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{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox_Biography |
{{Short description|American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)}}
subject_name = George Dennis Carlin|
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
image_name = Carlinjerseygirl.jpg|
{{Infobox comedian
image_caption = George Carlin in the film '']''|
| name = George Carlin
date_of_birth = ], ]|
| image = George Carlin 1975 (Little David Records) Publicity.jpg
place_of_birth = ], ]|
dead = | | caption = Carlin in 1975
| birth_name = George Denis Patrick Carlin
date_of_death = |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1937|5|12}}
place_of_death = |
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|6|22|1937|5|12}}
| death_place = ], U.S.
| medium = {{hlist|Stand-up|film|television|radio|literature}}
| genre = {{hlist|]|]|]|]|]|]|sarcasm|irony|satire}}
| subject = {{hlist|]|current events|death|drugs|everyday life|family|language|mass media|]|]|nihilism|old age|philosophy|politics|pop culture|profanity|psychology|]|religion|society}}
| years_active = 1959–2008
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Brenda Hosbrook|1961|1997|reason=died}}
* {{marriage|Sally Wade|1998<!--Year omitted when marriage ends with subject of article's death-->}}
}} }}
| children = ]
'''George Dennis Carlin''' (born ], ]) is a ]-winning ] ], ], and ], noted especially for his irreverent attitude and his observations on ], ] and ] along with many ] subjects. He is considered by many to be a successor to the late ].
| website = {{URL|georgecarlin.com}}
| signature = George Carlin Signature.svg
}}
'''George Denis Patrick Carlin''' (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the most important and influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of ] comedians". He was known for his ] and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion and ] subjects.


Carlin was a frequent performer and guest host on '']'' during the three-decade ] era and notably hosted the first episode of '']'' in 1975. The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for ] was filmed in 1977, broadcast as '']''. From the late 1980s onwards, his routines focused on ] of American society. He often commented on American political issues and satirized ]. His "]" routine was central to the 1978 ] case '']'', in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to ] on public airwaves.
==Biography==
Born in ], George Carlin grew up on West 121st Street, in a neighborhood of Manhattan which he later said he and his friends called "White ]", because that sounded a lot tougher than its real name, "]." He was raised by his mother, who left his father when he was two years old. At age 17 and a half, Carlin dropped out of ] and joined the ], training as a ] technician. He was stationed in ], where he began working as a ] on KJOE, a local radio station. He did not complete his Air Force enlistment. On July 29, 1957, Carlin was discharged.


Carlin released his first solo album, '']'', in 1966. He went on to receive five ], winning for '']'' (1972), '']'' (1992), '']'' (2001), '']'' (2002), and '']'' (2008). The latter was his final comedy special, which was filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure.
At the age of 18 and a half, he and ], a new announcer at the station, assembled a comedy routine and began booking nightclubs. Soon the act broke up, but Carlin continued to work as a stand-up comic.


Carlin co-created and starred in the ] sitcom '']'' (1994–1995). He is also known for his film performances in '']'' (1976), '']'' (1987), '']'' (1989), '']'' (1991), '']'' (1991), '']'' (1999), '']'' (2001), '']'' (2003), and '']'' (2004). He also had voice roles as Zugor in '']'', Fillmore in '']'' (2006), and as Mr. Conductor on '']'', as well as narrating the American ] of '']''.
In the 1960s, Carlin began appearing on television variety shows, notably '']''. His most famous skits were:


Carlin was posthumously awarded the ] in 2008. He placed second on ]'s list of top 10 American comedians in 2004,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comedy-zone.net/standup/comedian/index.htm |title=Stand Up Comedy & Comedians |publisher=Comedy Zone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123214352/http://www.comedy-zone.net/standup/comedian/index.htm |archive-date=November 23, 2005 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> while '']'' magazine ranked him second on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time in 2017, in both cases behind ] and ahead of ].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/50-best-stand-up-comics-of-all-time-126359/george-carlin-105949/|title=The 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time|last=Love|first=Matthew|date=February 14, 2017|magazine=]|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>
* The ] ("You wit' the beads … get outta line").
* Stupid disc jockeys ("Wonderful WINO …") — "The Beatles' latest record, when played backwards at slow speed, says 'Dummy! You're playing it backwards at slow speed!"
* Al Sleet, the "]-dippie ]" — "Tonight's forecast: Dark. Continued mostly dark tonight, turning to widely scattered light in the morning."
* Jon Carson — the "world never known, and never to be known"


== Early life ==
In 1961, Carlin married Brenda Hosbrook (born ], ], died ], ]), whom he had met while touring the previous year. The couple had a daughter, Kelly, in 1963.
George Denis Patrick Carlin<ref name="Dream2022">'']'' (2022)</ref><ref name="james7">{{cite book |last=Sullivan |first=James |year=2010 |title=Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin |url=https://archive.org/details/sevendirtywordsl00sull |url-access=registration |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306818295 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> was born at New York Hospital (now ]) in the ] borough of ] on May 12, 1937, the son of Mary (née Bearey; 1896–1984) and Patrick John Carlin (1888–1945).<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Carlin |first=George |title=] |medium=TV |publisher=] |date=2001-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Carlin|Hendra|2009|p=}} "Lying there in New York Hospital, my first definitive act on this planet was to vomit."</ref> He had an older brother named Patrick Jr. (1931–2022), who had a major influence on his comedy and was sometimes directly involved.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Patrick Carlin, Comedy Raconteur and Influence on Brother George Carlin, Dies at 90 |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/patrick-carlin-dead-90-george-carlin-brother-1235234338/ |last1=Murphy |first1=J |date=April 17, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=] |last2=Littleton |first2=Cynthia}}</ref> Carlin described himself as "fully Irish" as his mother was born in New York to Irish immigrants and his father was an Irish immigrant from ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OnWnwwxNPA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-OnWnwwxNPA |archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live |title=George Carlin - pride |publisher=YouTube |date=2010-02-02 |access-date=2021-05-10}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In his posthumously published autobiography '']'', he wrote about a fantasy of Ireland he would often have when his first wife Brenda was alive: "The southeastern parts so that it would be a little warmer, and the two of us there, close enough to ] that you could go buy things you needed."<ref>George Carlin, ''Last Words'' (New York: Free Press, 2010), p. 288</ref> Carlin's maternal grandfather was an ] police officer who wrote out the works of ] by hand for fun.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCGGWeD_EJk |title=Jon Stewart Interviews George Carlin |publisher=YouTube |date=2016-08-16 |access-date=2021-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=George Carlin - Unmasked with George Carlin |date=2013-03-06 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-clvDxl8qI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/s-clvDxl8qI |archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live |language=en |access-date=2021-11-12}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Carlin's parents separated when he was two months old due to the ] of his father, who Carlin said was "never around".<ref name="Dream2022" /> His mother raised him and his brother on her own.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jon Stewart Interviews George Carlin |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCGGWeD_EJk&feature=youtu.be&t=146 |website=George Carlin Official YouTube Channel |date=2016-08-16 |access-date=2020-08-24}}</ref> When Carlin was eight years old, his father died.<ref name=Dixit2008/>


Carlin said that he picked up an appreciation for the effective use of the English language from his mother,<ref>{{cite book |title=Conversations on the Edge of the Apocalypse |url=https://archive.org/details/conversationsone00brow |url-access=limited |last=Brown |first=David Jay |author-link=David Jay Brown |page= |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2005 |isbn=9781403965325}}</ref> though they had a difficult relationship and he often ran away from home.<ref name="playboy">{{Cite magazine |title=Playboy Interview: George Carlin |magazine=] |last=Merrill |first=Sam |date=January 1982}}</ref> He grew up on West 121st Street in the ] neighborhood of Manhattan, which he and his friends called "White ]" because it "sounded a lot tougher than its real name".<ref name=Dixit2008>{{cite news |url = http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainstorm/200806/george-carlins-last-interview |archive-url = https://archive.today/20080626081637/http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainstorm/200806/george-carlins-last-interview |archive-date = June 26, 2008 |work = ] |title = George Carlin's last interview |first = Jay |last = Dixit |date =2008-06-10 | access-date =November 16, 2024 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He attended Corpus Christi School, a Catholic parish school of the ] in Morningside Heights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgecarlin.com/update_10-29-08/timeline/early_years.html |title=George Carlin: Early Years |publisher=George Carlin website (georgecarlin.com) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708072213/http://www.georgecarlin.com/update_10-29-08/timeline/early_years.html |archive-date=July 8, 2009 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Flegenheimer | first= Matt | url = http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/pondering-a-carlin-street-and-keeping-the-7-words-in-check/ | title = Carlin Street' Resisted by His Old Church. Was It Something He Said? | work = ] | date =October 25, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> One of Carlin's closest childhood friends was ], who would later go on to become one of the most decorated homicide detectives in NYPD history.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=http://www.randyjurgensen.com/about.html|access-date=September 5, 2021|website=Randy Jurgensen|language=en|archive-date=September 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905214907/http://www.randyjurgensen.com/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> His mother owned a television, which was a new technology few people owned at the time, and Carlin became an avid fan of the pioneering late-night talk show '']'' during its short run.<ref>{{cite AV media | last = Carlin | first = George | date = December 17, 2007 | title = George Carlin Interview Part 1 of 7 - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnVkUcGJyjU | access-date = January 18, 2020 | time = 20:23 | publisher = Academy of Television Arts & Sciences}}</ref> He went to ] for high school, but was expelled from ] after three semesters at age 15. He briefly attended ] in Harlem and Salesian High School in ].<ref name=Gonzalez>{{cite news |first=David |last=Gonzalez |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/nyregion/24hayes.html |title=George Carlin Didn't Shun School That Ejected Him |work=] |date=June 24, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> He spent many summers at Camp Notre Dame in ], where he regularly won the camp's drama award; upon his death, some of his ashes were scattered at ] per his request.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhtourguide.com/nh_facts.htm |title=Interesting, Strange & Weird New Hampshire Facts |publisher=NHTourGuide.com |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>
During this period, Carlin became more popular. He became a frequent performer and guest host on '']'' during the ] era, becoming one of Carson's most frequent substitutes during the host's three-decade reign. Carlin was also cast on ''Away We Go'', a ] comedy show.


