Paul F. Tompkins

Early life and education

Tompkins was born on September 12, 1968, in Philadelphia. He is the fifth of six children. He attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania.

Career

Early work

In 1986, Tompkins first performed comedy at 17 years of age at The Comedy Works in Philadelphia (a club now located in Bristol, Pennsylvania), where he performed as half of a sketch comedy duo with Rick Roman. Tompkins attended Temple University; he dropped out and left for Los Angeles, California, in 1994.

Tompkins met actor Jay Johnston in L.A. through their mutual friend, actor and director Adam McKay. McKay and Tompkins had become friends in Philadelphia, where they had both started to perform stand-up at around the same time. McKay later moved to Chicago and met Johnston; Johnston moved to L.A. at around the same time as Tompkins and McKay introduced the two. Tompkins and Johnston created a live sketch comedy show called "The Skates" that was seen by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross and helped get them hired to work on Mr. Show with Bob and David in 1996.

Live comedic performance

Tompkins's comedy career has included stand-up, sketch comedy and a variety of other live performances.

Tompkins's stand-up comedy performances are of a storytelling and observationalist style. His shows often consist of extended riffs and long anecdotes.

Tompkins is known for his style of dress during his live comedic performances, always performing in suit and tie, his look has been described by some in the press as "dapper". Tompkins has described his look as "foppish" and "just this side of Cedric the Entertainer."

Tompkins is based in Los Angeles and performs regularly in the city. His show has featured such guests as Fiona Apple, Jack Black, Dave Foley, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Aimee Mann, and Weird Al Yankovic. The show began podcasting in January 2011; in October of that same year the show's podcasts moved to the Nerdist Industries podcast network created by Chris Hardwick. Tompkins is a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) Los Angeles. His comedy album Impersonal was recorded live at the UCB Theatre. He also performs monthly at the "Dead Authors" show at UCB Theatre in support of the nonprofit organization 826LA; Tompkins plays the role of H.G. Wells who serves as the host of the show.

Tompkins has toured in the US and Canada and prefers to perform in independent venues, rather than conventional comedy clubs.{{cite news |title=Battleship Paul F. Tompkins – Wherever 300 on Facebook say 'Come,' this comic goes |first=Steve |last=Birmingham

Bob Kerr, a Canadian comedian, saw the Twitter post and asked if Tompkins would like to perform in Toronto. Tompkins advised Kerr that if he was able to get 300 people to state that they would definitely see his show he would come to Toronto. Kerr then started a Facebook group called "I Wanna See Paul F. Tompkins in Toronto" and managed to get 300 people to join. Facebook groups were subsequently started in other North American cities In 2011 he said that the Facebook 300 groups had become his main method of booking comedy shows.

Tompkins wrote and performed in his one-man show, Driven to Drink, which aired on HBO in 1998. He also appeared in the RiffTrax live broadcast of House on Haunted Hill.

Acting and writing

Tompkins wrote for and performed on Mr. Show with Bob and David from 1995 to 1998; the show's writers, including Tompkins, were nominated for an Emmy Award in 1998 for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program".

Tompkins's work with Mr. Show's creators Bob Odenkirk and David Cross also led to his recurring role on the Tenacious D TV series. Tompkins played the character of a nightclub manager who is duped into reading Tenacious D's ridiculous introductions during their open mic performances. He revived the role in the comedic band's film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny released in 2006.

Longtime friend Adam McKay consulted Tompkins regarding the screenplay for Talladega Nights.

Tompkins has appeared on television programs including NewsRadio, Frasier, Weeds, The Sarah Silverman Program, Pushing Daisies, Community, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Tompkins has expressed in interviews that he dislikes writing (particularly writing for others), preferring instead to perform in front of a camera.

Voice acting

Tompkins has done voice work for many animated television series including Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, King of the Hill, and Bob's Burgers, in which he voices the recurring character Randy. He lent his voice to a character in an unaired 2007 episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force titled "Boston" that was supposed to be the premiere episode of the show's fifth season, but it was pulled by Turner Broadcasting System to avoid further controversy surrounding the 2007 Boston bomb scare.

