The Schmooze: September 2025

If you’ve laughed at Saturday Night Live’s “TV Funhouse” cartoon sketches or “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog,” Robert Smigel is to thank.

A New York City native, the writer, producer, actor, and puppeteer moved to Chicago upon college graduation to study improvisation at The Players Workshop. He was also a member of the Chicago comedy troupe All You Can Eat in the early 1980s.

“It was probably the happiest time of my life,” Smigel once told the Chicago Reader. “Chicago is still a great place to start out in comedy; it’s cheaper than most cities, and there’s a huge community of people doing improv and sketch comedy. It’s not hard to find like-minded people.”

In 1985, Smigel was hired as a writer on Saturday Night Live when then-producers Al Franken and Tom Davis saw him in a Chicago sketch show. He went on to produce short, animated segments under the title TV Funhouse, which satirized public figures and popular culture. It spawned a TV show on Comedy Central featuring a mix of puppets, animation, and short sketches.

Smigel co-wrote and co-directed the animated Netflix movie, LEO, starring Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, and Cecily Strong. He also co-wrote and produced Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

Outside of the entertainment industry, Smigel serves on the board of NEXT for AUTISM, a non-profit that addresses the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

What was the last book you read?

Outrageous, by Kliph Nesteroff, a history of what’s been deemed objectionable in entertainment, going back to the 1800s.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

It’s a tie between Taxi Driver and The Wizard of Oz.

What’s your favorite Jewish food?

Oh, man. Most underrated is kippered salmon, A.K.A. baked salmon. In the proper hands (likely a place that calls it “kippered”), it’s better than nova or lox. The more obvious choice is a good chocolate babka.

What are you listening to these days?

My friend Tiffany Topol’s Sophomore Effort, a brilliant album no one has heard of.

Who was the last person you texted on your phone?

The wife!

If you could invite three people to a Shabbat dinner, who would they be?

Well, I love my sons, so to make them happy it’d be Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, and Russell Westbrook. I’ll throw in Charles Schulz for myself.

If you could have any other occupation, what would it be?

Do I have to be good at it? That would rule out professional sports, other than bowling. I would be a lawyer because I enjoy a good argument.

Who are two of your biggest role models?

My dad is dedicated to a purposeful life, while still being incredibly silly and funny. My mom’s pretty amazing, too, but there’s also my wife Michelle, who manages our autistic son’s life while being a great mom to our other boys. She is a generous advisor and advocate for so many parents in the autism community. I live with my hero.

What are you currently binging on TV?

I’m not a binger. I’m too busy to commit to all these newfangled serialized shows that end every episode with a cliffhanger. I’m more of a nibbler. I recently nibbled on Adolescence so I could still talk with other humans. I miss when movies mattered more.

If you could offer the teen version of yourself one piece of wisdom, what would it be?

Ah, stop worrying so much, ya big baby, go have some fun.