Carlin joined the ] and trained as a radar technician. He was stationed at ] in ], and began working as a DJ at radio station ] in nearby ] in July 1956.<ref>https://georgecarlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/gc_bio_2008.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/george-carlin/|title=George Carlin|first=Patricia|last=McConnico|date=December 1, 1999|website=Texas Monthly}}</ref> Labeled an "unproductive airman" by his superiors, he received a ] on July 29, 1957. During his time in the Air Force, he was ]ed three times and received many nonjudicial punishments and reprimands.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/comedian-george-carlin-dies-at-71-1117987925/ |title=Comedian George Carlin dies at 71 |magazine=] |date=June 22, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref>
Eventually, Carlin changed his routines, and his appearance. He lost some TV bookings by dressing as a ], sporting a beard and earrings, but regained his popularity as the public caught on to his sense of style. It is not clear that Carlin has ever lost his hippie sensibilities, as he retains his beard to this day and has often sported a ]<!--don't fucking touch it, shit eater, piss drinker!-->.


== Career ==
In this period he also perfected what is perhaps his best-known routine, "]," recorded on ''],'' a routine which offended some. In ], a man complained to the ] that his son had heard a later, similar routine, "Filthy Words," from ''],'' ] one afternoon over ], a ] ] ] in ]. Pacifica received a citation from the FCC, which sought to fine Pacifica for allegedly violating FCC regulations which prohibited broadcasting "obscene" material. The U.S. ] upheld the FCC action, by a vote of 5 to 4, ruling that the routine was "indecent but not obscene," and the FCC had authority to prohibit such broadcasts during hours when children were likely to be among the audience. '']'', 438 U.S. 726 (]).
=== 1959–1960: Early work and breakthrough ===
] in 1967]]
In 1959, Carlin met ], a fellow DJ at radio station ] in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texasradiohalloffame.com/georgecarlin.html|title=Texas Radio Hall of Fame: George Carlin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040923044145/http://www.texasradiohalloffame.com/georgecarlin.html |archive-date=September 23, 2004 |access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> They formed a comedy team and after successful performances at Fort Worth's ] coffeehouse called The Cellar, Burns and Carlin headed for California in February 1960.<ref name="james7"/>


Within weeks of arriving in California, Burns and Carlin put together an audition tape and created ''The Wright Brothers'', a morning show on ] in Hollywood. During their tenure at KDAY, they honed their material in ] coffeehouses at night.<ref name=bio60s>{{Cite news |url=http://www.georgecarlin.com/time/time3B.html |title=Timeline – 1960s |work=George Carlin Biography |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000621020616/http://www.georgecarlin.com/time/time3B.html |archive-date=June 21, 2000 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> Years later, when he was honored with a star on the ], Carlin requested that it be placed in front of the KDAY studios near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=19830&source_type=A|title=Biographical information for George Carlin|publisher=Kennedy Center|access-date=July 30, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220184243/http://kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=19830&source_type=A|archive-date=February 20, 2009}}</ref> Burns and Carlin recorded their only album, '']'', in May 1960 at Cosmo Alley in Hollywood.<ref name=bio60s /> After two years as a team, they parted to pursue individual careers, but "remain the best of friends".{{sfn|Carlin|Hendra|2009|pp=47–8}}
The controversy only increased Carlin's fame (or notoriety). Carlin eventually expanded the dirty-words theme with a seemingly interminable end to a performance (ending with his voice fading out in one ] version, and accompanying the credits in the '']'' special for the 1982-83 season), and a set of 49 web pages organized by subject and embracing his "Incomplete List Of Impolite Words." Ironically, the court documents contain a complete transcript of the skit, in line with what ] said: "you cannot define obscenity without being obscene."
)]]


]'' in 1969]]
In December 2003, California U.S. Representative ] introduced a bill (H.R. 3687) to outlaw the broadcast of Carlin's seven "dirty words," including "compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms)." (The bill omits "tits", but includes "ass" and "asshole" which were not part of Carlin's original routine). Carlin was also arrested in ] and charged with violating obscenity laws.
In the 1960s, Carlin began appearing on television variety shows, where he played various characters, including a Native American sergeant, a stupid radio disc jockey, and a hippie weatherman.<ref name=timeline /> Variations on these routines appear on Carlin's 1967 debut album, '']'', which was recorded live in 1966 at The Roostertail in Detroit, Michigan and issued by ] in 1967.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html |title=George Carlin's official site (see Timeline) |publisher=Georgecarlin.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008001351/http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html |archive-date=October 8, 2009 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> During this period, Carlin became a frequent performer and guest host on '']'', initially with ] as host, and then with ]. Carlin became one of Carson's most frequent substitutes during the host's three-decade reign. Carlin was also cast in ''Away We Go'', a 1967 comedy show that aired on CBS.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061235/fullcredits | title=Away We Go (1967– ) Full Cast & Crew | website=IMDb | access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref> His material during his early career and his appearance, which consisted of suits and short-cropped hair, had been seen as "conventional", particularly when contrasted with his later ] material.<ref>'']''; June 23, 2008.</ref>


Carlin was present at ]'s arrest for obscenity at the ] club in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1962. As the police began detaining members of the audience for questioning, they asked Carlin for his identification. After responding that he did not believe in government-issued IDs, Carlin was arrested and taken to jail with Bruce in the same vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedians in Courthouses Getting Cuffed: Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, December 1962|url=http://thecomicscomic.com/2014/03/25/comedians-in-courthouses-getting-cuffed-lenny-bruce-and-george-carlin-december-1962/|website=The Critic's Comic|date=March 25, 2014 |access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=Profanity|episode-link=List of Bullshit! episodes|series=Penn & Teller: Bullshit!|series-link=Penn & Teller: Bullshit!|network=]|air-date=August 12, 2004|season=2|number=10}}</ref> In the late 1960s, Carlin was making about $250,000 annually.<ref name=Zoglin/> Over time, Carlin changed his routines and his appearance; he grew his hair long, sported a beard and earrings, and typically dressed in T-shirts and blue jeans. He lost some TV bookings by dressing strangely for a comedian at a time when clean-cut, well-dressed comedians were the norm. He hired talent managers Jeff Wald and Ron De Blasio to help him change his image, making him look more "]" for a younger audience. Wald put Carlin into much smaller clubs such as ] in West Hollywood and ] in New York City, and later said that Carlin's income was thus reduced by 90% but his later career arc was greatly improved.<ref name=Zoglin>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xg1h5lBheQC&pg=PT34 |pages=34–35 |last=Zoglin |first=Richard |title=Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=9781596919440 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>
Carlin was the first-ever host of ]'s '']'', debuting on ], ] (He also hosted ''SNL'' on ], ].) The following season, 1976-77, Carlin also appeared regularly on ] Television's '']'' variety series.


=== 1970–1979: Stardom and acclaim ===
In the 1970s, Carlin became known for unpredictable performances. He would walk off if no one laughed, verbally insult the audience, or simply not appear.
]
In 1970, record producer ] formed the ] subsidiary of Atlantic Records, with comedian ] as co-owner.{{sfn|Sullivan|2010|p=114}} Kay and Wilson signed Carlin away from ] and recorded a Carlin performance at Washington, D.C.'s ] in May 1971, which was released as the album '']'' in January 1972. De Blasio was busy managing the fast-paced career of ] and was about to sign ], so he released Carlin to Little David general manager Jack Lewis, who, like Carlin, was somewhat wild and rebellious.{{sfn|Sullivan|2010|p=158}} Using his own persona as a springboard for his new comedy, he was presented by ] in a performance of "The Hair Piece" and quickly regained his popularity as the public caught on to his sense of style.<ref name="GoldmarkBio">{{cite web|last=Goldmark|first=Tony|title=George Carlin – Biography|url=http://www.amoeba.com/george-carlin/artist/146678/bio|website=Amoeba Music|access-date=September 1, 2016|quote=He bridged these two sides of his persona with 'The Hair Piece,' a whimsical poem about public aversion to long hair that he performed on Ed Sullivan, effectively reintroducing and reinventing himself to America. FM & AM went Gold, got him a gig at Carnegie Hall, and won the Grammy award for Best Comedy Album.}}</ref>


Starting in 1972, singer-songwriter ] was Carlin's label mate on Little David Records, and Rankin served many times as Carlin's musical guest or opening act during the early 1970s. The two flew together in Carlin's private jet; Carlin says that Rankin relapsed into using cocaine while on tour since Carlin had so much of the drug available.<ref name="Jet">{{harvnb|Carlin|Hendra|2009|p=}}</ref> ''FM & AM'' proved very popular, and marked Carlin's change from mainstream to counterculture comedy. The "AM" side was an extension of Carlin's previous style, with zany but relatively clean routines parodying aspects of American life. The "FM" side introduced Carlin's new style, with references to marijuana and birth control pills, and a playful examination of the word "shit". In this manner, Carlin renewed a style of radical social commentary comedy that Lenny Bruce had pioneered in the late 1950s.<ref name=Zoglin/>
Carlin unexpectedly stopped performing regularly in 1976, when his career appeared to be at its height. For the next five years, he rarely appeared to perform stand-up, although it was at this time he began doing specials for ] as part of its "On Location" series. His first two HBO specials aired in 1977 and 1978.


