said “ok!’ and started to blow the roof off the place.
“Before you knew it, the headliners started complaining that they didn’t want me to be the opening act anymore.”
Anyhow, on April 6, 1990, enough of the comedy industry had taken notice of Dunham that he was finally ready to make the jump to “The Tonight Show.”
His five-minute set went over so well, Carson waved him over to chat with him and do a few minutes of panel. For a first-timer on the show, this was a particularly impressive feat that’s typically reserved for seasoned veterans.
“I had no idea I was going to the couch but then (director) Freddy de Cordova said to me ‘don’t you have another character besides Peanut?’”
Dunham told him Walter was also in his arsenal and de Cordova suggested putting him behind the couch. The 28-year-old was skeptical but did as he was told. After he wrapped his set to emphatic applause, it turned out de Cordova’s instincts were right after all. Still, Dunham was shocked.
“You can see the blank look on my face when I’m thanking the audience after my bit and the floor director waves me to the couch. I was like ‘me? You want me to go over there to talk to him?’ What are you going to say to freakin’ Johnny Carson? ‘How are your kids?’ How do you make small talk with the King?”
Dunham sat down and chatted politely for a few minutes. Then Carson asked, “do you have somebody with you?” At that moment, Dunham breathed a sigh of relief.
“I thought, ‘oh, finally, Walter can save me’ and everything was ad-libbed” which led to an excellent exchange where the dummy made fun of “The Tonight Show” — “well, lah, dee, da,” he grumbled — and then leaned over to take a good look at Johnny’s sidekick, Ed McMahon.
“I know that guy,” he muttered. “Stop sending me all your damn mail.” Johnny laughed and all was right in the world.
“I look back at that now, and think, man, at 28, those were some cojones to say to that guy because what if it didn’t work? You laugh when the king laughs. The studio audience would have sat there and silence if Johnny didn’t laugh.”
When all was said and done, Dunham met his agent who was standing backstage. He told him “your life will never be the same.”
Side note: Dunham is not happy with this set. “I watch that act now and cringe because it’s me doing the doll drinking a glass of water or making the dummy talk. That’s all this ventriloquist stuff, which I frown upon now. It’s supposed to be a sitcom on stage. It’s supposed to be telling jokes, making people laugh. But at that point in my career, that was the best I could have done at that moment in time.“
Jeff Dunham Hollywood Walk of Fame
In September 2017, Dunham was honored with the 2,619th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The humble comic never saw the recognition coming.
“There were a couple of unexpected things that happened along the way of my career,” Dunham said. “One was doing arenas. The only person that ever did comedy like that was Steve Martin in the late ’70s and I never thought a comedian could ever reach that kind of status.
The second surprise was when we went international and started doing shows outside our borders. I’d never even considered that would be a possibility. Then, the third one was getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame because when I moved to LA in ’88, I just wanted to get bigger and better than the comedy clubs. First, I wanted to be able to do comedy clubs and then after that, but to be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and see all those names of people, that was one of the biggest surprises.”
Dunham doesn’t know if the achievement gets him any more gigs or but to him it’s a bona fide stamp of approval that says “wow, I’ve been here, done something that somebody took note of besides buying tickets.’ So that was unbelievably special to me to be associated with so many greats.”
Jeff Dunham addresses the critics
Over the years, the comic has dealt with flak for employing potentially unflattering tropes of Hispanic and Middle Eastern cultures in his act.
When asked about the material that some may deem offensive, he was quick to jump in with defense.
“I always find that the people that are most upset about the stereotypical depictions of characters in my show are people that have nothing to do with that race. I really think that most people in this world have a good sense of humor and and can take a good joke. “
Dunham claims that when it comes to race, religion and sexual orientation, he doesn’t punch down and over the years have removed characters that didn’t quite work in his act.
