‘Tonight Show’ Favorite, Comedian David Brenner Dies At 78

Wow, he was working so recently. RIP.

Didn't Brenner and an ex-girlfriend have a bitter custody battle over their son. I think he won custody.

I always liked him. Long ago, I read he had a hellacious cocaine addiction, but then got clean.

Oh, that's too bad. He was always funny and pinged to the rafters.

Della, in those days we all had a hellacious cocaine addiction. He did get clean.

True, r5. Me too.

I think what I liked about his guest-hosting was that he always was kind to his guests. Not that Carson wasn't, but that's what I remember about him

Didn't he and Joan Rivers also have a pretty big feud going at one time?

One of the biggest BDFs of all time. RIP.

I think Joan had feuds with everyone involved.

I found him so unappealing. And not very funny. That ugly mug and the horrible Philly accent. Meh!

He annoyed the crap out of me. Too Jewy and Philly for my liking. But RIP nonetheless.

BUMP for ORIGINAL thread

That face! It could stop a clock.

I had a huge crush on him when I was a teen. I've always liked odd/interesting looking guys.

I liked this guy. Remember watching him a lot on Carson & Letterman.

Here is the better, OFFICIAL thread:

Aw, I liked him.

Fuck you R16. You're F&F'd

This thread is first R16

Balls for days!!

I watched him all the time on the Tonight Show. RIP.

How did this devolve into a "Thread Fight"? Where is the respect? A man is DEAD people!

Just kidding. Carry on, bitches!

He had kind eyes.

I remember those tight, tight polyester pants he used to wear. Not bad, not bad..

Wow, R18. Too much personal investment in a "Has-Been Celebrity Is Dead" thread?

F&F, really?

Too old school for me. Only mildly amusing.

He did a really funny bit on New York City. Will see if I can find it.

If he wasn't dead, it would kill him that his real age was revealed; that man never wanted his real age known.

Loved those tight pants

R28, why?

Here he is on Tonight Show. Pretty funny about Vagina Monologue

He was married to Tai Babilonia. She was 24 years his junior.

His homely face always looked the same. He didn't look much different from the way he looked in the seventies, except for the gray hair.

He did have a very bitter custody battle with one of his wives. I think he won, but it was very nasty.

I remember him being on the Howard Stern show. He said he lost his virginity at age 13. Yech!

Amongst comedians he was really way too Jewy for me. And that's saying something.

He could be funny but after he had a kid he became insufferable.

RIP still.

When I lived on the Upper East Side (2nd Ave @ 78th street)for a year in 1985-86 I would see him and a much younger woman walking around my area all the time. They acted as if they were madly in love, always pawing at each other and making out.

Didn't know he was married to Tai. Always wondered what happened to her. Didn't she admit to a bad coke habit in the 80s, after having the big public drop out at the 198 Olympics?

He and Joan worked together constantly in the 70s and 80s. They were actually good friends.

I was never a fan of his personally. I found him incredibly bland.

I knew David. He was a very generous soul and he arranged my first stand up gig at Pip's in Brooklyn. This was in 1984. David arranged for George, the owner to put me on right after Andrew Dice Clay. Clay's entire routine was aimed at the Catholic school girls in their plaid skirts and how they all wanted to fuck him. I hit the stage and said to the girls "you don't want to fuck that guy!" They loved me and my corny jokes about my car radio being stolen. "My insurance company is so slow, they were still handling claims from the Hindenburg." I continued and said the thief left a pool of blood in the console. The joke that killed, which I regret saying forever was that" I'll be the first person to catch AIDS from a Mercedes Benz."

David and Tai had a relationship. He never married her.

He was married to his second wife Ruth for many years before he died of cancer.

He and Joan had no problems. She even waxed on about his loss in the press.

Sad. Rest in peace.

Interesting and uncomplimentary BI about Brenner:

"David and Tai had a relationship. He never married her."

His Wikipedia page says "Brenner was also engaged to figure skater Tai Babilonia, whom he married on March 7, 2011."

R39, both he and she said that they were married. What makes you say that they weren't?

The reason I said they weren't married is she wasn't listed in the obit I read. They mentioned he had 1 ex-wife that he had some sons with. Then he had his son Cole by an ex-girlfriend that he won the custody of.

Then his only other wife listed was his current one, Ruth. They've been together many years.

Maybe Brenner/Tai had the marriage annulled ?

[quote] If he wasn't dead, it would kill him that his real age was revealed; that man never wanted his real age known.

During the height of his career, he claimed to be about 10 years younger than his actual age.

Loved his old Tonight Show routines. For some reason, one of his jokes always stuck with me.

It was about his first appearance on The Tonight Show. I guess it had gone pretty well. The next day he was back in NY, riding the subway and this woman was looking at him and smiling.

She then kind of waggled her finger, pointed it at him and said "Oooohh, you're funny".

Brenner was feeling pretty full of himself and responded (in a louder than normal voice, hoping others will also recognize him) "Thank you!"

A minute later, the woman did (and said) the same thing to another passenger. And another.

He said she eventually did it to about ten other people on the train - "And I'm the only idiot that said thank you".

It was cute and self-effacing and seemed like the kind of dumb mistake I would make and I always liked him after that.

R.I.P. David.

Tai famously dated Christopher Knight (THE BRADY BUNCH) in the 80s. They were very serious.

Let's try and stear the conversation towards my feud with David.

R48

If they had a feud it was long ago settled. She waxed glowingly about him and their friendship today.

[quote] She waxed glowingly about him and their friendship today.

Wait a few years. I'll dredge up all my bile then. (see Edgar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno etc.)

Remember him, David Letterman, and Steve Martin guest-hosting "Tonight", when Carson took summers off.

So many people who were starting out when I was young are now old men ( Letterman, Robin Williams, George Lucas), so many dying.

That late 70s/early 80s America eill always be my America, even ad it fades away.

Someone better check on Elaine Boosler

Back in the 70's he was set to star in a sitcom called 'Snip' produced by Jon Peters and co-starring Peters' ex, Lesley Ann Warren. They either filmed the pilot or a few episodes but it was shelved because there was GASP a gay character and the network thought that made the show too controversial.

Now we can turn on our TV's and watch Jonathan Groff get fucked on the floor by a guy with big ears.

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

Still remember watching his first appearance on the Tonight Show circa 1971. He did a hilarious bit about a corpse on the NYC subway system that just kept moving with the crowds. Johnny and fellow guest Jack Cassidy were in tears from laughing so hard and David got called over to sit with Johnny after his bit.

Elaine Boosler=great big fat person nowadays

Wikipedia has just updated his page in the past few hours, they now show Tai as his ex wife, married from 2005 to 2011. His last (current widow) wife was named Ruth.

Ruth Buzzi?

[quote]Now we can turn on our TV's and watch Jonathan Groff get fucked on the floor by a guy with big ears.

Thank God.

And Russel Tovey is hot.

Funny guy. RIP.

When was the last time he was on TV? When Carson still hosted the Tonight a Show?

He had some terrible toupees.

Is he Jewish?

You bumped a four-year old thread for THAT? Moron.

Oh man I'm sorry to here about this.

Don't you mean, "Wasn't he Jewish?"

At least the lucky bastard didn't have to live through this Trump bullshit.

Four years later and he's still dead.

Thanks for bumping this scintillating thread.