Jeff Dunham

There are many sides to the comedic genius of Jeff Dunham, who has risen in recent years to become a genuine entertainment phenomenon with an international 360-degree reach that includes record-breaking television specials, staggering DVD sales of 4 million (and rapidly counting), 300 million views on You Tube, a current tour expected to gross $45 million, his own merchandise company that enjoys brisk sales of nearly 50 Dunham items, and a publishing deal that will see the publication of his first book in 2009. Ever-increasing legions of devoted and highly active fans savor Dunham’s concert appearances, TV shows, DVDs, CD and You Tube clips over and over and fervently spread the word on an entertainer who is not just a favorite with but beloved by his followers.

It’s all because Jeff Dunham is not just one of the funniest humans on the planet but the ringleader of a cast of comedic characters of his own creation like Walter the grumpy retiree; the beer-swilling, NASCAR loving and resolutely redneck Bubba J; the furry and manic Peanut; Jose Jalepéño, the spicy pepper from south of the border; and the bumbling skeletal Achmed the Dead Terrorist. Taking his cues from the stuff of everyday life, people he and we all know and the world around us, Dunham invests his suitcase posse of sidekicks with such believable and lovable personality as they banter, quip and interact that audiences frequently forget that the characters are crafted by Dunham’s own hand and comedic brilliance.

It’s no wonder that Dunham has struck content partnerships with Amazon.com, iTunes and You Tube in the wake of his stunning across-the-board triumphs in recent years, which has also seen him Voted "Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic" at the American Comedy Awards and become the only person to ever win the prestigious "Ventriloquist of the Year" award twice. His most recent self-produced Comedy Central program, “A Very Special Christmas Special,” drew 6.6 million viewers on its premiere airing to become the channel’s most-watched program ever, following in the wake of top ratings for his previous Comedy Central specials “Arguing with Myself” (in April 2006) and “A Spark of Insanity” (September 2007). When they hit the home market on DVD, all three almost immediately earned multiple platinum sales awards, with Dunham’s holiday special achieving quadruple-platinum sales of 400,000 in a mere 10 days and in less than six weeks becoming his third DVD to sell more than a million copies (in a market where average comedy DVD sales are 35,000). “Spark of Insanity” was also the most popular DVD in customer reviews on Amazon of 2008.