]
It was later revealed that Carlin had suffered the first of his three heart attacks during this layoff period.
In this period, Carlin perfected his well-known "]" routine, which most notably appears on '']'' as follows: "'Shit', 'piss', 'fuck', 'cunt', 'cocksucker', 'motherfucker', and 'tits'. Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that'll infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war." On July 21, 1972, Carlin was arrested after performing the routine at ]'s ] and charged with violating obscenity laws.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=626471|title=Carlin's naughty words still ring in officer's ears|author=Jim Stingl|newspaper=]|date=June 30, 2007|access-date=March 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124942/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=626471|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> The case, which prompted Carlin to refer to the words for a time as the "Milwaukee Seven", was dismissed in December when the judge declared that the language was indecent but that Carlin had the freedom to say it as long as he caused no disturbance.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 23, 1972 |title=Against Comedian: Charges Refused |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19720723&id=3RcfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3488,3633489 |work=The Tuscaloosa News |access-date=April 8, 2019}}</ref> In 1973, a man complained to the ] after listening with his son to a similar routine, "Filthy Words" from Carlin's '']'', which was broadcast one afternoon over radio station ]. Pacifica received a citation from the FCC for violating regulations that prohibit broadcasting "obscene" material. The ] upheld the FCC action by a vote of 5 to 4, ruling that the routine was "indecent but not obscene" and that the FCC had authority to prohibit such broadcasts during hours when children were likely to be among the audience.<ref>'']'', 438 U.S. 726 (1978); the court documents contain a complete transcript of the routine.</ref><ref name="EFF">{{cite web |url=https://w2.eff.org/legal/cases/FCC_v_Pacifica/fcc_v_pacifica.decision |title=FCC vs. Pacifica Foundation |date=July 3, 1978 |publisher=] |access-date=June 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211103830/http://w2.eff.org/legal/cases/FCC_v_Pacifica/fcc_v_pacifica.decision |archive-date=December 11, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


The controversy increased Carlin's fame. He eventually expanded the "dirty words" theme with a seemingly interminable end to a performance, finishing with his voice fading out in one HBO version and accompanying the credits in the '']'' special for the 1982–83 season, and a set of 49 web pages organized by subject and embracing his "Incomplete List of Impolite Words".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgecarlin.com/dirty/2443.html |title=BBS – Incomplete List of Impolite Words |publisher=George Carlin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406052624/http://www.georgecarlin.com/dirty/2443.html |archive-date=April 6, 2012 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> On stage, during a rendition of this routine, Carlin learned that his previous comedy album ''FM & AM'' had won a Grammy. Midway through the performance on the album ''Occupation: Foole'', he can be heard thanking someone for handing him a piece of paper. He then exclaimed "shit!" and proudly announced his win to the audience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55pfcmUzGhw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/55pfcmUzGhw| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=George Carlin - Occupation: Foole|date=July 27, 2012 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Over his career, Carlin was arrested seven times for reciting the "Seven Dirty Words" routine.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Watkins|first1=Mel|last2=Weber|first2=Bruce|date=June 24, 2008|title=George Carlin, Comic Who Chafed at Society and Its Constraints, Dies at 71|language=en|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html|access-date=April 7, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
In 1981 Carlin returned to the stage, releasing '']'', considered by many to be his best album since ''Class Clown'', and making a triumphant return to ] (and to his hometown) with the '']'' special videotaped at ] and airing during the 1982-83 season. Carlin continued doing HBO specials every year or every other year over the following decade and a half, and became as identified with the cable network's comedy offerings as the performer whose specials practically inaugurated the network, ]. All of Carlin's albums from this time forward are the HBO specials.


Carlin hosted the premiere broadcast of ]'s '']'' on October 11, 1975. Per his request, he did not appear in its sketches.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Geoffrey Hammill, The Museum of Broadcast Communications |url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/saturdaynigh/saturdaynigh.htm |title=Saturday Night Live |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020820194836/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/saturdaynigh/saturdaynigh.htm |archive-date=August 20, 2002 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> The following season, 1976–1977, he appeared regularly on ] Television's '']'' variety series.<ref name="TVGuideTonyOrlandoAndDawn">{{cite web|title=Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974 TV SHOW|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/tony-orlando-and-dawn/cast/205090/|website=TVGuide.com|access-date=September 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901182949/http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/tony-orlando-and-dawn/cast/205090/|archive-date=September 1, 2016 }}</ref> Carlin unexpectedly stopped performing regularly in 1976, when his career appeared to be at its height. For the next five years, he rarely performed stand-up, although it was at this time that he began doing specials for HBO as part of its '']'' series; he did 14 specials, including 2008's ''It's Bad for Ya''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/george-carlin-9542307#comic-great |title=George Carlin stand up comedian does 14 specials for On Location |publisher=] (] / ]) |access-date= October 8, 2016}}</ref> He later revealed that he had suffered the first of three ] during this layoff period.<ref name="bravo">{{cite episode|title=George Carlin|series=Inside the Actors Studio|series-link=Inside the Actors Studio|network=]|air-date=October 31, 2004|season=11|number=4}}</ref> His first two HBO specials aired in 1977 and 1978.<ref name="EssSplitsider2015">{{cite news|last1=Ess|first1=Ramsey|title=How George Carlin Changed comedy In His First HBO Special|url=http://splitsider.com/2015/04/how-george-carlin-changed-comedy-in-his-first-hbo-special/|newspaper=Splitsider|access-date=September 1, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160617094322/http://splitsider.com/2015/04/how-george-carlin-changed-comedy-in-his-first-hbo-special/|archive-date=June 17, 2016 |date=April 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="LeveretteOttBuckley2009">{{cite book|last1=Leverette|first1=Marc|last2=Ott|first2=Brian L|last3=Buckley|first3=Cara Louise|title=It's Not TV: Watching HBO in the Post-Television Era|date=March 23, 2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135902742|page=128|url=https://www.routledge.com/Its-Not-TV-Watching-HBO-in-the-Post-Television-Era/Leverette-Ott-Buckley/p/book/9780415960380|access-date=September 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901182100/https://www.routledge.com/Its-Not-TV-Watching-HBO-in-the-Post-Television-Era/Leverette-Ott-Buckley/p/book/9780415960380|archive-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref>
By 1989, Carlin had become popular with a new generation of teens when he was cast as the mentor, Rufus, in '']''. In 1991, he provided the narrative voice for the American version of the children's show ], a role he continued until 1998.


=== 1980–1999: Film roles and sitcom ===
Carlin began a weekly sitcom, ''The George Carlin Show'', cast as "George," a cab driver, for the ] in 1993. He quickly included a variation of the "Seven Words" in the plot. The show lasted 27 episodes before being cancelled in December, 1995.
In 1981, Carlin returned to the stage, releasing '']'' and returning to HBO and New York City with the '']'' TV special, which was filmed at ] and aired during the 1982–83 season. Carlin continued doing HBO specials every year or two over the following decade and a half. All of Carlin's albums from this time forward are from the HBO specials.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 22, 2020|title=The Late George Carlin Returns to HBO!|url=https://hbowatch.com/the-late-george-carlin-returns-to-hbo/|access-date=August 13, 2021|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Shaffer|first=Claire|date=August 10, 2020|title=George Carlin to Get Two-Part Documentary From HBO and Judd Apatow|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/george-carlin-documentary-hbo-judd-apatow-1041957/|access-date=August 13, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en}}</ref> He hosted ''SNL'' for the second time on November 10, 1984, this time appearing in several sketches.<ref name="NBCSNL11101984">{{cite web|title=Monologue: George Carlin Returns to Host SNL|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/george-carlin-monologue/n9279|website=NBC.com|access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref>


Carlin began to achieve prominence as a film actor with a major supporting role in the 1987 comedy hit '']'', starring ] and ]; it was his first notable screen role after a handful of previous guest roles on television series. Playing drifter Frank Madras, he poked fun at the lingering effect of the ]. In 1989, he gained popularity with a new generation of teens when he was cast as Rufus, the time-traveling mentor of the title characters in '']'', and reprised his role in the film sequel '']'' (1991) as well as the first season of the ]. In 1991, Carlin had a major supporting role in the film '']'', which starred ] and ], portraying the gay neighbor of the main character's suicidal sister.<ref name="Grimes1992">{{cite web|last1=Grimes|first1=William|author-link=William Grimes (journalist)|title=George Carlin, Small but Amusing|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/21/news/george-carlin-small-but-amusing.html|website=New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526055649/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/21/news/george-carlin-small-but-amusing.html|archive-date=May 26, 2015 |date=January 21, 1992}}</ref>
In 1997, Brenda Carlin died of liver cancer. George Carlin did not work for a year following the death of his wife. Also in 1997, his first book, titled ''Braindroppings'' was released, which had sold over 750,000 copies as of 2001.