Tompkins later appeared in an episode during the show's 7th season. He was also the voice of one of the thugs in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 2010 animated film Tangled. Tompkins was the voice of Benton Criswell, a character in MTV series Super Adventure Team which featured marionettes in the style of the 1960s British series Thunderbirds; the role was credited under the stage name Francis Mt. Pleasant. He was the voice of a puppet in ads for the Ford Focus.

Tompkins played Mr. Peanutbutter in the 2014 Netflix original animated series BoJack Horseman. Tompkins voices the recurring character, Gladstone Gander, in the reboot series of DuckTales. In 2020, he voiced Dr. Migleemo, a therapist aboard the USS Cerritos in the CBS All Access animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Political and social commentary

Tompkins has appeared on several television programs devoted to discussing politics, popular culture, and current events; however, he says he does not consider himself to be a political comic.

Tompkins was a contributor to the "Us People's Weekly Entertainment" segment of The Daily Show in 1998. in 2008, the show was retooled and relaunched as Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins with Tompkins as host. and took part in a panel on Larry King Live in an episode titled "Politics & Humor".

Tompkins has appeared in documentaries such as Jamie Kennedy's Heckler (2007) and Doug Benson's Super High Me (2007). He also appeared in The Bitter Buddha (2013), a documentary about the career of actor and comedian Eddie Pepitone.

Tompkins later became the host of a discussion show called No, You Shut Up! by The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner.

Podcasts, webcasts and radio

In 2010, Tompkins launched his podcast called The Pod F. Tompkast. The podcast was a mixture of Tompkins discussing various topics, clips from his live show at Largo, and segments where Tompkins voices a variety of celebrities speaking with one another. Comedian Jen Kirkman was a regular contributor on the show. The podcast ended in 2012.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour comedy show at Largo began podcasting in January 2011; in October of that same year the show's podcasts moved to the Nerdist Industries podcast network created by Chris Hardwick. The show ended in 2015.

Dead Authors, a live show that Tompkins hosts at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, also began podcasting in September 2011.

In May 2012, Tompkins started a weekly web series called Speakeasy. Hosted by the Break Media site MadeMan.com, the series features Tompkins interviewing various guests in the entertainment industry, such as Ty Burrell, Nathan Fillion, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Hardwick, Oscar Nunez, Weird Al Yankovic, and Alison Brie. The interviews are conducted as casual conversations between Tompkins and his guests over cocktails at various bars in the L.A. area.

Tompkins has appeared well over 200 times as a guest, and occasionally as a guest host, on Comedy Bang! Bang! (formerly Comedy Death-Ray Radio), The show's format mixes conversation between the host and guests, and usually includes improv games. Some guests play characters or impersonate certain celebrities, usually for the entirety of the episode; Paul F. Tompkins has impersonated celebrities such as rapper Ice-T, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Buddy Valastro from the reality television series Cake Boss (cakeboss.).

In addition to Aukerman's Comedy Bang! Bang!, Tompkins has appeared on the podcasts of other fellow comedians such as WTF with Marc Maron, Tompkins has also been a regular guest on the radio show and podcast The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling.

In 2015, Tompkins created his own podcast on the Earwolf podcast network called Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins. This podcast is similar to the Pod F. Tompkast; however, Spontaneanation is fully improvised and in-the-moment, as opposed to the Tompkast, which was highly produced. Spontaneanation begins with an improvised monologue, accompanied on piano by Eban Schletter, much like the Pod F. Tompkast. The next segment is an interview with one of Tompkins's famous friends. The final segment is one long improvised story performed by Paul and guest improvisers, based on ideas discussed in the interview segment. The podcast ended in 2019.

Since 2019, Tompkins has co-hosted, with Nicole Parker, The Neighborhood Listen on Stitcher Premium. Along with Tawny Newsome, he also hosts The Pod Directive, the official Star Trek podcast, which launched in September 2020.

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tompkins started a weekly podcast with his wife, Janie Haddad Tompkins, called Stay F. Homekins. The first season ran for 41 episodes throughout the rest of 2020, and season two started in January 2021.

Personal life

Tompkins is married to actress Janie Haddad Tompkins, who is best known for voicing the red anthropomorphic cardinal Margaret on Regular Show.

