# Paul F. Tompkins
**Paul F. Tompkins** (birth name Paul Francis Tompkins, born 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and writer known for dapper, story-driven stand-up, voice work as Mr. Peanutbutter on the Netflix animated series *BoJack Horseman*, and a large body of comedy podcasting that includes hosting *The Pod F. Tompkast*, *Spontaneanation*, and *Threedom*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) • [3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) He began in stand-up in Philadelphia in the 1980s, wrote for HBO's sketch series *Mr. Show with Bob and David*, and has since worked across television, film, live variety shows, and podcasts.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; birth name Paul Francis Tompkins[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) |
| Stand-up start | 1986, at The Comedy Works in Philadelphia, initially as half of a duo[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/) |
| Breakthrough writing job | *Mr. Show with Bob and David* (HBO, 1995–98), as writer and performer; Emmy nomination for the show's writing in 1998[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) |
| Signature voice role | Mr. Peanutbutter on Netflix's *BoJack Horseman*[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) |
| Stand-up specials | *Driven to Drink* (HBO, 1998); *Comedy Central Presents: Paul F. Tompkins* (2003); *You Should Have Told Me* (2010) and *Laboring Under Delusions* (2012)[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) • [5](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/b6ba62da-1dec-4599-9856-24f939ef6636) |
| Podcasts hosted | *The Pod F. Tompkast*, *Spontaneanation* (2015–2019, 204 episodes), *Threedom*[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) • [6](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spontaneanation-with-paul-f-tompkins/id978516099) • [3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! record | Has appeared on Scott Aukerman's *Comedy Bang! Bang!* more than any other guest, on both the podcast and television versions[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) |
## Early career in Philadelphia and Los Angeles
Tompkins first performed stand-up in July 1986, at 17, in a double act with a friend in Philadelphia; he later described the experience as feeling like "the beginning of a dream coming true."[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-09-17/paul-f-tompkins-variety-show-lodge-room) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)'s biography records his start in stand-up at The Comedy Works in that city in 1986.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) He attended [Temple University](https://www.edgepedia.org/temple-university) but dropped out, and moved to Los Angeles in 1994.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/)
In Los Angeles he met actor [Jay Johnston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-johnston) through their mutual friend [Adam McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-mckay), and the two created a live sketch show called *The Skates*, which led to Tompkins being hired on HBO's *Mr. Show with Bob and David* in 1995.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/) He appeared in various characters on the series from 1995 to 1998 and shared in its 1998 Emmy Award nomination for outstanding writing for a variety or music program.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) Short stints on *The Daily Show* and *Real Time with Bill Maher* followed; his writing on *Real Time* earned a Writers Guild of America Award nomination in 2004.[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-f-tompkins/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/)
## Television and film
Tompkins became widely known through VH1, first as a talking head on the *I Love the 80s* miniseries and its spinoffs, then as a key panelist on the weekly commentary show *Best Week Ever*. When that series was reformatted in 2008, he was made its host, in a role compared to [Joel McHale](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-mchale)'s on *The Soup*; the new version lasted only a few months before cancellation.[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-f-tompkins/) He has also hosted the television program *No, YOU Shut Up!*[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/)
His film work includes small roles in [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-thomas-anderson)'s *There Will Be Blood* and *[Magnolia](https://www.edgepedia.org/magnolia-film)*, in which his part was eventually excised, and the role of the emcee in *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy* (2004).[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-f-tompkins/) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) On television he played Dean Rosedragon on Seeso's *Bajillion Dollar Propertie$*.[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/)
## Voice work
[Voice acting](https://www.edgepedia.org/voice-acting) has become a substantial part of his career. He provided the voice of Mr. Peanutbutter, a cheerful golden retriever actor, throughout Netflix's *BoJack Horseman*, and has done voice-over work for *Bob's Burgers*, *Tangled*, and *Regular Show*.[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/)
## Stand-up style and specials
**Storytelling stand-up.** Tompkins performs in formalwear, typically a three-piece suit, and builds sets from long personal anecdotes rather than rapid one-liners. Reviewers of his 2013 UK debut show *Crying and Driving* at London's Soho Theatre described a gentle, old-school set without rudeness or confrontation, built on anecdotes about his hopelessness in love and learning to drive at 41, and delivered with charm, humility, and a sharp sense of his own absurdity.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/apr/09/paul-f-tompkins-review) Bruce Dessau, the comedy critic who founded the site Beyond The Joke, compared his well-groomed, relaxed storytelling to the Irish comedian Dave Allen and to [Bob Newhart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-newhart), and noted the show contained no swearing or smut.[10](https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/review-paul-f-tompkins-soho-theatre) The *A.V. Club* reviewer Dennis Perkins called *Crying and Driving* "deceptively personal," noting that Tompkins mines heartbreak, depression, self-doubt, and regret within a rolling, assured monologue.[11](https://www.avclub.com/in-crying-and-driving-paul-f-tompkins-delivers-anothe-1798185173)
His recorded specials include the solo HBO show *Driven to Drink* (1998), *Comedy Central Presents: Paul F. Tompkins* (2003), *You Should Have Told Me* (which had its world television premiere on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) in June 2010), and *Laboring Under Delusions* (2012), which *The A.V. Club* called one of the funniest, most assured standup specials in years.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) • [5](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/b6ba62da-1dec-4599-9856-24f939ef6636) • [11](https://www.avclub.com/in-crying-and-driving-paul-f-tompkins-delivers-anothe-1798185173)
