History of Jim Gaffigan in Timeline
Jim Gaffigan is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer known for his observational humor, particularly about fatherhood, food, and religion. He's known for being a clean comic, with little profanity. Gaffigan has released numerous successful comedy specials such as Mr. Universe, Obsessed, Cinco, and Quality Time. All his specials have received Grammy nominations.
July 7, 1966: Jim Gaffigan Born
On July 7, 1966, James Christopher Gaffigan was born. He is now known as an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer.
1985: Mother's Award
In 1985, Gaffigan's mother received a national award for original design and craftsmanship from the American Needlepoint Guild.
1988: Graduation from Georgetown
In 1988, Gaffigan graduated from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business with a degree in finance.
1990: Mother's Death
In 1990, Gaffigan's mother passed away from cancer at the age of 53.
1999: Sitcom Development
After his first appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1999, Gaffigan was tapped by the host to develop a sitcom called Welcome to New York.
1999: First Appearance on Letterman
In 1999, Jim Gaffigan had a successful stand-up routine on The Late Show with David Letterman, which marked a turning point in his career.
1999: Salesman of the Year
In 1999, Jim Gaffigan was titled Salesman of the Year by BusinessWeek for his numerous appearances in over 200 TV commercials.
2000: Cast Member of The Ellen Show
During the 2000 TV season, Jim Gaffigan was a cast member of The Ellen Show on CBS, Ellen DeGeneres's second sitcom.
2001: Sundance Film Festival
In 2001, Jim Gaffigan appeared in two movies chosen for the Sundance Film Festival: Super Troopers and 30 Years to Life.
2002: Performed at USO Event
In 2002, Jim Gaffigan was part of a United Service Organization event at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
2003: Marriage to Jeannie Noth
In 2003, Jim Gaffigan married actress Jeannie Gaffigan (née Noth), marking a significant event in his personal life.
May 2, 2004: Birth of Marre Gaffigan
On May 2, 2004, Jim Gaffigan's oldest child, Marre, was born, expanding his family.
2004: Featured on Comedy Central
In 2004, Jim Gaffigan's stand-up material was featured in Comedy Central's animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties.
October 2005: Filmed Comedy Central Special
In October 2005, Jim Gaffigan filmed a live Comedy Central special that aired the following January, and became the comedy album/DVD Beyond the Pale.
November 27, 2005: Birth of Jack Gaffigan
On November 27, 2005, Jim Gaffigan's second child, Jack, was born at the family's house.
2005: Pale Force Animated Shorts
In 2005, Jim Gaffigan produced a series of animated shorts for Late Night with Conan O'Brien titled Pale Force, featuring himself and O'Brien as superheroes with pale skin.
2005: Voice-Over Roles Begin
In 2005, Jim Gaffigan started expanding his voice-over work, including an animated version of himself on Pale Force with Conan O'Brien, marking the beginning of his extensive voice acting career.
2007: Daniel Clowes's Novella
In 2007, Daniel Clowes's graphic novella Justin M. Damiano was written. Years later, it would be plagiarized by Shia LaBeouf for the short film, Howard Cantour.com, which Jim Gaffigan starred in.
2007: Sierra Mist Commercials
In 2007, Jim Gaffigan performed in a trio of Sierra Mist commercials for the Super Bowl as part of the comedy ensemble "The Mis-Takes".
2007: Daytime Emmy Nomination for Pale Force
In 2007, Jim Gaffigan's 'Pale Force' was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Broadband Program – Comedy", recognizing his work as executive producer, writer, and lead actor.
2007: Pale Force Emmy Nomination
In 2007, Jim Gaffigan's Pale Force was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Broadband Program in the Comedy category. Gaffigan served as executive producer, writer, and lead actor.
2008: Appeared in The Love Guru
In 2008, Jim Gaffigan appeared in the movie The Love Guru starring Mike Myers.
2008: End of Pale Force
In 2008, Jim Gaffigan's animated version of himself on Pale Force with Conan O'Brien ended. He also voiced characters on animated shows like Bob's Burgers, Shorty McShorts' Shorts, WordGirl, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and the animated feature Duck Duck Goose
2008: End of Pale Force Animated Shorts
In 2008, Jim Gaffigan's series of animated shorts for Late Night with Conan O'Brien, titled Pale Force, ended its run.
March 2009: Defended Sexy Tour
In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Gaffigan defended his naming of the tour, stating that he thought it would be funny that parents would be unsure about whether to bring their teenage children to the show.
May 10, 2009: Birth of Katie Louise Gaffigan
On May 10, 2009, Jim Gaffigan's third child, Katie Louise, was born in New York City, New York.
June 11, 2009: The Tonight Show Appearance
On June 11, 2009, Jim Gaffigan appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
2009: The Daily Show Appearance
In 2009, Jim Gaffigan appeared on an episode of The Daily Show as a man posing as a Daily Show correspondent.
March 2011: Broadway Debut
In March 2011, Jim Gaffigan appeared on Broadway in That Championship Season to positive reviews.
June 19, 2011: Birth of Michael Gaffigan
On June 19, 2011, Jim Gaffigan's fourth child, Michael, was born at the family's house.
February 25, 2012: Taped Mr. Universe Special
On February 25, 2012, Jim Gaffigan taped his one-hour stand-up special, Mr. Universe, at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. and would be nominated for a Grammy.
September 27, 2012: Birth of Patrick Gaffigan
On September 27, 2012, Jim Gaffigan's youngest child, Patrick, was born, completing his family of seven.