In 2017, Tompkins stated on Twitter that he was once a Catholic, but later went on to become an atheist.

He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and helped canvass for Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez during the 2022 Los Angeles elections.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

• 2007 – Impersonal (CD; released on Aspecialthing Records)
• 2007 – Comedy Death-Ray (Compilation released on Comedy Central Records)
• 2009 – Freak Wharf (CD) (Released on Aspecialthing Records)
• 2010 – Sir, You Have Fooled Me Twice (EP; released on Aspecialthing Records)
• 2010 – You Should Have Told Me (DVD; released on Aspecialthing Records)
• 2012 – Laboring Under Delusions (DVD; released on Comedy Central Records)
• 2012 – Laboring Under Delusions: Live in Brooklyn (CD; released on Aspecialthing Records)
• 2021 – Crying and Driving (DVD and CD; released on Aspecialthing Records)

Podcast and radio appearances

Tompkins is known for his many podcast appearances, as well as hosting a few of his own. He is often referred to as the mayor of podcasts.

References

References

1. Ryzik, Melena. (October 14, 2008). "A Pop-Culture Show Looks for Attitude With Heart". [[The New York Times]].
2. "James Bonding #001: Dr. No with Paul F. Tompkins". Nerdist.com.
3. Birmingham, Steve. (April 22, 2005). "Battleship Paul F. Tompkins". Austin Chronicle.
4. Chen, George. (January 16, 2008). "Getting Impersonal with Paul F. Tompkins". [[San Francisco Bay Guardian]].
5. Heisler, Steve. (March 12, 2009). "Who the Hell Is Paul F. Tompkins?". [[The Onion]].
6. Joe, Berkowitz. (April 6, 2011). "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of the Moment". Rolling Stone.
7. (December 15, 2014). "The 75 Best Twitter Accounts of 2014". [[Paste (magazine).
8. Ryan, Kyle. (July 19, 2007). "Interview – Paul F. Tompkins". [[The Onion]].
9. "Monthly Schedule". The Comedy Works.
10. Downs, Gordon. (July 26, 2007). "Paul F. Tompkins". Impose.
11. Rapa, Patrick. (August 17, 2010). "Stay Classy, Philadelphia: An Open Mic with Paul F. Tompkins, the Nicest Guy in Comedy". [[Philadelphia City Paper]].
12. Eakin, Marah. (February 4, 2016). "Paul F. Tompkins Wants to Ride a Giant Bison to Work". [[The Onion]].
13. Tompkins, Paul F.. (May 28, 2018). "SPONTANEANATION 165.5 Bonus: SF Sketchfest Tribute to Paul F. Tompkins".
14. Boller, Jay. (June 25, 2008). "Paul F. Tompkins: Punk rock comic". Minnesota Daily.
15. Wolinsky, David. (March 16, 2009). "Paul F. Tompkins at the Lakeshore". The Onion.
16. Ryan, Kyle. (April 20, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins on why he's more storyteller than comedian these days". [[The Onion]].
17. Malik, Asmaa. (July 26, 2011). "Just for Laughs 2011: Paul F. Tompkins at Katacombes, July 25". Montreal Gazette.
18. Hobelman, Marc. (May 31, 2011). "Live review: Paul F. Tompkins @ the Gothic Theatre". The Denver Post.
19. Riemer, Emily. (December 3, 2009). "Catching Up With... Paul F. Tompkins". Wolfgang's Vault.
20. Kharakh, Ben. (August 22, 2006). "Paul F. Tompkins, Comedian". Gothamist LLC.
21. [http://largo.laughstub.com/show.cfm?id=138603&cart The Paul F. Tompkins Show profile via Largo's website]. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
22. Ohanesian, Liz. (December 3, 2010). "Thrilling Adventure Hour Interviews: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker". LA Weekly.
23. [http://thrillingadventurehour.com/ ''The Thrilling Adventure Hour''{{'s official website.] Retrieved May 31, 2012.