## Live shows in Los Angeles
Tompkins has a long association with the Hollywood nightspot Largo, where he performs regularly alongside [Jon Brion](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-brion), the composer and Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator, and has hosted *The Paul F. Tompkins Show*, a variety show, since 2002.[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-f-tompkins/) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968) In September 2021 he launched *Varietopia*, a comedy-based variety show with music and special guests, at the Lodge Room in Highland Park, where he performed stand-up for the first time in several years; the *Los Angeles Times* framed the show as part of a second act in which he had, in his own words, stopped trying to be famous.[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-09-17/paul-f-tompkins-variety-show-lodge-room)
## Podcasting
Podcasting is where Tompkins has had his widest recent reach. *The Pod F. Tompkast*, his first major show, mixed live-show clips, phone conversations, and comic musings, and was named one of the 10 best comedy podcasts of the moment by *Rolling Stone* in 2011.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) *Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins*, a completely improvised show running from monologue to interview to narrative sketch, with accompanist Eban Schletter on piano, ran from 2015 to 2019 and produced 204 episodes.[6](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spontaneanation-with-paul-f-tompkins/id978516099) He hosts *Threedom*, and his other podcast work has included *The Dead Authors Podcast*, *Superego*, the old-time-radio-themed *The Thrilling Adventure Hour*, and *Homekins: An After Dinner Podcast*.[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) • [12](https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/paul-f-tompkins/catching-up-with-paul-f-thompkins) • [13](https://www.universallifechurchministers.org/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins)
On [Scott Aukerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-aukerman)'s *Comedy Bang! Bang!*, Tompkins has appeared more than any other guest, on both the podcast and television versions, and he has introduced many of his recurring characters there, including a caricature of *Happy Days* creator [Garry Marshall](https://www.edgepedia.org/garry-marshall) on the podcast and a running turn as composer [Andrew Lloyd Webber](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-lloyd-webber); the latter became well known enough for an Associated Press critic to invoke it while reviewing Jared Leto's performance in a 2026 film.[3](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/82f2bf0f585133efdd2455579854f483) He appears on the show's live *Comedy Bang! Bang!* tours, which perform a fully improvised version of the podcast each night; the 2026 Ground Beefing Tour features Aukerman, Tompkins, and an all-star panel of guests in every city.[15](https://comedybangbangworld.com/tour/)
## Recognition
Tompkins's nominations include a 1998 Primetime Emmy for outstanding writing for a variety or music program for *Mr. Show* and a 2004 Writers Guild of America Award for *Real Time with Bill Maher*.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/) He is a member of the [Writers Guild of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/writers-guild-of-america).[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968)
## References
1. [Paul F. Tompkins Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006670/bio/)
2. [Paul F. Tompkins Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins/bio/3000302325/)
3. [Paul F. Tompkins, Earwolf](https://www.earwolf.com/person/paul-f-tompkins/)
4. [Tompkins, Paul F. 1968–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tompkins-paul-f-1968)
5. [Comedy Central press release: Paul F. Tompkins: You Should Have Told Me world television premiere](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/b6ba62da-1dec-4599-9856-24f939ef6636)
6. [SPONTANEANATION with Paul F. Tompkins, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spontaneanation-with-paul-f-tompkins/id978516099)
7. [Comedian Paul F. Tompkins is done trying to be famous. A new variety show is part of his second act, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-09-17/paul-f-tompkins-variety-show-lodge-room)
8. [Paul F. Tompkins, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/paul-f-tompkins/)
9. [Paul F Tompkins – review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/apr/09/paul-f-tompkins-review)
10. [Review: Paul F Tompkins, Soho Theatre, Beyond The Joke](https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/review-paul-f-tompkins-soho-theatre)
11. [In Crying And Driving, Paul F. Tompkins delivers another hilarious, deceptively personal standup special, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/in-crying-and-driving-paul-f-tompkins-delivers-anothe-1798185173)
12. [Catching Up With Paul F. Tompkins, Paste Magazine](https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/paul-f-tompkins/catching-up-with-paul-f-thompkins)
13. [Paul F. Tompkins, Universal Life Church Ministers](https://www.universallifechurchministers.org/celebrities/paul-f-tompkins)
14. [Movie Review: Masters of the Universe does not have the power, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/82f2bf0f585133efdd2455579854f483)
15. [Tour Dates, Comedy Bang Bang World](https://comedybangbangworld.com/tour/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1960–1969*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license