Sinbad Returns to the Stage for His First Comedy Show Since 2020 Stroke: ‘Just the Beginning’
Sinbad Returns to the Stage for His First Comedy Show Since 2020 Stroke: ‘Just the Beginning’
Vanessa EtienneWed, April 29, 2026 at 9:37 PM UTC
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SinbadCredit: Sinbad/Instagram -
Sinbad is returning for his first comedy show since his 2020 stroke
His daughter Paige is set to open for him at the Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., marking their first time performing together as comics
Sinbad credited prayers and support for his recovery and said this is "just the beginning of me coming back"
Sinbad is back on stage more than five years after his stroke.
On Wednesday, April 29, the actor and comedian, 69, posted a video on Instagram and addressed the numerous messages he's gotten about when he'll do comedy shows again.
“I can't walk. Since the stroke in 2020, I have not been on stage. I'm gonna get my feet wet April 29 and May 10 at the Comedy Ice House in Pasadena, California. It's just the beginning of me coming back,” he said. “I'm so looking forward to these shows. I got so much stuff to talk about. I'm gonna be talking more trash than I ever talked.”
Sinbad also shared that his daughter, Paige, will be opening for him, adding that it's the first time they'll be working together as comics. “I'm looking forward to this because she talks more trash than I talk,” he quipped.
“I thank you for all the prayers that people prayed for me,” he added. “It worked.”
Sinbad with his wife Meredith (left) and kids Paige and RoyceCredit: Sinbad/Instagram
In the caption, Sinbad wrote: “Some moments you don't rush. You just wait until they're ready. Tonight is one of those moments. I'm coming back to the stage — and I'm bringing family with me.”
Paige later shared her excitement for the milestone on her Instagram.
“Tonight, I'm opening for the man, the myth, the legend himself. My daddy makes his return back to the stage at the legendary Ice House,” she wrote. “This is bigger than I can fully comprehend.”
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“Since starting comedy, my dad has only been able to watch me perform twice. Mainly due to the fact that MOST clubs are not ADA accessible so he literally can't get in there. It's been heartbreaking to be on this journey without my biggest cheerleader so when I say tonight it special — it's a moment I will NEVER forget and ALWAYS cherish.”
Sinbad during his stroke recoveryCredit: Sinbad/Instagram
This comes less than a year after he returned to acting in Tyler Perry's Straw — playing Benny in the thriller led by Taraji P. Henson.
Sinbad (real name David Adkins) suffered a stroke in October 2020, his family confirmed a few weeks later. In November 2022, his family shared an update on Instagram and his website, explaining that the stroke was triggered after a blood clot traveled from his heart to his brain.
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Sinbad performing live in 1990Credit: American Broadcasting Companies via Getty
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"The family believes, without exception, Sinbad is here because of the multitude of prayers from all who know and love him," that statement read. "We are eternally grateful. Every outpouring of love and the memories of how he has touched all of you have not gone unheard, unseen, or unfelt. Thank you. You have lifted his spirits along the way and inspired the entire family."
Sinbad — known for comedy-movie roles in Coneheads (1993), Jingle All the Way (1996), First Kid (1996) and Good Burger (1997), as well as the TV series A Different World and others — made his first public appearance since the stroke in February 2024, joining other Different World cast members via Zoom for the first stop on a 10-city tour of historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