24. [http://www.nerdist.com/2011/10/thrilling-adventure-hour-now-on-nerdist-episode-42-beyond-belief-%E2%80%9Cwhite-hunter-drunk-heart%E2%80%9D-2/ Thrilling Adventure Hour: Beyond Belief – "White Hunter, Drunk Heart"] {{webarchive. link. (2011-12-17 , ''Thrilling Adventure Hour''{{'s first podcast episode on the Nerdist network including comments from the creators Acker and Blacker. Retrieved May 31, 2012.)
25. [http://losangeles.ucbtheatre.com/performers/ Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre performers list.] {{webarchive. link. (June 7, 2008 Retrieved May 31, 2012.)
26. Zaino III, Nick A.. (June 1, 2007). "Paul F. Tompkins: Impersonal". Laughspin.
27. Ziemba, Christine N.. (February 19, 2010). "Pencil This In: Punk Rock Pix by Ruby Ray, Dead Authors and Alice in Wonderland". Gothamist.
28. (April 3, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins' New Labor of Love: Comedy Central's Original One-Hour Stand-Up Special "Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions" Premieres Saturday, April 21 at 11:00 P.M. ET/PT". Comedy Central.
29. (April 3, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins' New Labor of Love: Comedy Central's Original One-Hour Stand-Up Special "Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions" Premieres Saturday, April 21 at 11:00 P.M. ET/PT". PR Newswire.
30. (August 24, 2010). "The Nerdist, Episode #33".
31. Gordon, Scott. (June 11, 2010). "Paul F. Tompkins: You Should Have Told Me debuts tonight on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. Eastern". [[The Onion]].
32. (August 24, 2010). "The Nerdist, Episode #33".
33. Tompkins, Paul F.. (January 20, 2011). "American Idol Recap: Paul F. Tompkins's First Take on the New Season". New York magazine.
34. Rutherford, Robert. (May 26, 2011). "Paul F. Tompkins". [[The Onion]].
35. Johnson, Casey. (December 15, 2008). "Exclusive Interview With Meatwad, Er, Dave Willis, Of 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force'". starpulse.com.
36. Peitzman, Louis. (April 20, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins Works to Make You Laugh in Laboring Under Delusions". Huffington Post.
37. (October 1, 2020). "Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode 9 Easter Eggs & References".
38. Pascale, Anthony. "Review: Lower Decks Takes On The Search For The Undiscovered Mariner In "Crisis Point"".
39. (June 9, 2010). "Paul F. Tompkins: Something personal". Punchline Magazine.
40. Laughspin Staff. (March 8, 2012). "Watch the 'Bitter Buddha' trailer with Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, more!". Laughspin.
41. McCracken, Kristin. (February 26, 2013). "The Bitter Buddha: At 54, Comedian Eddie Pepitone Is Finally Ready for His Close-Up". Huffington Post.
42. (August 24, 2010). "The Nerdist, Episode #33".
43. Theo. (July 28, 2011). "Comedian Paul F. Tompkins Racks Up a Dozen Podcasts". Freshdaily.
44. Horgan, Richard. (July 11, 2011). "Comedian Paul F. Tompkins Racks Up a Dozen Podcasts". MediaBistro.
45. [http://thedeadauthorspodcast.libsyn.com/ The Dead Authors Podcast.] Retrieved May 31, 2012
46. (May 7, 2012). "Break Media Unveils New Original Series "Speakeasy" Featuring Host Paul F. Tompkins". Sun Herald.
47. Gadino, Dylan P.. (May 3, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins hosts chat show 'Speakeasy' with guests Ty Burrell, Nathan Fillion and more!". Laughspin.
48. (May 7, 2012). "Break Media Unveils New Original Series "Speakeasy" Featuring Host Paul F. Tompkins". Break Media.
49. Greenberg, Rudi. (October 28, 2011). "The Pod Complex". Washington Post.
