Jeff Dunham at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center -- May 7.
Thursday, May 7, 8 p.m.
Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore Avenue, Davenport IA
Appearing locally with familiar traveling companions such as Peanut, José Jalapeño, Bubba J., and Url, a youth forever preoccupied with his mobile device, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham brings his national "Artificial Intelligence" tour to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on May 7, the artist having performed live in front of more than 7.7 million people across 1,500-plus shows between June of 2007 and June of 2024.
A Texas native and graduate of Baylor University, Dunham began performing his ventriloquist-standup in New York-based comedy clubs in the early 1980s, and after a move to Los Angeles later in the decade, he made his debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in April of 1990. Touring engagements and a cameo on Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom Ellen followed, and in 1998, Dunham was voted “Funniest Male Standup” at the American Comedy Awards. He made his first solo appearance on Comedy Central in 2003's Comedy Central Presents and released the comedy DVD Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself in 2005, with Dunham's recorded performance drawing two million Comedy Central viewers when it premiered the following year. By the decade's end, the artist had his own Comedy Central series in The Jeff Dunham Show, and was on his way to becoming a household name through his frequently controversial characters that Time magazine admiringly described as “politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting, and ill-tempered.”
Dunham, who was deemed “America's favorite comedian” by Slate magazine, has consequently been credited with reviving ventriloquism and doing more to promote the art form than anyone since Edgar Bergen. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for "Most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour" for his Spark of Insanity tour. Dunham's A Very Special Christmas Special was the most-watched telecast in Comedy Central history, with its DVD selling over 400,000 copies in its first two weeks, and Forbes magazine ranked Dunham as the third highest-paid comedian in the United States behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. His autobiography All by My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, & Me, meanwhile, spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and his TV and film appearances include roles in 30 Rock, Last Man Standing, and The Masked Singer.
Dunham's 2019 Netflix presentation Beside Himself still ranks in the top five most watched among all Netflix comedy specials, and collectively, his specials have garnered nearly 2.5 billion views across all digital and broadcast platforms. The comedian is also an avid car collector whose extensive agglomerate includes the Lost In Space chariots from both the original TV series and Netflix series; the Batmobile from 1992’s Batman Returns; and a replica from the same mold of the 1966 Batmobile from the original Batman TV series. Both Dunham and pieces of his collection have been regular guests on Jay Leno’s Garage.
Jeff Dunham's national "Artificial Intelligence" tour comes to Davenport's Event Center on May 7, admission to the 8 p.m. show is $60-105, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)328-8000 and visiting RhythmCityCasino.com.