2012: Funniest Person on Twitter
In 2012, Jim Gaffigan was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the "25 funniest people on Twitter", recognizing his humorous quips and large following.
2012: Diarrhea Joke
In his 2012 comedy special "Mr. Universe", Jim Gaffigan made a diarrhea joke which was given negative feedback by his inside voice persona.
March 14, 2013: Named King of Clean
On March 14, 2013, Jim Gaffigan was named the "King of Clean" by the Wall Street Journal.
March 2013: CBS Pilot Passed
In March 2013, CBS passed on shooting a pilot of the The Jim Gaffigan Show despite Mira Sorvino playing his wife.
June 2013: Signs with Crown Publishing
In June 2013, Jim Gaffigan signed with Crown Publishing to write a second book of comic essays.
2013: Participates on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
In 2013, Jim Gaffigan participated on the NPR radio quiz program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
2013: Stand Up for Heroes
In 2013, Jim Gaffigan performed at the Stand Up for Heroes charity event benefitting the Bob Woodruff Foundation alongside Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Jon Stewart.
2013: Starred in Shia LaBeouf's Short Film
In 2013, Jim Gaffigan starred in Shia LaBeouf's short film Howard Cantour.com.
January 18, 2014: Filmed Obsessed Comedy Special
On January 18, 2014, Jim Gaffigan filmed his comedy special titled Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed at Boston's Wilbur Theater.
April 26, 2014: American Comedy Award
On April 26, 2014, Jim Gaffigan received the award for Concert Comedian at the American Comedy Awards for his work.
May 2014: Performed at Make It Right Gala
In May 2014, Jim Gaffigan performed at the Make It Right Gala, an organization founded by Brad Pitt, which builds sustainable homes and buildings for communities in need.
2014: Food: A Love Story Release
In 2014, Jim Gaffigan released his second book of comic essays, 'Food: A Love Story', which received positive reviews for its humor and wit.
June 2015: Online Episodes Released
In June 2015, two online-only episodes of The Jim Gaffigan Show were released.
July 15, 2015: The Jim Gaffigan Show Pilot
On July 15, 2015, the pilot episode of The Jim Gaffigan Show aired on TV Land.
September 26, 2015: Performed at Festival of Families
On September 26, 2015, Jim Gaffigan performed at the Festival of Families, a Catholic event held in Philadelphia visited by Pope Francis.
2015: Headlining Tour Culmination
In 2015, Jim Gaffigan embarked on a headlining tour, culminating in a winter show at Madison Square Garden.
2015: Moves to a Larger Manhattan Home
In 2015, the Gaffigan family of seven moved to a larger home in Manhattan, after previously living in a two-bedroom apartment.
February 2016: KFC Commercials
In February 2016, Jim Gaffigan began appearing in KFC commercials as Colonel Sanders, replacing Norm Macdonald.
April 8, 2016: Chrysler Pacifica Marketing Campaign
Since April 8, 2016, Jim Gaffigan has appeared with his family in a marketing campaign for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.
May 2016: Commencement Address at Catholic University
In May 2016, Jim Gaffigan and his wife, Jeannie, delivered the commencement address at the Catholic University of America.
June 2016: Most Popular Comic on Pandora
As of June 2016, Jim Gaffigan was the most popular comic on Pandora.com with over 647 million spins.
October 2016: Fargo Casting Announcement
In October 2016, it was announced that Jim Gaffigan would be joining the cast of the third season of the anthology drama series Fargo, but scheduling conflicts would force him to drop out.
2016: Fully Dressed Tour
In 2016, Jim Gaffigan embarked on his Fully Dressed Tour, performing in the United States, Canada, and the UK.
2016: Wins Daytime Emmy
In 2016, Jim Gaffigan won a Daytime Emmy for his work as a commentator on CBS Sunday Morning.
2016: Cancellation of The Jim Gaffigan Show
In 2016, Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan decided not to continue with a third season of The Jim Gaffigan Show to spend more time with their kids.
2017: Chrysler Pacifica Marketing Campaign
Since April 8, 2016, Jim Gaffigan has appeared with his family in a marketing campaign for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.
May 2018: Commencement Address at Marquette University
In May 2018, Jim Gaffigan and his wife delivered the commencement address at Marquette University, where they both received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees.
2018: Portrayal of Paul Markham
In 2018, Jim Gaffigan portrayed Paul Markham in the biographical drama Chappaquiddick, starring Jason Clarke and Kate Mara.
September 20, 2019: American Dreamer Release
Jim Gaffigan starred in the neo-noir film American Dreamer, which was released on September 20, 2019. His performance received positive reviews.
2019: Apology for "Moriori First" Myth
In 2019, Jim Gaffigan apologized on social media for endorsing the "Moriori First" myth in one of his stand-up shows and for making disparaging remarks about Māori people.
2020: Portrayed George Westinghouse
In 2020, Jim Gaffigan portrayed George Westinghouse in Michael Almereyda's film Tesla.
2020: Joins Stargirl as Thunderbolt
In 2020, Jim Gaffigan was announced as the voice of Thunderbolt in season two of the Stargirl series, marking a new role in his voice acting career.
January 2021: Joins Peter Pan & Wendy Cast and Voices in Luca
In January 2021, Jim Gaffigan joined the cast of Disney's Peter Pan & Wendy as Mr. Smee, adding another significant role to his acting portfolio.
2024: Portrays Tim Walz on SNL
In 2024, Jim Gaffigan began appearing on Saturday Night Live, portraying Democratic nominee for vice president Tim Walz. His performance was widely praised.
