Patton Oswalt Celebrates A Huge Anniversary

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | March 19, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | March 19, 2024 |

Patton Oswalt has long been one of my favorite comedians. Discovering him one Sunday night through his Comedy Central special Comedy Plus Tragedy Equals Time was a revelation. He was funny, nerdy, and had a natural body type that made me more secure in my adolescent chubbiness. In the twenty years since I have happily watched and listened to Oswalt as much as I can. I also discovered I had been familiar with him longer than I realized.

Oswalt is not only a comedian, he is a very successful actor. He’s had lead performances in big movies. He was a cast member on a hit sitcom for the better part of a decade. The man works. But, before his bigger successes, he was doing what most actors hope to, getting bit parts on big TV shows. Unless you hit a home run right out of the box, that’s how a lot of actors build credits and, ya know, pay rent.

The comedian and actor recently sat down with Stephen Colbert to discuss the myriad projects he has coming out. He was also celebrating a pretty big milestone. 30 years ago, Oswalt got a job on Seinfeld opposite Jason Alexander. The small role allowed Patton to get his SAG/AFTRA card. He was tense and nervous, but Alexander helped put the young(er) actor at ease.

“It’s not too late to be fired, Patton,” the Larry David surrogate said to Oswalt moments before action. The joke made Patton laugh and put him at ease. He then says how he owes his acting career to Jason Alexander. It’s a sweet moment that caps off a funny interview. It’s a joy to see someone like Oswalt be able to acknowledge his success in such a humble way. I wouldn’t expect anything less.