In 1991, Carlin became the second America narrator of the children's television series '']'', narrating the ] ] seasons of the series and played the role of Mr. Conductor on the ] show '']'' until 1996, replacing ] on both programs.<ref name=LAT/> According to ], who developed both shows, on the first day of the assignment, Carlin was nervous about recording his narration without an audience, so the producers put a stuffed teddy bear in the booth.<ref name=LAT>{{cite news|last=Allcroft |first=Britt |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oew-allcroft26-2008jun26,0,3849505.story |title=The George Carlin I knew |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 26, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2012}}</ref> In 1993, Carlin began a weekly ] sitcom, '']'', playing New York City ] driver George O'Grady. <!--He quickly included a variation of the "seven words" in the plot.--> The show, created and written by '']'' co-creator ], ran 27 episodes through December 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgecarlin.com/time/time3E.html |title=1990–1999 |publisher=GeorgeCarlin.com |access-date=July 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130011335/http://www.georgecarlin.com/time/time3E.html |archive-date=January 30, 2009 }}</ref> In his final book, the posthumously published '']'', Carlin said about ''The George Carlin Show'', "I had a great time. I never laughed so much, so often, so hard as I did with cast members ], ], ]. There was a very strange, very good sense of humor on that stage ... I was incredibly happy when the show was canceled. I was frustrated that it had taken me away from my true work."{{sfn|Carlin|Hendra|2009}}{{page needed|date=November 2021}} Carlin was honored at the 1997 ] with a retrospective, '']'', hosted by ]. His first hardcover book, '']'' (1997), sold nearly 900,000 copies and spent 40 weeks on the '']'' best-seller list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=19830|title=The Kennedy Center|access-date=June 12, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111638/http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=19830|archive-date=December 24, 2013}}</ref>
In 1999, Carlin returned with an appearance in ]'s film '']''. He worked with Smith again with a cameo appearance in '']'', and a larger role in '']''.


=== 2000–2008: Final HBO specials ===
In 2001, Carlin was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual American Comedy Awards. In 2004, George Carlin was voted #2 on ]'s list of the 100 greatest standups of all time, just behind ].
]'' in 2004]]
Carlin later explained that there were other, more pragmatic reasons for abandoning his acting career in favor of standup. In an interview for ] magazine in 2001, he said, "Because of my abuse of drugs, I neglected my business affairs and had large arrears with the IRS, and that took me eighteen to twenty years to dig out of. I did it honorably, and I don't begrudge them. I don't hate paying taxes, and I'm not angry at anyone, because I was complicit in it. But I'll tell you what it did for me: it made me a way better comedian. Because I had to stay out on the road and I couldn't pursue that movie career, which would have gone nowhere, and I became a really good comic and a really good writer."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/george-carlin-quotes-0102 |title=What I've Learned: George Carlin |publisher=Esquire.com |date=June 23, 2008 |author=Larry Getlen |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref>


In 2001, Carlin was given a ] at the 15th Annual ].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} In December 2003, Representative ] introduced a bill (H.R. 3687) to outlaw the broadcast of Carlin's "seven dirty words",<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/3687|title=H.R.3687 - To amend section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, to provide for the punishment of certain profane broadcasts, and for other purposes.|date=December 8, 2003|website=congress.gov}}</ref> including "compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms)". The bill omitted "tits", but included "asshole", which was not one of Carlin's original seven words. The bill was referred to the ] in January 2004, where it was tabled.<ref name=":0" />
In December 2004, Carlin announced that he would be voluntarily entering a drug rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for his dependency on alcohol and painkillers.
]


Carlin performed regularly as a headliner in ], but in 2004 his run at the ] was terminated after an altercation with his audience. After a poorly received set, filled with dark references to suicide bombings and beheadings, Carlin complained that he could not wait to get out of "this fucking hotel" and Las Vegas; he wanted to go back east, he said, "where the real people are". He continued: "People who go to Las Vegas, you've got to question their fucking intellect to start with. Traveling hundreds and thousands of miles to essentially give your money to a large corporation is kind of fucking moronic. That's what I'm always getting here is these kind of fucking people with very limited intellects." When an audience member shouted, "Stop degrading us!" Carlin responded, "Thank you very much, whatever that was. I hope it was positive; if not, well, blow me." He was immediately fired, and soon thereafter his representative announced that he would begin treatment for alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction on his own initiative.<ref name="tagreviewj">{{cite news |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Dec-04-Sat-2004/news/25407915.html |title=Dark Carlin |newspaper=reviewjournal.com |date=December 4, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207042940/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Dec-04-Sat-2004/news/25407915.html |archive-date=December 7, 2004 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/12/27/george.carlin/index.html? |title=George Carlin enters rehab |publisher=] |date=December 29, 2004 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>
Carlin performs regularly as a headliner in Las Vegas. He has currently begun a new tour through the first half of 2006, and had a new ] Special on November 5th, 2005 entitled ''Life is Worth Losing''. - , which was shown live from the ] in ]. Topics covered included suicide, natural disasters (and the impulse to see them escalate in severity), cannibalism, genocide, human sacrifice, threats to civil liberties in America, and how an argument can be made that humans are inferior to animals.


Following his 13th HBO special on November 5, 2005, '']'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/events/gcarlin/?ntrack_para1=insidehbo3_text|title=Carlin: Life is Worth Losing |publisher=HBO |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060115070120/http://www.hbo.com/events/gcarlin/?ntrack_para1=insidehbo3_text |archive-date=January 15, 2006 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> Carlin toured his new material through the first half of 2006. Topics included suicide, ]s, ], ], ], threats to ] in America, and the case for his theory that humans are inferior to other animals. At the first tour stop in February at the Tachi Palace Casino in ], he mentioned that the appearance was his "first show back" after a six-week hospitalization for heart failure and ].{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} In the 2006 ] animated film '']'', Carlin voiced Fillmore, an anti-establishment hippie ] with a ] paint job and the license plate "51237" (Carlin's birthday in ]).{{fact|date=November 2024}} In 2007, he voiced the wizard in '']'', his last film.
On February 1st, 2006, Carlin mentioned to the crowd, during his ''Life is Worth Losing'' set at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, California, that he had been discharged from the hospital only six weeks previous for "heart failure" and "pneumonia," citing the appearance as his "first show back."


Carlin's last HBO stand-up special, '']'', aired live on March 1, 2008, from the ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/dvd/2007-09-24-carlin-collection_N.htm |title=George Carlin reflects on 50 years (or so) of 'All My Stuff' |author=Wloszczyna, Susan |newspaper=] |date=September 24, 2007 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> Themes included "American bullshit", rights, death, old age, and child rearing. He repeated the theme to his audience several times throughout the show: "It's all bullshit, and it's bad for ya".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyr_ec6etjo |title=George Carlin - It's all bullshit, and it's bad for you. |website=YouTube |date=2016-03-14 }}</ref> When asked on '']'' what turned him on, he responded, "Reading about language". When asked what made him proudest of his career, he cited the fact that his books had sold close to 1 million copies.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}
== Religion ==


== Personal life ==
As a staunch ], Carlin has often denounced the idea of a god in interviews and performances, most notably with his "Invisible Man in the Sky" routine. In mockery he invented the parody religion ] for a newspaper contest. He defined it as the belief that when one dies "his soul gets flung onto a roof, and just stays there", and cannot be retrieved.
In August 1960, while touring with comedy partner ] in ], Carlin stopped at a roadside diner, where he met waitress Brenda Hosbrook.<ref name="Dream2022" /> They began dating and were married at her parents' home in Dayton on June 3, 1961.{{sfn|Carlin|Hendra|2009|pp=}} Their only child, daughter ] (born June 15, 1963), later became a radio host.<ref name="Dream2022" /> Carlin and Hosbrook renewed their wedding vows in ] in 1971.<ref name="Dream2022" />


Their marriage was often marred by his ] use and her alcoholism, the latter of which worsened when Carlin's mother came to stay with them and would secretly pour Hosbrook drinks while speaking negatively about Carlin.<ref name="Dream2022" /> When Hosbrook was hospitalized due to her drinking, she told Carlin that she would not return home if his mother was still there; he immediately went home, booked his mother on a flight back to New York, and took her to the airport.<ref name="Dream2022" /> The couple soon addressed their addiction issues, with the marriage improving so much that Kelly later said it felt like it had been rebooted.<ref name="Dream2022" /> Hosbrook died of ] on May 11, 1997, the day before Carlin's 60th birthday.<ref name="Dream2022" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/brenda-carlin-dies-at-57-1117341677/|title=Brenda Carlin dies at 57|date=May 15, 1997|website=Variety}}</ref>
Carlin has also said he might worship the ] (because he can actually see it) but prays to ] because "he's a good actor" and "he looks like a guy who can get things done!"


Carlin met comedy writer Sally Wade six months after his first wife's death and described it as "love at first sight", but admitted to her that he was hesitant to act on his feelings so soon after being widowed.{{sfn|Carlin|Hendra|2009|pp=}} He told her that he needed to be alone, potentially for up to a year, before feeling ready to date again.<ref name="Dream2022" /> They then had no contact with each other and she assumed he had moved on, but he called her eight months later to ask her out on a date.<ref name="Dream2022" /> They wed in a private and unregistered ceremony on June 24, 1998, and remained married until Carlin's death in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=George Carlin's Loved Ones Speak Out |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/06/62841/index.html |work=Entertainment Tonight|date=June 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625032232/http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/06/62841/index.html |archive-date=June 25, 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/comedian-george-carlin-dead-at-age-71-1/|title=Comedian George Carlin dead at age 71 |date=June 23, 2008|work=Seattle Times}}</ref>
== "Here for the show" ==


In a 2008 interview, Carlin stated that using ], ], and ] had helped him cope with events in his personal life.<ref name=Dixit2008/> He also stated several times that he had battled addictions to alcohol, cocaine, and ],<ref>Carlin's own audio book ''Last Words'', chapter 19. Also in his own words (at the 46:52 mark on the YouTube video) from a conference he did for the National Press Club on May 13, 1999.</ref> and spent some time in a rehab facility in late 2004.<ref>{{Cite news|title=George Carlin enters rehab|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/12/27/george.carlin/index.html|work=CNN|date=December 29, 2004|access-date=June 10, 2014|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019171629/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/12/27/george.carlin/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the taping of his stand-up special '']'' on November 5, 2005, he mentioned that he had been ] for 341 days.<ref>'']'' (2005)</ref>
Carlin openly communicates in his shows and in his interviews that his purpose for existence is entertainment, that he is "here for the show." Admittedly, he acknowledges that this is a very selfish thing, especially since he includes large human catastrophes as entertainment, the more lives lost the better.


