In the 1990s, there were few comedians hotter than Sinbad. Born David Adkins, the 66-year-old chose the stage name out of admiration for the fictional character Sinbad the Sailor, and soon, the rest was history.
After kicking off his standup career on Star Search, Sinbad appeared in a number of HBO specials, starting with Sinbad: Brain Damaged in 1990, before leveraging his notoriety to television and film. His first big TV gig was getting cast as a series regular on the short-lived Redd Foxx Show in 1986, before a four-season stint on A Different World, hosting Saturday Night Live in 1992, and his very own starting vehicle with The Sinbad Show, which ran for two seasons from 1993 to 1994.
Additionally, Sinbad starred in ’90s films such as Necessary Roughness (1991), Houseguest (1995), Jingle All the Way (1996), and Good Burger (1997).
The comedian’s mainstream popularity began to wane in the aughts, although he still managed to nab scene-stealing turns as himself — most notably in the 2008 episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life,” as a patient in a rehab facility alongside Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas. Just recently, Sinbad made a talking head cameo in the 2022 Atlanta episode, “The Goof Who Sat By the Door.”
Unfortunately, Sinbad’s personal life took a turn in 2009 when it surfaced that he owed the state of California $2.5 million in personal income tax, and as a result, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Then, just two years ago, Sinbad suffered a life-altering medical condition that would further sideline his career.
Sinbad suffers a stroke
In November 2020, it was reported that Sinbad was recovering from a recent stroke. At the time, his family shared a statement to his Instagram page that it was “out of sincere love that we share Sinbad, our beloved husband and father, is recovering from a recent stroke.”
“Sinbad is a light source of love and joy for many generations. While he is beginning his road to recovery, we are faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon,” the statement continued. “Our family thanks you in advance for your love and support and ask for continued prayers for his healing. We also ask that you please respect our privacy during this time.”
On Monday Nov. 21, Sinbad’s family provided a major health update, revealing that he is learning to walk two years after suffering the ischemic stroke, which was a result of a blood clot that traveled from his heart to his brain. Currently, he is fighting to regain control of his limbs, and still had a long way to go before making a full recovery.
“On July 7, 2021, nearly nine months after the initial stroke, Sinbad finally came home. He continues to receive therapy, fighting for every inch. His progress is nothing short of remarkable. Limbs that were said to be ‘dead’ are coming alive and he’s taking the steps necessary to learn to walk again. In his own words, ‘I am not done. I will not stop fighting until I can walk across the stage again.’ And neither will we.
Survival odds from this type of event are approximately 30 percent. Sinbad has already beaten the odds and has made significant progress beyond what anyone expected, but there are still miles to go.”
Unfortunately, as the statement continued, cost of therapy has far exceeded what insurance covers and has taken a financial toll on the family, and as such, they set up the website so that fans who have expressed interest in supporting Sinbad’s recovery have a way of doing so.
“The family believes, without exception, Sinbad is here because of the multitude of prayers from all who know and love him,” the statement concluded. “We are eternally grateful. Every outpouring of love and the memories of how he has touched all of you have not gone unheard, unseen, or unfelt. Thank you. You have lifted his spirits along the way and inspired the entire family.”
Where can I watch Sinbad’s comedy?
A year after suffering the stroke, Netflix added a few of Sinbad’s comedy specials to the streaming service, including Sinbad: Nothin’ but the Funk, Sinbad: Son of a Preacher Man, and Sinbad: Afros and Bellbottoms.
“Just want to say thank you for all the birthday wishes today,” Sinbad wrote on Instagram at the time. “One of the coolest early birthday gifts was seeing a few of my standups on Netflix. Blessed to still be here and that I’m able to continue to make you laugh.”
The platform also released a 20-minute complication of Sinbad doing crowdwork on its “Netflix is a Joke” YouTube channel to help promote the specials, which you can watch below.
With any hope, Sinbad continues to work towards his recovery and one day, not too far in the future, he will indeed be back to performing standup comedy.