Paul Dinello is an acclaimed American comedian, actor, writer, and director best known as the co-creator and star of Comedy Central’s groundbreaking cult comedy series Strangers with Candy, co-author of the bestselling satirical novel Wigfield, and long-time supervising producer, writer, and on-air contributor for The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dinello grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School. He pursued his higher education at DePaul University’s College of Communications, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications in 1985. Driven by an innate passion for improvisational satire, he honed his craft at Chicago’s renowned Players Workshop under the guidance of improvisation pioneers before joining the legendary Second City touring company in the late 1980s.
The Second City Years & Formative Partnerships
It was during his tenure with The Second City’s touring ensemble that Dinello formed the creative partnerships that would define American alternative comedy for decades to come. Touring the country alongside fellow performers Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, the trio quickly realized that their sensibilities diverged sharply from the mainstream political satire of the era. Rather than focusing solely on topical headlines, they leaned into physical absurdity, deeply flawed characters, and razor-sharp parodies of institutional authority.
Dinello and Amy Sedaris shared an intense personal and creative bond, maintaining an eight-year romantic relationship during their early Chicago years. Following their amicable separation, the two remained lifelong creative soulmates and closest friends, with Sedaris serving as godmother to Dinello’s two children.
Breakthrough with Exit 57 and Strangers with Candy
In 1995, Dinello, Sedaris, and Colbert partnered with Mitch Rouse and Jodi Lennon to create Exit 57, a half-hour sketch comedy series developed for HBO Downtown Productions and broadcast on Comedy Central. The critically acclaimed series garnered five CableACE Award nominations, establishing the trio as formidable original voices in television satire.
Following the critical acclaim of Exit 57, Dinello, Sedaris, and Colbert developed Strangers with Candy (1999–2000), widely regarded as one of the most influential cult comedy series in modern television history. Dinello served as principal writer and portrayed the delightfully self-absorbed, closeted art teacher Mr. Geoffrey Jellineck at Flatpoint High School. His character’s dysfunctional dynamic with history teacher Mr. Chuck Noblet (played by Stephen Colbert) and 46-year-old high school freshman Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) subverted traditional 1970s after-school special tropes with dark, brilliant satire.
In 2005, Dinello made his feature film directorial debut with the theatrical prequel adaptation of Strangers with Candy, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival before its theatrical release by THINKFilm in 2006.
Literary Works: Wigfield and Collaborations
In 2003, Dinello co-authored the satirical novel Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not with Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, accompanied by photography directed by Todd Oldham. The novel became a critical sensation, leading to a sold-out national stage tour where the three authors performed multi-character dramatizations of the town’s eccentric inhabitants.
Dinello continued his fruitful publishing collaborations, co-authoring the bestselling humor and craft guide Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People (2010) with Amy Sedaris, and contributing as a co-author to Stephen Colbert’s #1 New York Times bestsellers I Am America (And So Can You!) (2007) and America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren’t (2012).
Late-Night Dominance: The Colbert Report & The Late Show
From 2005 through 2014, Dinello served as a core writer and supervising producer for Comedy Central’s Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning satirical news program The Colbert Report. In addition to his behind-the-scenes leadership, Dinello frequently appeared on-screen as Tad, the long-suffering building manager regularly subjected to dangerous and absurd demands by Colbert’s right-wing blowhard persona.
In 2006, Dinello played a pivotal role in co-writing and revising Stephen Colbert’s legendary, scathing performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, sitting with Colbert late into the night before the address to refine the historic speech.
When Colbert took the helm of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015, Dinello transitioned as a senior producer and writer, regularly contributing monologues, high-profile sketches, and on-air banter.
Personal Life
Paul Dinello resides in New York with his wife, acclaimed photographer Danielle St. Laurent, and their two sons. He continues to write, produce, and direct across film and television.