Although born into a ] family, Carlin was outspoken in his rejection of religion in all forms, frequently criticizing and mocking it in his comedy routines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/top-george-carlin-quotes-on-religion-4072040 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414040354/https://www.thoughtco.com/top-george-carlin-quotes-on-religion-4072040 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |title=Top George Carlin Quotes on Religion |last=Cline |first=Austin |date=May 30, 2018 |website=ThoughtCo |access-date=March 5, 2019 }}</ref> When asked if he believed in God, he responded, "No. No, there's no God{{emdash}}but there might be some sort of an organizing intelligence, and I think to understand it is way beyond our ability."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/is-there-a-god-1798208305|first=Stephen|last=Thompson|title=Is there a God?|newspaper=The A.V. Club|date=September 6, 2000|access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref>
In a late 1990s interview with ] he remarked about his view of human life, "I think we're already ] as a species, and I'd love to see the circles get a little faster and a little shorter."


== Death ==
In the same interview he recounts his experience of a California earthquake in the early 70s as "an amusement park ride. Really, I mean it's such a wonderful thing to realize that you have ''absolutely'' no control... and to see the dresser move across the bedroom floor unassisted... is just exciting." Later he summarizes, "I really think there's great human drama in destruction and nature unleashed and I don't get enough of it."
Carlin had a history of heart problems spanning three decades,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cleveland.com/people/index.ssf/2008/06/george_carlin_counterculture_c.html |title=George Carlin, counterculture comedians' dean, dies at 71 |first=Michael |last=Norman |work=] |location=], Ohio |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/arts/23iht-24carlin.13905378.html |title=George Carlin, irreverent comedian, dies at 71 |first=Mel |last=Watkins |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date= December 22, 2020}}</ref> which included heart attacks in 1978, 1982, and 1991.<ref name="bravo" /> He also had an ] requiring an ] procedure in 2003, a significant episode of ] in 2005, and two ] on undisclosed dates.{{sfn|Carlin|Hendra|2009|pp=75–76}} In the 2022 documentary '']'', Jerry Hamza{{emdash}}Carlin's manager from 1980 until his death{{emdash}}said that Carlin underwent many heart surgeries in a short period towards the end of his life. Jeff Abraham, Carlin's publicist, said that he once lifted his shirt after coming to a gig straight from the hospital, to show Abraham his torso, prompting Abraham to remark that it looked like a science project.<ref name="Dream2022" />


On June 22, 2008, at the age of 71, Carlin died of a heart attack at ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html |title=George Carlin, Comic Who Chafed at Society and Its Constraints, Dies at 71 |last1=Watkins |first1=M. |last2=Weber |first2=B. |date=June 24, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128105920/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html |archive-date=January 28, 2014 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Carlindies">{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/counterculture-comedian-george-carlin-dies-at-71/ |title=Grammy-Winning Comedian, Counter-Culture Figure George Carlin Dies at 71 |date=June 23, 2008 |publisher=Foxnews.com |access-date=June 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110102833/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/06/23/counterculture-comedian-george-carlin-dies-at-71/ |archive-date=January 10, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> His death occurred one week after his final performance at ]. Per his wishes, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in front of various New York City nightclubs and over ] in ], where he had attended summer camp as an adolescent.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20080730/NEWS/80730031|title=Comedian Carlin's ashes spread in New Hampshire|work=seacoastline.com|via=Associated Press|access-date=May 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109184618/http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20080730/NEWS/80730031|archive-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref> His ] stated that there was to be no funeral, religious or otherwise and that he wished only for his widow and daughter to host a small gathering at his home for loved ones to share their fun stories of him.<ref name="Dream2022" />
A 1990's Carlin bit focusing on airport security leads up to the statement: "Take a fucking chance! Don't people know a good show when they see it!?"


== Legacy ==
Carlin has always included politics as part of his material (along with the wordplay and sex jokes), but he has gained increasing respect over the past decade and a half as a perceptive social critic, in both his ] specials and the book compilations of his material. His HBO viewers got an especially sharp taste of this in his take on the ] administration during the 1988 special ''What Am I Doing In New Jersey?'' broadcast live from the Park Theatre in Union City, New Jersey.
=== Awards and honors ===
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by George Carlin}}


Along with ], Carlin won five ] and was nominated for six ] and two ]. He received a star on the Hollywood ] in 1980 and was a recipient of the ]'s ] in 2008.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
== Quotes ==


=== Influences ===
"They're superstitious, they have these beliefs, these primitive, you know, people believe in a... I mean they're just really kind of credulous, and gullible. People believe in, for instance, hell and angels, okay, these are very primitive, very, very backward to me, backward sounding beliefs, these are child-like, and that's the key, because they get you when you're a kid, they get you when you're little, and they tell you there's a God, and if you can make people believe, I believe this, if you can make someone believe that there's an invisible man, living in the sky, who's watching everything you do, and keeping count of everything you do, which is good and which is bad, then you can make that person believe anything after that, you can add anything you want, the 4th of July shit just rolls right in, land of the free, home of the brave, the press is fair and impartial, justice is blind, all men are created equal, your vote is important, the United States government is on your side, the army is here to keep the peace, the police are on your side...Oh, and freedom of choice, this is the big one, the illusion of choice, we're led to feel free by the exercise of meaningless choices. There are, for instance, important things -- not too many choices, unimportant things-ice cream flavors, what do you want, we've got 31, the flavor of the week, the flavor of the month, but political parties-we're down to two, jeez. Sources of information, media companies down to five, banks, insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, chemical companies, oil companies-used to be seven, down to three, pretty soon it's gonna be two. But if you’re lookin' for a bagel or a fuckin' donut, hey, what do you want-pineapple supreme, hazelnut; we've got everything you want. Cereals, I counted, personally in the store counted 192 different cereal choices, 192. 140 different cat foods, I counted, and that includes a tartar-control cat food for senior citizen cats, okay?"
Carlin's influences included ],<ref name="playboy" /><ref name="MurrayJ">{{Cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/content/node/42195 |title=Interviews: George Carlin |last=Murray |first=Noel |date=November 2, 2005 |publisher=] |work=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051104040743/http://avclub.com/content/node/42195 |archive-date=November 4, 2005 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref name="playboy" /> ],<ref name="bravo" /><ref name="NPR">{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4136881|title=Comedian and Actor George Carlin |last=Carlin |first=George|date=November 1, 2004|publisher=] |access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref><ref name="comedy">Carlin, George, '']'', "Lenny Bruce", Laugh.com, 2002.</ref> ],<ref name="bravo" /> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2017/01/09/george-carlin-1990-larry-king-live-interview.cnn|title=How George Carlin became George Carlin (1990)|first=Larry|last=King|date=1990}}</ref> ],<ref name="playboy" /><ref name="bravo" /> the ],<ref name="playboy" /><ref name="bravo" /> ],<ref name="comedy" /> ],<ref name="bravo" /> ],<ref name="bravo" /> and the ].<ref name="playboy" /> His daughter Kelly said in 2022 that he took more acting roles in the latter half of his career because he "never gave up on the Danny Kaye dream".<ref name="Dream2022" />
'''- George Carlin, appearance on Dennis Miller Live;
'''