“When I did Sweet Daddy D, who was my Black character that I used for only a little while, I did my very best to talk to Black comedians and go ‘I know you tell white jokes. Please tell me the jokes that you say when we’re not around. How can I make this character legit?’ So, I tried to make him my manager, and the only reason that he didn’t work in the act is because I could not walk a mile in that guy’s shoes because I have no experience being a person of color. I don’t know what they’ve lived through and what they deal with on a daily basis.”
He did the same when he introduced a female character that only last three months.
“I did my best to write material so that it sounded legitimate and real but…that didn’t work either, because I could not ad-lib, I could not think like a woman. I was around women all the time and had no idea.”
Dunham says when it comes to Jose and Achmed — two of his most popular characters — he knows that an image of a white man with a Latino and Middle Eastern dummy may look offensive but urges those who have never seen him live to dig a little deeper.
“Please come watch the entire show. Don’t see a clip. Don’t see a picture and say that guy’s racist because I guarantee if you show someone who knows nothing a picture of me and Achmed the Dead Terrorist without listening to any jokes or any material, that looks racist. You’re judging that book by the cover,” he said.
“I do my very best to make sure that everyone knows that Achmed does not say that he’s Muslim. He says, ‘look, it even says on my a–, made in China. All I was doing back then was making fun of those guys who did those horrible things to us in our country. And at that moment in time, that’s who everyone’s ready to laugh at and whistle in the dark at their fears because we were still scared of that, because we didn’t know where Osama bin Laden was. I was reacting to what our country was ready to laugh at and wanted to laugh at, and that’s where he came from. It was the ‘dead Osama’ back then…I changed him to Achmed the Dead Terrorist and now people get angry if he’s not in the show.
“It’s just kind of reacting to the times and what I think people can relate to. To me, that’s the biggest key in what I do. The characters have to be relatable, and that’s why I always use trite stereotypes. People know who rednecks (his Bubba J. character is Southern) are. There’s not a town or city in this world that doesn’t have rednecks in a city nearby.”
Over the years, Dunham tells us Achmed has developed a cult following overseas.
“My favorite example of how I get to see the world through maybe a different lens or rose-colored glasses was when I was doing a world tour in 2014. I was in Abu Dhabi performing for 4,000 Muslim folks.
There weren’t a bunch of Americans there to see me. It was all the local people that came to see the show. And I pulled Achmed, the dead terrorist out. It was like a homecoming. It could have gone over better. Two nights later, I’m in the middle in Tel Aviv, Israel doing the exact same show for 4,000 Jewish people. Didn’t change a word of it and their favorite character was Achmed.”
Still, he’s quick to add that you won’t “learn anything at his show.” Dunham told us “critiquing my show is like going to McDonald’s and saying, ‘but they don’t have Chardonnay.’ We dumb it down to the biggest laughs and that’s what gets left over. And guess what? One of the biggest laughs in the show is when Achmed the dead terrorist said ‘that’s what she said.’ So it’s not my fault! It’s the audience’s fault for laughing too loud at certain jokes.”
When it comes to politics, Dunham takes a no-sides approach where he makes fun of whoever is in charge. Recently, he had Walter play Joe Biden. Now that Trump has been re-elected, he may revive some old bits making fun of him.
“Some of my videos when Trump was President the first time, we would dress Walter up like Trump and call him Grump and he had the big hair. We’d take him outside, the wind would blow his hair, he’d be bald underneath and get pissed off.
I even got a couple of texts from one of Trump’s sons saying, ‘this is great. We love it. Keep going. Even Dad loves it.’ I thought ‘that’s either great or a threat. I’m not sure.’ You have to push a little bit. Hopefully, there’s some material in there that’s not just Big Mac stuff, maybe there is some Chardonnay in there, I’m not sure.”
Comedians on tour in 2025
If you fancy yourself a comedy nerd, this is your year.
Many of the biggest names in the laughs business are staging mega tours these next few months.
Here are just five of our favorites funny people you won’t want to miss live in the near future.
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