Why We Don't Hear From Sinbad Anymore

In the 1980s and '90s, David Adkins achieved massive popularity with his keen observational
and relationship comedy under the stage name Sinbad.
His specials ran on cable constantly, he frequently did routines on the talk show circuit, and
he was a regular on television and in film.
These days, however...well, he's not.
In fact, Sinbad's making way more headlines lately for appearing in movies that never
actually existed, rather than landing any new leading roles.
Here are some reasons why we don't hear from Sinbad anymore...
He stopped making specials
Sinbad was huge in the '90s partly because he churned out special after special, doing
five in eight years on both HBO and Comedy Central.
"And remember now this is 8 lbs of new hair on your head.
You've got to get your neck strong first.
I saw a girl at the bus stop, couldn't even get up..."
"Somebody tell me when number seven come by."
But after 1998's Nothin' But the Funk, he began focusing on his acting career and didn't
tape another special until 2010's appropriately titled Where U Been?
Out of sight, out of mind.
Medical problems
In 2010, Sinbad had to undergo knee replacement surgery, receiving two new artificial joints,
or "bionic knees" as he calls them.
After essentially having to learn how to walk all over again, Sinbad was knocked out of
commission again five years later, when his chronic back pain grew so unbearable that
he had to undergo double fusion spinal surgery.
Yikes.
Bankruptcy
In December 2009, the IRS went after Sinbad for millions in unpaid taxes, with a judge
ordering him to sell his $1.5 million house in Hidden Hills, California to help alleviate
some of the $8.15 million he owed the government.
To protect himself, he filed for bankruptcy, but the case was later dismissed because he
filled out the wrong paperwork.
Regardless, he was still on the hook for his crushing tax debt, so he filed for bankruptcy
again in 2013.
According to Sinbad, his money issues were the result of being too generous.
"I took care of my people.
My money went to, like, family.
I didn't do any of that crap."
In order to try to pay off those bills, Sinbad restored to reality television, making a brief
appearance on Celebrity Apprentice before trying out his own series, Sinbad: It's Just
Family, which lasted only one season on WE TV.
Voicework
While we may not see the comedian too often on-screen, we've probably heard him just by
flipping around the TV dial.
Sinbad's comic signature is his highly recognizable voice, and he's put that agile, rapid-fire
delivery to good use with a lot of voice work in kids' animated movies and TV shows.
He played Harold Smiley on Cartoon Network's acclaimed Steven Universe, a forklift named
Roper in Disney's Cars spinoff, Planes, and starred as Eddie on ABC Family's animated
series Slacker Cats.
He's also popped up on Family Guy and American Dad.
Funk band
Sinbad is still a touring comic, but if he's gracing a stage these days, it's pretty likely
that he's doing it as a musician.
After buying a drum kit and learning to play a couple years back, Sinbad formed a band
for the first time in more than 30 years — a jazz-funk group called Memphis Red and the
Stank Nasty Band.
Sinbad fronts the group, singing and playing guitar and drums as his other alter ego, Memphis
Red.
"People couldn't get passed me being in a band.
So I said, let me create an alter ego, so my name is Memphis Red.
He's a whole different cat, man.
He talks like this on stage, he's got a whole different...
He's a whole different dude."
Everything is cyclical
In 2014, Sinbad joked to BET that he's not as prominent as he once was because Hollywood
"would only pick one" black comedian at a time, and that the pre-eminent African-American
comedian of this moment is Kevin Hart.
Still, if you manage to stick around long enough, people eventually remember why they
loved you and come around again — and at the ripe young age of 60, there's still plenty
of time for Sinbad to make a comeback.
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Why We Don't Hear From Sinbad Anymore

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