Comedians who have claimed Carlin as an influence include ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r92aSl_8YoI| title=Adam Ferrara Part 2 of 3: On His Idol George Carlin | website=YouTube | date=June 5, 2015 }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/bill-burrs-top-five-stand-ups|title=Bill Burr's top 5 stand ups|date=October 2, 2013}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2008/07/06/chris-rock-salutes-george-carlin/ |title=Chris Rock Salutes George Carlin |last=Rock |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Rock |magazine=] |date=July 6, 2008 |access-date=January 28, 2023}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite AV media|last=Seinfeld|first=Jerry|title=Jerry Seinfeld: The Comedian Award|medium=TV|publisher=]|date=April 1, 2007}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.louisck.net/2008/06/goodbye-george-carlin.html|title=Goodbye George Carlin|last=C.K.|first=Louis|author-link=Louis C.K.|publisher=LouisCK.net|date=June 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701054320/http://www.louisck.net/2008/06/goodbye-george-carlin.html|archive-date=July 1, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://origin.avclub.com/content/node/49217|title=Lewis Black|publisher=]|work=]|author=Gillette, Amelie|date=June 7, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707005744/http://origin.avclub.com/content/node/49217 |archive-date=July 7, 2007 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite video|people=Stewart, Jon|title=George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy|medium=TV|publisher=]|date=February 27, 1997}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/content/node/44705|title=Stephen Colbert|publisher=The Onion |work=The A.V. Club|author=Rabin, Nathan|date=January 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060202094518/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/44705 |archive-date=February 2, 2006 |access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite episode|title=episode 38|air-date=October 1, 2004|series=Real Time with Bill Maher|series-link=Real Time with Bill Maher|network=]|season=2|number=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=King|first=Larry|author-link=Larry King|title=Bill Maher Discusses Religulous on Larry King|work=] |publisher=CNN|date=August 20, 2008|url=http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/08/20/lkl.bill.maher.cnn}}</ref> Liz Miele,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnkVZCUtjs |title=Liz Miele: Advice from George Carlin|publisher=Irie Chat|date=July 3, 2020 |access-date=September 1, 2022 | website=YouTube}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/o/patrice_oneal.jhtml |title=Comedians: Patrice O'Neal|publisher=Comedy Central|date=October 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108085406/http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/o/patrice_oneal.jhtml |archive-date=November 8, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Colin Quinn|publisher=The Onion|work=The A.V. Club|url=https://www.avclub.com/content/node/22529|last=Rabin |first=Nathan|date=June 18, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518104531/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/22529 |archive-date=May 18, 2007 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/content/node/54975|title=Steven Wright|publisher=The Onion |work=The A.V. Club|last=Rabin |first=Nathan |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web | url = https://allmusic.com/artist/mitch-hedberg-p602821|title=Mitch Hedberg|publisher=Allmusic|work=Biography|last=Jeffries |first=David |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319084833/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mitch-hedberg-p602821 |archive-date=March 19, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |author=Alan Cho |url=http://www.thegauntlet.ca/story/comedy-preview-russell-peters-wont-hurt-you-real-bad |title=Comedy Preview: Russell Peters won't hurt you real bad |publisher=Gauntlet.ucalgary.ca |date=November 24, 2005 |access-date=June 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140610160339/http://www.thegauntlet.ca/story/comedy-preview-russell-peters-wont-hurt-you-real-bad |archive-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/bo-burnham-im-a-complete-hypocrite-2288858.html|title=Bo Burnham: 'I'm a complete hypocrite'|work=The Independent|access-date=July 19, 2018|language=en}}</ref> ],<ref name="People">{{cite web|last1=Breuer|first1=Howard|author2=]|date=June 24, 2008|title=Carlin Remembered: He Helped Other Comics with Drug Problems|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20208460,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627150403/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20208460,00.html|archive-date=June 27, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=June 11, 2014|work=]|publisher=Time Inc.}}</ref> ],<ref name="People" /> ],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/142975/page/1 |title=A God Who Cussed |author=Smith, Kevin |author-link=Kevin Smith |magazine=] |date=June 23, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626120736/http://www.newsweek.com/id/142975/page/1 |archive-date=June 26, 2008 |access-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/Chris_Rush.html |title=An Interview with Comic Legend, Chris Rush |last=Kuhn |first=Clifford |publisher=Natural-Humor-Medicine.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041121165633/http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/Chris_Rush.html |archive-date=November 21, 2004 |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1olm4y/i_am_rob_mcelhenney_ama/cct6cy5/?context=1 |title=I am Rob McElhenney AMA! |date=October 16, 2013 |access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/jim-jefferies-interview.html|title=Jim Jefferies. - Interview|work=pastemagazine.com|access-date=May 14, 2017|language=en}}</ref>
"I'm a modern man, a man for the millenium, digital and smoke-free, a diversified multi-cultural post-modern deconstructionist, politcally, anatomically, and ecologically incorrect. I've been uplinked and downloaded, I've been inputed and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I'm a high-tech lowlife, a state-of-the-art bi-coastal multitasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond. I'm new wave, but I'm old school, and my inner child is outward bound. I'm a hot-wired, heat-seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice-activated and biodegradeble. I interface with my database, and my database is in cyberspace, so I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive, and from time to time, I'm radioactive. Behind the 8-ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave, dodging the bullet, pushing the envelope. I'm on point, on task, on message, and off drugs. I got no need for coke and speed. I have no urge to binge and purge. I'm in the moment, on the edge, over the top, but under the radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistics missionary. A street-wise smart bomb, a top-gun bottom-feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps, I run victory laps. I'm a totally ongoing bigfoot slamdunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. A raging workaholic, a working rageaholic, out of rehab and in denial. I got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant, and a personal agenda. You can't shut me up, you can't dumb me down, 'cause I'm tireless, and I'm wireless. I'm an alphamale on beta blockers. I'm a non-believer and an overacheiver, layed back, but fashion foward, up front, down home, low rent, high maintanence; super size, long lasting, high definition, fast acting, oven ready, and built to last. I'm a hands-on, footloose, kneejerk headcase, prematurly post-traumatic, and I have a love child who sends me hate mail. But I'm feeling, I'm caring, I'm healing, I'm sharing, a supportive, bonding, nurturing, primary caregiver. My output is down, but my income is up. I take a short position on a long bond, and my revenue stream has its own cash flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds, I watch trash sports. I'm gender specific, capitol intensive, user friendly, and lactose intolerant. I like rough sex, I like tough love, I use the F-word in my e-mails, and the software on my hard drive is hardcore, no soft porn. I bought a microwave at a minimall, I bought a minivan at a megastore, I eat fast food in the the slow lane. I'm tollfree, bite size, ready to wear, and I come in all sizes. A fully equipped, factory authorized, hospital tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle. I've been prewashed, precooked, preheated, prescreened, preapproved, postdated, freeze dried, double wrapped, vacuum packed, and I have an unlimited broadband capacity. I'm a rude dude, but I'm the real deal, lean and mean, cocked, locked, and ready to rock; rough, tough, and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide, I got glide in my stride. Drivin' and movin', sailin' and spinin', jivin' and movin', wailin' and winnin'. I don't snooze, so I don't lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hardy, and lunch time is crunch time. I'm hangin' in, there ain't no doubt, and I'm hangin' tough, over and out."
'''-George Carlin: Life is Worth Losing (2005)


=== The Carlin Warning ===
"I have to attend a funeral tomorrow. A friend of mine was beaten to death by a buggy full of amish people."
After Carlin's ] routine and subsequent '']'' Supreme Court ruling in 1978, broadcasters started to use the "Carlin Warning" to remind performers of the words they could not say during a live performance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/438/726.html |title= FCC v. Pacifica Foundation |website=Findlaw}}</ref>
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


=== Tributes ===
"I tried to get a job as a gynecologist, but....couldn't find an opening."
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996) ]
Upon Carlin's death in 2008, HBO broadcast 11 of his 14 HBO specials from June 25 to 28, including a 12-hour marathon block on their HBO Comedy channel. NBC scheduled a rerun of the first episode of '']'', which Carlin hosted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/1021949,carlintv062408.article |title=Networks remembering George Carlin in classic reruns, specials |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627160725/http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/1021949%2Ccarlintv062408.article |archive-date=June 27, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/george-carlins-televised-stage/ |title=George Carlin's Televised Stage |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY |title=HBO schedule |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627023829/http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY |archive-date=June 27, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> Both ]'s "Raw Dog Comedy" and ]'s "XM Comedy" channels ran a memorial marathon of Carlin recordings on the day after his death. ] has since devoted an entire channel to Carlin, entitled '']'', featuring all of his comedy albums, live concerts, and works from his private archives.<ref name="CarlinsCorner">{{cite news|url=https://www.siriusxm.com/carlinscorner|title=Carlin's Corner - One & Only George Carlin XL|newspaper=Siriusxm |access-date=November 13, 2019|publisher=]/Sirius XM Radio Inc.}}</ref> ] devoted his entire show on June 23 to a Carlin tribute, featuring interviews with ], ], ] and ], as well as Carlin's brother Patrick Jr. and daughter Kelly. On June 24, '']'' printed an op-ed piece on Carlin by Jerry Seinfeld.<ref>{{cite news |last=Seinfeld |first=Jerry |title=Dying Is Hard. Comedy Is Harder |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24seinfeld.html |newspaper=] |date=June 24, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> Cartoonist ] paid tribute in his '']'' comic strip on July 27.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2008/07/27 |title=Doonesbury comic strip |date=July 27, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref>


] two days after Carlin died]]
"Did you know that it's bad luck to kill a priest whose carrying a fountain pen?"
Four days before Carlin's death, the ] had named him its 2008 ] honoree.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR2008061702519.html |author=Trescott, Jacqueline |title=Bleep! Bleep! George Carlin To Receive Mark Twain Humor Prize |newspaper=washingtonpost.com |date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> He became its first posthumous recipient on November 10, 2008.<ref name="posthumous-award">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-carlin-twain-idUSN2328397920080623?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews |title=George Carlin becomes first posthumous Mark Twain honoree |date=June 23, 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=June 12, 2014}}</ref> Comedians honoring him at the ceremony included ], ], ] (a past winner of the prize), ], ], ], and ]. ] dedicated his stand-up special ''Chewed Up'' to Carlin, while Lewis Black dedicated the second season of '']'' to him.
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


