Within hours, both shows scheduled at the Comedy Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., sold out.

Sinbad announces return to comedy stage 5 years after stroke: ‘I’m gonna be talking more trash than I ever talked’

Within hours, both shows scheduled at the Comedy Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., sold out.

By Kathleen Perricone

April 29, 2026 10:51 p.m. ET

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Sinbad on Instagram on April 29. Credit:

Sinbad/Instagram

- Sinbad announced his return to comedy, five years after suffering a stroke in October 2020.

- Within hours, both shows at the Comedy Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., sold out.

- The comedian, who remains in a wheelchair, says this is "just the beginning of me coming back."

Sinbad is making his return to stand-up comedy — and both shows sold out immediately.

Five years after surviving a stroke, the 69-year-old announced on Wednesday he’s headed back to the comedy stage, with two shows planned at the Comedy Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., on April 29 and May 10.

“It’s just the beginning of me coming back,” Sinbad said in an Instagram video. “I'm so looking forward to these shows.”

The comedian, whose real name is David Adkins, joked that despite still being in a wheelchair, because “I can’t walk,” his mouth works just fine.

“I got so much stuff to talk about,” he said. “I’m gonna be talking more trash than I ever talked.”

Within hours of his announcement, both dates sold out.

Sinbad’s return to the stage will be a family affair: His opening act is his daughter Paige Bryan, a successful stand-up comedian in her own right — and a chip off the old block.

"She talks more trash than I talk,” joked Sinbad.

Sinbad headlined the ABC special 'Sinbad and Friends' in 1991.

Walt Disney Television Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty

“This is bigger than I can fully comprehend,” Bryan gushed about sharing the stage with her legendary father, who starred on *The Cosby Show* spin-off, *A Different World*, and his own Fox sitcom, *The Sinbad Show*,* *in the 1990s.

As Bryan explained, he’s only been able to watch her do stand-up twice because most clubs she performs at “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 is special — it’s a moment I will NEVER forget and ALWAYS cherish.”

In October 2020, Sinbad's family announced he was recovering from a stroke, which was triggered after a blood clot traveled from his heart to his brain. “We are faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon," the family said.

Sinbad in 2018.

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Two years ago, Sinbad made his first public appearance since the stroke, albeit virtually, at the *A Different World* HBCU College Tour in Atlanta in February 2024.

“Man, that was so cool… getting a chance to be on Zoom and say something to the kids,” he shared in an Instagram video. “It’s wild that the kids even know who I am. That’s beautiful.”

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Last year, Sinbad made his return to acting with a supporting role in Tyler Perry’s Netflix film, *Straw*, starring Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Glynn Turman, and Rockmond Dunbar.

“I know it’s been really difficult for him,” Perry told *Entertainment Tonight*, “so to give him this opportunity made me feel amazing. I’m really excited for him. And he delivered.”

- Stand-Up Comedy

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Stand-Up”