50. Brumby, Arian. (May 23, 2012). "An Interview with Paul F. Tompkins: A Very Fancy Man". Gothamist.
51. (April 9, 2020). "This Week in Comedy Podcasts: Remember to Stay F. Homekins".
52. "Stay F. Homekins: with Janie Haddad Tompkins & Paul F. Tompkins".
53. "Paul F. Tompkins is Online, I Totally Have a Wife and This is Her! – Paul ...".
54. "I am a former Catholic who is now an atheist who doesn't see the value in calling people of faith stupid.".
55. Democratic Socialists of America. (May 31, 2022). "Time to announce TONIGHT'S final surprise guest! It's Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) himself! Join us (and a bevy of others!) at our RALLY FOR LA fundraiser in support of @HugoForCD13 & @EunissesH at the Teragram Ballroom at 7PM! 🎟 Grab your tix at http://dsa-la.org/rallyforLA 🎫".
56. "Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More".
57. Velocci, Carli. (2024-03-28). "Dropout's new show Smartypants is bringing PowerPoint parties to your screen".
58. (November 3, 2014). "There Will Be Blood with Paul F. Tompkins – I Was There Too". Earwolf.
59. "Guys With Feelings".
60. "Jimmy Dore Comedy: Paul F. Tompkins".
61. (2 November 2009). "TVA Podcast 163: Paul F. Tompkins and Bob Kerr".
62. (March 2025). "iTunes – Podcasts – Am I Right?? by CJSW 90.9FM". iTunes.
63. "iTunes – Podcasts – A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume – FRED Entertainment". iTunes.
64. (May 28, 2010). "Host and Guest Episode 44: Paul F. Tompkins". Blogspot.
65. (October 15, 2010). "Dave Hill's Podcasting Incident: Episode 13: Paul F. Tompkins". Libsyn.
66. (11 June 2010). "CFN Ep 16 with Paul F. Tompkins".
67. (July 31, 2012). "Ep 120 Paul F. Tompkins".
68. (August 9, 2010). "Paul F. Tompkins Talks Comic Con 2010".
69. (February 2, 2011). "(2011/02/02) Paul F. Tompkins, Maria Bamford, Markos Moulitsas, Ice T, Patty".
70. (March 21, 2011). "Paul F. Tompkins – KCRW".
71. Gilmartin, Paul. (November 11, 2011). "Paul F. Tompkins (Voted #3 Ep of 2011)". Mentalpod.com.
72. (April 4, 2011). "Gather Around Me: Episode 65".
73. (January 25, 2011). "Podcast Episodes 2 and 3: Paul F. Tompkins".
74. (May 7, 2013). "Gumming the Works with Paul F. Tompkins".
75. (April 2, 2012). "Paul F. Tompkins and David Wild".
76. (April 23, 2012). "Team Coco Podcast #60: Paul F. Tompkins".
77. (February 2, 2012). "Episode #418: The Photography is Total Bullshit Episode featuring Paul F. Tompkins".
78. (October 25, 2012). "Yikes Ahoy!".
79. (May 16, 2018). "The Word Cracker".
80. (July 25, 2018). "Introducing The Supergroup!".
81. (August 21, 2018). "Live from Detroit Improv Festival 2018 (w/ Eugene Cordero, Paul F. Tompkins, Marc Evan Jackson, Jessica Gao)".
82. (September 27, 2012). "International Waters Episode 8: Crocodile Dun-don't". MaximumFun.
83. (June 17, 2015). "International Waters: Episode 52 Live at MaxFunCon". MaximumFun.
84. (August 8, 2013). "Season 4, Episode 3 (Washing Up)".
85. MaxFun Intern. (March 27, 2013). "Judge John Hodgman Episode 103: Gas, Grass, or Justice". [[Maximum Fun]].
86. (January 1, 2015). "The Sunday Service presents: A Beautiful Podcast: Episode 24".
87. Gots, Jason. (February 20, 2016). "Think Again Podcast ep. 34 – A TINY, COSMIC THREAT (feat. Comedian Paul F. Tompkins)".
88. (October 27, 2017). "Likely Mad As Hell #4 Paul F. Tompkins".
89. Audio, Feral. (August 30, 2017). "119 – KFC with Paul F. Tompkins {{!}} Feral Audio". Feral Audio.
90. (August 25, 2018). "Hometown Announcers, Sean Manaea, & Sabermetrics Gripes (w/ Paul F. Tompkins)".
91. "MASCOTS on Stitcher".
92. Headgum // Too Scary; Didn't Watch: ABIGAIL with Paul F. Tompkins