For a number of years, Carlin had been compiling and writing his autobiography, to be released in conjunction with a one-man Broadway show tentatively titled ''New York Boy''. After his death, his collaborator on both projects ] edited the autobiography for release as '']''. The book, chronicling most of Carlin's life and future plans including the one-man show, was published in 2009. The abridged audio edition is narrated by Carlin's brother Patrick Jr.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Deahl |first=Rachel |title=Free Press Acquires Posthumous Carlin Memoir |newspaper=] |date=July 14, 2009 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6670970.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716142423/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6670970.html |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> In March 2011, Carlin's widow Sally Wade published ''The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade'', a collection of previously unpublished writings and artwork by Carlin interwoven with Wade's chronicle of their decade together.<ref>Wade, Sally (March 8, 2011). ''The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade.'' Gallery. {{ISBN|1-4516-0776-8}}.</ref> The subtitle is a phrase on a handwritten note that Wade found next to her computer upon returning home from the hospital after his death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.laweekly.com/2011-03-03/calendar/carlin-s-darlin/ |newspaper=LA Weekly |title=Carlin's Darlin' |date=March 3, 2011 |author=Michael Simmons |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> In 2008, Carlin's daughter Kelly announced plans to publish an "oral history", a collection of stories from Carlin's friends and family.<ref>''USA Today'' "Daughter to shed light on Carlin's life and stuff." Wloszczyna, Susan. November 4, 2008.</ref> She later indicated that the project had been shelved in favor of completion of her own project,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comedyland.net/2009/12/kelly-carlin-mccall.html |title=Kelly Carlin-McCall |date=December 30, 2009 |publisher=Comedy Land |access-date=June 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214120544/http://www.comedyland.net/2009/12/kelly-carlin-mccall.html |archive-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> an autobiographical one-woman show called ''A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allforonetheater.org/shows/a-carlin-home-companion/ |title=A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George |access-date=June 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620224953/http://allforonetheater.org/shows/a-carlin-home-companion/ |archive-date=June 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thekellycarlinsite.com/companion/ |title=Kelly Carlin |url-status=dead |access-date=June 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619103530/http://thekellycarlinsite.com/companion |archive-date=June 19, 2014}}</ref>
"Say, why don't they have hailstones the size of testicles?"
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


On October 22, 2014, a portion of Carlin's childhood West 121st Street in the ] neighborhood of Manhattan was renamed "George Carlin Way".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/nyregion/honoring-george-carlin-with-his-own-manhattan-block.html |title=Honoring George Carlin With His Own Manhattan Block |first=Matt |last=Flegenheimer |date=October 22, 2014 |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028160023/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/nyregion/honoring-george-carlin-with-his-own-manhattan-block.html |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' screenwriter Stan Chervin announced in October 2018 that a biopic of Carlin was being written.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/george-carlin-biopic-in-development-from-moneyball-writer.html|title=So, Which Comic Will Make His Dramatic Turn With This George Carlin Biopic?|last=Kiefer|first=Halle|work=Vulture|access-date=October 2, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/estate-approved-george-carlin-biopic-731772/|title=Estate-Approved George Carlin Biopic in the Works|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=October 2, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=October 2, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
"I always feel sorry for homeless gay people. They have no closet to come out of."
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


'']'', a documentary about Carlin's life, was released on ] on May 20, 2022. It was directed by ] and Michael Bonfiglio, and produced by Carlin's daughter Kelly.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=George Carlin Gets the King of Comedy Treatment in New Doc Trailer |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/george-carlin-documentary-judd-apatow-trailer-1346356/ |last=Bilstein |first=Jon |date=May 2, 2022 |access-date= May 15, 2022 |magazine=]}}</ref> In a ] stand-up special released in May 2022, '']'' inducted Carlin into the ] in ].<ref>'''', The Hall is a new wing of the museum complex devoted to brilliant comics.</ref>
"I bet there aren't too many people hooked on crack who can play the bagpipes."
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


== Internet hoaxes ==
"What do you think is more in moral: killing two 100lbs. people or killing one big, fat 300lbs. person?"
Many online quotes have been falsely attributed to Carlin, including various joke lists, rants, and other pieces. The website ], which debunks ]s and myths, has addressed these hoaxes.<ref>
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/glurge/aging.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=George Carlin on Aging |website=] |date=June 27, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=The Paradox of Our Time |date=November 1, 2007|website=Snopes.com |access-date=June 12, 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/carlin.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=The Bad American |date=October 2, 2005|website=Snopes.com |access-date=June 12, 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/katrina/soapbox/carlin.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=Hurricane Rules |date=October 23, 2005|website=Snopes.com |access-date=June 12, 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/carlingas.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=Gas Crisis Solution |date=February 5, 2007|website=Snopes.com |access-date=June 11, 2014}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/newrules.asp |last=Mikkelson |first=Barbara |title=New Rules for 2006 |date=January 12, 2006|website=Snopes.com |access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> Many of them contain material that runs counter to Carlin's viewpoints; some are especially volatile toward racial groups, gay people, women, the homeless, and other targets. Carlin was aware of this and debunked the quotes by writing on his website, "Here's a rule of thumb, folks: nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it comes from one of my albums, books, HBO specials, or appeared on my website. It bothers me that some people might believe that I would be capable of writing some of this stuff."


In 2011, ] referenced the hoaxes in his song "]" with the lyric, "And by the way, your quotes from George Carlin aren't really George Carlin."
"Last week, they found a spot on my lung. Fortunately, it was barbecue sauce."
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)


== Filmography ==
"Here's a safety tip: always wear a thick, leather glove when giving a porcupine a handjob."
=== Film ===
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| 1968 || '']'' || Herbie Fleck ||
|-
| 1976 || '']'' || Taxi Driver ||
|-
| 1979 || '']'' || Narrator ||
|-
| 1987 || '']'' || Frank Madras ||
|-
| 1989 || '']'' || rowspan=2|Rufus ||
|-
| rowspan=2|1991 || '']'' ||
|-
| '']''|| Eddie Detreville ||
|-
| 1999 || '']'' || Cardinal Ignatius Glick ||
|-
| 2001 || '']'' || Hitchhiker ||
|-
| 2003 || '']'' || ] ||
|-
| 2004 || '']'' || Bart Trinké ||
|-
| rowspan=2|2005 || '']'' || Himself || Documentary
|-
| '']'' || Zugor || rowspan=3|Voice
|-
| rowspan=2|2006 || '']'' || ]
|-
| '']'' || Wizard
|-
| 2020 || '']'' || Rufus || Posthumous release; archival footage<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a848292/bill-and-ted-3-title-plot-keanu-reeves-face-the-music-movie/|title=Bill & Ted writer reveals new plot details for 3rd film|first=Morgan|last=Jeffery|date=January 24, 2018|website=Digital Spy}}</ref>
|}


=== Television ===
"Say, did you ever stop to realize that right now, somewhere in the world, someone is getting ready to hang himself."
{| class="wikitable sortable"
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| 1962
| '']''
| Self
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1963–1992
| '']''
| Self
| 108 episodes
|-
| 1965–1978
| '']''
| Self
| 29 episodes
|-
| 1965–1981
| '']''
| Self
| 30 episodes
|-
| 1966
| '']''
| Self
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1966
| '']''
| Self
| 12 episodes; also writer
|-
| 1966
| '']''
| George Lester
| Episode: "Break a Leg"
|-
| 1966–1967
| '']''
| Self
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1967–1971
| '']''
| Self
| 11 episodes
|-
| 1968
| ''The ] Comedy Hour''
| 1 episode
|-
| 1969
| ''] ''
| Self
| 1 episode
|-
| 1970
| '']''
| Self
| 2 episode
|-
| 1969; 1978
| '']''
| Self
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1971–1973
| '']''
| 6 episodes<br />Also writer
|-
| 1977
| '']''
| Wally 'The Wow' Wexler
| Episode: "Radio Free Freddie"
|-
| 1975, 1984
| '']''
| Host
| Episodes: 1 and 183
|-
| 1984–1992
| '']''
| Himself
| 9 episodes
|-
| 1985
| ''Apt. 2C''
| Fictionalized version of himself, Jesus Christ
| Pilot episode produced for HBO
|-
| 1987
| '']''
| {{n/a}}
|
|-
| 1988
| '']''
| Justin Case
| TV movie directed ]
|-
| 1990 || '']'' || Ralph Sawatzky || <!--The character "Ralph" is referred to by his full name, Ralph Sawatzky, in the movie's final scene.-->Television film
|-
| 1991–1995
| '']''
| Narrator
| Series 1–4<br />Voice, US dub; 104 episodes
|-
| 1991–1993
| '']''
| Mr. Conductor, Narrator
| 45 episodes
|-
| 1992–2006
| '']''
| Himself
| 13 episodes
|-
| 1995
| ''Shining Time Station: Once Upon a Time''
| Mr. Conductor
| Television film
|-
| 1995
| ''Shining Time Station: Second Chances''
| Mr. Conductor
| Television film
|-
| 1995
| ''Shining Time Station: One of the Family''
| Mr. Conductor
| Television film
|-
| 1995
| '']''
| Billy Williams
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1995
| ''Shining Time Station: Queen for a Day''
| Mr. Conductor
| Television film
|-
| 1994–1995
| '']''
| George O'Grady
| 27 episodes
|-
| 1994–2001
| '']''
| Himself
| 8 episodes
|-
| 1996
| ''Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales''
| Mr. Conductor, Narrator
| 6 episodes
|-
| 1996–2001
| '']''
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1999
| ''Storytime with Thomas''
| Narrator
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1998
| '']''
| Munchie
| Voice, episode: "]"
|-
| 1999, 2004
| '']''
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2000
| '']''
| Mr. Conductor
| Episodes: ]
|-
| 2004
| '']''
| Himself
| 1 episode
|-
| 2004–2005
| '']''
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2008
| '']''
| ]
| Voice, episode: "Unidentified Flying Mater"; archival recordings
|}


=== Video games ===
"If you love someone, set them free. If they come home, set them on fire."
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:1em 0;"
'''- George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1996)
|- style="background:#b0c4de;"
! Year !! Title !! Role
|-
| 2006
| '']''
| ]
|}


