Whatever Happened To David Spade?

David Spade is an actor, comedian, podcast host, and author who first gained notoriety as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." Spade landed that gig in 1990, and it lasted until 1996. He then went on to star in the fan-favorite films "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep" opposite his pal Chris Farley, an "SNL" star who tragically died. Spade's sarcastic tone and cutting one-liners were a hit with audiences, and he went on to achieve more career success by starring in the popular sitcoms "Just Shoot Me!" from 1997 until 2003, and "8 Simple Rules" from 2004 until 2005.

After being a mainstay on the small screen for so long, Spade seemed to disappear in the following years. He had small roles in films such as "Grandma's Boy" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" and guest-starred in an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in 2009, but it had been a while since he'd had a starring role at that point. 

However, Spade made a comeback in 2010 with the Adam Sandler film "Grown Ups" and has been steadily working and weathering life events ever since. Read on to learn more about whatever happened to the multi-talented comedic actor David Spade.

In 2007, David Spade returned to the small screen starring in yet another hit sitcom, "The Rules of Engagement," alongside Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price, and Goldie Hawn's son Oliver Hudson. The series was a hit and ran for seven seasons, and Spade was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for his role as Russell Dunbar. Spade's character was not unlike his characters in "Just Shoot Me!" and "8 Simple Rules," slightly smarmy and more than a little sarcastic. But Spade was self-deprecating about his sitcom acting, telling Reuters, "I only have one note, let's be honest. But I'll play a different version of that one note."

After the show's sixth season, CBS took its time before finally renewing "The Rules of Engagement" for a seventh and final season. Spade expressed his feelings about the network's treatment of the show, likening it to an unhealthy relationship. "They go out and try to find a new girlfriend and it doesn't work and they run back and they go: 'No, no, you're good, you're good.' And it doesn't work with girls and it seems to work with shows, I guess," the actor said. But he seemed to take it all in stride with his signature laid-back vibe, telling Reuters, "I like the show, it makes me laugh. People that like it, like it."

In 2008, David Spade became a father when he and his ex-girlfriend, "Playboy" Playmate Jillian Grace, welcomed a daughter named Harper Spade. The birth of Spade's daughter made him reflect on his relationship with his own father, who was in and out of his life during his childhood. "I have a daughter now, and she came out of a situation with a girl I was dating and it was not planned," Spade said in his 2018 audiobook "A Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World." "And I get angry, because my brothers and I were planned," he added (via People).

It's clear that Spade cherishes his relationship with his daughter, often posting adorable pictures of her on Instagram. And his bond with Harper, who the actor called, "the best thing in my life," inspired him to cut ties with his father altogether. "So when I had her, I got this new tidal wave of resentment towards my dad because of his irresponsible behavior and manipulative mean streak. So, I stopped talking to him," Spade revealed.

In addition to being known for his comedic prowess as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member, David Spade also found fame in the '90s appearing in films such as "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep" alongside fellow "SNL" star Chris Farley. Spade starred in several more films, including "Joe Dirt" and "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" in the early '00s, but mainly devoted his time to the small screen in the hit series "Just Shoot Me!" and "8 Simple Rules." In 2010, Spade and many of his "SNL" co-stars reunited for the film "Grown Ups," a light-hearted comedy with an ensemble cast that included Adam Sandler, Norm MacDonald, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn, and Tim Meadows, among others.

"Grown Ups" won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy Movie, and it seems it was as fun to make as it was for audiences to watch. "Everybody, everyone there ... makes me laugh really hard all the time, so it's good to have that backup unit" Spade said during the film's press junket (via reelrave). Also fun was that Sandler, who both starred in and co-wrote the movie, had the cast share things from their childhoods such as concerts they went to and albums they weren't allowed to buy to serve as inspiration. "We'd go over all these things from our real lives and some wound up in the movie and some not, but it was a great way to just recollect all that stuff," Spade said.

In 2015, David Spade was back on TV, this time as the host of a very unique prank show on TruTV called "Fameless." The premise of the show was to trick aspiring reality stars into thinking they were appearing on various made-up reality shows. It wasn't a show Spade hated shooting, and the concept was fun. "We're finding people that already want to be famous ...They don't even want to be specifically on, like 'The Bachelor' or whatever," the actor told Entertainment Weekly. "They don't care, they're just, like, 'Put me on a show!'"

The fake shows had silly names, like "Hillbilly Handfishing," "What's in My Mouth?" and "Talent Face Off," but not so outrageous as to arise suspicion from the victims of the pranks. Spade admitted it could come off as a bit cruel, but offered up an explanation as to why he didn't feel that bad for those being pranked. "It would sound mean if it wasn't for the fact that they're so thirsty," Spade said. "In fact, I actually said we should call the show 'You're So Thirsty,' or even 'Cringe Time.'"

David Spade expanded his resume in 2015 when he became a published author. Spade's first memoir, titled "Almost Interesting," became a New York Times bestseller and included stories from his childhood as well as his experiences on "SNL." The actor had initially met with a ghostwriter, but decided he wanted to be more hands-on than many other celebrity authors. "I'm persnickety about making sure that everything on the page sounds like me," Spade shared with Esquire, but admitted that the book required a lot of effort. "It was different, and it was challenging," the actor said. "It reminded me of school and doing a research paper, something where you have to really focus and get sh*t done."

Spade followed up "Almost Interesting" with "Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World" in 2018, which was released solely in an audiobook format. The actor spent several years writing and recording it, and jokingly warned listeners that it was kind of long. "It's like six hours ... it's a real blah-valanche," he said during an appearance on "The Tonight Show." "I wouldn't do it all in one run," Spade told host Jimmy Fallon. "I would space it out, because I get old fast."

David Spade was lucky to walk away with his life in 2017 after being involved in a frightening motor vehicle accident that left him injured and totaled his Range Rover. The accident occurred on Sunset Boulevard at an intersection that is known to be dangerous. It was reported that the collision happened when Spade took a left turn and an oncoming car sped up to avoid a red light and hit him. There was serious damage done to the vehicles involved, and one of the back tires on Spade's car flew off and landed nearly 100 feet away.

Spade spoke about the terrifying experience on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," telling the audience, "...I spun and hit another car and then I spun out in the middle of the road. And I have never been in an accident like that real." Thankfully, Spade only suffered minor injuries, namely a cracked rib that he didn't seek treatment for until the next day. In fact, upon learning that he was relatively unharmed immediately following the collision, he asked the ambulance driver to drop him at the restaurant where he was scheduled to meet friends for dinner.

In 2017, David Spade spoke about his home having recently been burglarized during an appearance on "The Tonight Show." Spade revealed that he returned home one day to find his window blinds were halfway up, which was an unusual occurrence. That night, a little shaken up, the actor decided to get the shotgun he kept in a closet safe, only to find the entire safe was missing. "I freaked out," Spade told host Jimmy Fallon "... I go, 'Oh my God, someone's in my house, someone's been in my house.' The whole thing's gone, you know?"

Spade went on to call the police the next morning, who asked him a series of questions to try and narrow down a suspect in the theft. An officer asked if Spade knew anyone in need of cash or who was going through a hard time to which he jokingly replied, "Oh do you want me to forward you my whole contact list?" It was unclear whether the thieves were ever caught, but it was reported that the safe contained an estimated $80,000 in cash and jewelry.

David Spade experienced a very sad loss in June 2018 when his sister-in-law, designer Kate Spade, died by suicide at the age of 55. Kate had been married to Spade's older brother, Andy Spade, and the pair shared a daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade.

Just a month after Kate's death, Spade appeared on "Good Morning America" to share some memories of his late sister-in-law. "I remember when we used to hang out, it's funny because every girl I was with or anyone around, anyone that knew they would see Katy, would dress differently," the actor said, adding "She was such a beautiful, lovely, great spirit that obviously will be missed..." Following Kate's passing, Spade donated $100,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Spade later shared his thoughts on his sister-in-law's suicide during an interview with the New York Times, in which he made a heartbreaking comment. "I feel like Katy wouldn't have done it, five minutes later," the actor revealed. "But these things happen and there's no going back."

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David Spade sadly lost another person close to him when comedian and actor Norm MacDonald passed away in September 2021 at the age of 61. Spade and MacDonald were friends who worked together on "SNL" for three years during which MacDonald briefly held the coveted position of the show's Weekend Update host. Spade and MacDonald were both stand-up comics who performed shows together over the years and both also appeared in the 2010 film "Grown Ups."

MacDonald died of cancer after quietly suffering from the illness for nine years. On the day of the comedian's death, Spade posted a carousel of pictures on Instagram of he and MacDonald and some of their other famous pals at different points in their decades-long friendship. Spade captioned the post in part, "Would never think it was the last time I'd see him. The comedy world took a huge hit today." It was also reported that shortly after MacDonald's passing, Spade attended a dinner with Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, and Colin Quinn during which the former "SNL" cast members swapped stories about their friend.

In 2022, David Spade branched out into yet another media format when he and fellow "SNL" alum Dana Carvey started a podcast together called "Fly on the Wall." The podcast focused on behind-the-scenes showbiz stories along with plenty of "SNL" gossip. Episodes featured a multitude of famous guests including Ted Danson, Matt Rife, Patton Oswalt, and Lisa Kudrow, among many others.

As for potentially angering his former boss, "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels, Spade wasn't worried about it. "It's meant as a love letter to Lorne because he's the boss of it all," the actor shared with Esquire. "He's aware of the podcast, and we've invited him on. He's a buddy." "Fly on the Wall," which won the iHeart Podcast Award for Best Comedy Podcast in 2025, often touches upon how Spade and Carvey and other cast members back in the day had to adhere to different rules than current cast members of the iconic show. But Spade has said he's not bitter about it. "I can't hate on it. It's just a new world. I'm envious," he told Esquire.

In 2025, David Spade returned to his roots and starred in a new stand-up special that premiered on Amazon Prime Video called "Dandelion." "Dandelion" seems like an unusual title for a comedy special, but of course, Spade had a funny story about what inspired it. "I was at McDonald's and I was about to get in a fight one day with this dude who was kind of a crazy guy," Spade told Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show." "and I was like, 'I'm a bit of a dandelion, I don't think I should be getting in a brawl.'" He went on to say that the man was about to hit him with a cinder block which Spade wanted to avoid due to his "brittle bones."

Spade's 2025 special was his fourth, preceded by "Nothing Personal," which premiered on Netflix in 2022, "My Fake Problems" which aired on Comedy Central in 2014, and "Take the Hit" which was featured on HBO in 1998. Spade joked on "The Rich Eisen Show" that his string of stand-up specials across various channels was the comedy equivalent of an EGOT, when an actor can say the've won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony. "And not enough people are sort of hyped up about that, but it is something," Spade deadpanned.