== Discography == == Discography ==
=== Records ===
*] '']''
; Main
*]
{{col div}}
**'']''
* 1963: '']''
**'']''
*] '']'' * 1967: '']''
*] '']'' * 1972: '']''
* 1972: '']''
*] '']''
*] '']'' * 1973: '']''
*] '']'' * 1974: '']''
* 1975: '']''
*] '']''
*] '']'' * 1977: '']''
*] '']'' * 1981: '']''
*] '']'' * 1984: '']''
*] '']'' * 1986: '']''
*] '']'' * 1988: '']''
* 1990: '']''
*] '']''
* 1992: '']''
*]
* 1996: '']''
**'']''
* 1999: '']''
**'']'' (])<br>(includes 'Free Complimentary Extra Bonus Disc Not for Sale Anywhere!')
* 2001: '']''
*]
**'']'' * 2006: '']''
**'']'' * 2008: '']''
* 2016: '']''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaye |first=Ben |date=August 22, 2016 |title=George Carlin's 'darkest' material to receive posthumous release |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/08/george-carlins-darkest-material-to-receive-posthumous-release/ |work=] |access-date=January 19, 2022}}</ref>
*]
{{col div end}}
**'']''
; Compilations
**'']''
* 1978: '']''
*] '']''
* 1984: ''The George Carlin Collection''

* 1992: '']''
== Filmography ==
* 1999: '']''
] in ''Jersey Girl'']]
* '']'' (]) (Rick; voice only)
* ''] (]) (voice of 'Filmore' - a ] VW Mini-Bus)
* ''] (])
* ''] (]) (voice of 'Zugor')
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])

== ] specials ==
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])
*''] (])

== Books ==
]
* '']'' (]) ISBN 1401301347
* '']'' (]) ISBN 0786887583
* '']'' (]) ISBN 0786883219
* '']'' (]) ISBN 0894712713


== Television == === HBO specials ===
{|class="wikitable"
*'']'' (as "Mr. Conductor") (1991-1998) ]
|-
*Numerous specials for ]
!Special !! Year !! Notes
*'']'' (as American Narrator and Mr. Conductor) (1991-1994)
|-
*'']'' (as "George O'Grady") (1994) ]
|'']''||1977 ||
* (as "Justin Case") (1988) Dir. Blake Edwards
|-
* (as "George Lester") (1966)
|'']''||1978 ||
|-
|'']''||1982 ||
|-
|'']''||1984 ||
|-
|'']''||1986 ||
|-
|'']''||1988 ||
|-
|'']''||1990 ||
|-
|'']''||1992 ||
|-
|'']''||1996 ||
|-
|'']''||1997 ||
|-
|'']''||1999 ||
|-
|'']''||2001 ||
|-
|'']''||2005 ||
|-
|''All My Stuff''||2007||A box set of Carlin's first 12 stand-up specials<br />(excluding ''George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy'').
|-
|'']''||2008 ||
|-
|''Commemorative Collection'' ||2018||
|}


==Trivia== == Bibliography ==
{|class="wikitable"
*For reasons that are not entirely clear, many emailed lists of intended witty observations on certain topics are often attributed to Carlin. To date, none of these writings have been the work of George Carlin, and many express sentiments and ideas that are the opposite of the sort of ideas and themes present in Carlin's work. For instance, one, commonly called "]", seems to be the work of the kind of conservative that Carlin often takes aim at in his art. He has made numerous announcements on his website concerning these forwarded articles, and denies having any connection to any of them (as well as disparaging most of them on a variety of grounds). Carlin stated that unless the material has appeared in some form in his books, albums, ] specials, or written on his website, it is miscredited to him.
|-
! Book !! Year !! Notes
|-
| '']'' || 1984 || {{ISBN|0-89471-271-3}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlin|first=George|title=Sometimes a Little Brain Damage Can Help|publisher=Running Press Book Publishers|location=Philadelphia|year=1984|isbn=0-89471-271-3 }}</ref>
|-
| '']'' || 1997 || {{ISBN|0-7868-8321-9}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlin|first=George|title=Brain Droppings|publisher=Hyperion|location=New York|year=1998|isbn=0-7868-8321-9|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780786883219}}</ref>
|-
| '']'' || 2001 || {{ISBN|0-7868-8758-3}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlin|first=George|title=Napalm & Silly Putty|publisher=Hyperion|location=New York|year=2001|isbn=0-7868-8758-3|url=https://archive.org/details/napalmsillyputty00carl_0}}</ref>
|-
| '']'' || 2004 || {{ISBN|1-4013-0134-7}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlin|first=George|title=When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?|publisher=Hyperion|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=1-4013-0134-7|url=https://archive.org/details/whenwilljesusbri00hype}}</ref>
|-
| '']'' || 2006 || {{ISBN|978-1-4013-0243-6}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlin|first=George|title=Three Times Carlin|publisher=Hyperion|location=New York|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4013-0243-6 }}</ref> A collection of the three previous titles.
|-
| '']'' || 2009 || {{ISBN|1-4391-7295-1}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Carlin|first1=George|last2=Hendra|first2=Tony|author2-link=Tony Hendra|title=Last Words|publisher=]|location=New York|date=2009|isbn=978-1-4391-7295-7|url=https://archive.org/details/lastwords0000carl|url-access=registration}}</ref> Posthumous release.
|}


'''Audiobooks'''
*Appeared in the '']'' episode "]" as a former ]. In a previous episode, ] is told he's being sued by Carlin for plagiarizing Carlin's ] routine.
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* ''George Carlin Reads to You'' (Compilation of ''Brain Droppings'', ''Napalm and Silly Putty'', and ''More Napalm & Silly Putty'')
* '']''


== See also ==
*He is good friends with actor ] whom he mentioned in his bit "There Is No God", found in the 1999 album ''You Are All Diseased.''
* ]


{{Clear}}
*Admirer of the late ].


==References==
*In the Pixar movie '']'', George's character (Filmore) has a license plate of 51237, presumably a reference to Geore Carlin's birthdate of May 12, 1937.
{{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q150651|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|wikt=no|s=no}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website}}
{{wikisource|F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation}}
* {{AllMusic | id= george-carlin-mn0000639005 | tab= discography | title= George Carlin discography}}
*
*{{imdb name|id=0137506|name=George Carlin}} * {{Discogs artist|artist=George Carlin|name=George Carlin}}
* {{IMDb name|0137506}}
* on ]'s '']'' (November 1, 2004)
* {{C-SPAN|49409}}
*
* {{Charlie Rose view|19176}}
* (21 minutes)
* {{NYTtopic|people/c/george_carlin}}
* {{emmytvlegends name|george-carlin}}


{{George Carlin}}
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{{Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album}}
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{{Mark Twain Prize for American Humor}}
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Latest revision as of 06:29, 23 December 2024

American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)

George Carlin
Carlin in 1975
Birth nameGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin
Born(1937-05-12)May 12, 1937
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 22, 2008(2008-06-22) (aged 71)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • film
  • television
  • radio
  • literature
Years active1959–2008
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
Brenda Hosbrook ​ ​(m. 1961; died 1997)
Sally Wade ​(m. 1998)
ChildrenKelly Carlin
Signature
Websitegeorgecarlin.com

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the most important and influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of counterculture comedians". He was known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion and taboo subjects.

Carlin was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and notably hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977, broadcast as George Carlin at USC. From the late 1980s onwards, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. He often commented on American political issues and satirized American culture. His "seven dirty words" routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on public airwaves.

Carlin released his first solo album, Take-Offs and Put-Ons, in 1966. He went on to receive five Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, winning for FM & AM (1972), Jammin' in New York (1992), Brain Droppings (2001), Napalm & Silly Putty (2002), and It's Bad for Ya (2008). The latter was his final comedy special, which was filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure.

Carlin co-created and starred in the Fox sitcom The George Carlin Show (1994–1995). He is also known for his film performances in Car Wash (1976), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), The Prince of Tides (1991), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Jersey Girl (2004). He also had voice roles as Zugor in Tarzan II, Fillmore in Cars (2006), and as Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station, as well as narrating the American dubs of Thomas & Friends.

Carlin was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008. He placed second on Comedy Central's list of top 10 American comedians in 2004, while Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time in 2017, in both cases behind Richard Pryor and ahead of Lenny Bruce.

Early life

George Denis Patrick Carlin was born at New York Hospital (now Weill Cornell Medical Center) in the Manhattan borough of New York City on May 12, 1937, the son of Mary (née Bearey; 1896–1984) and Patrick John Carlin (1888–1945). He had an older brother named Patrick Jr. (1931–2022), who had a major influence on his comedy and was sometimes directly involved. Carlin described himself as "fully Irish" as his mother was born in New York to Irish immigrants and his father was an Irish immigrant from Cloghan, County Donegal. In his posthumously published autobiography Last Words, he wrote about a fantasy of Ireland he would often have when his first wife Brenda was alive: "The southeastern parts so that it would be a little warmer, and the two of us there, close enough to Dublin that you could go buy things you needed." Carlin's maternal grandfather was an NYPD police officer who wrote out the works of William Shakespeare by hand for fun. Carlin's parents separated when he was two months old due to the alcoholism of his father, who Carlin said was "never around". His mother raised him and his brother on her own. When Carlin was eight years old, his father died.

Carlin said that he picked up an appreciation for the effective use of the English language from his mother, though they had a difficult relationship and he often ran away from home. He grew up on West 121st Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, which he and his friends called "White Harlem" because it "sounded a lot tougher than its real name". He attended Corpus Christi School, a Catholic parish school of the Corpus Christi Church in Morningside Heights. One of Carlin's closest childhood friends was Randy Jurgensen, who would later go on to become one of the most decorated homicide detectives in NYPD history. His mother owned a television, which was a new technology few people owned at the time, and Carlin became an avid fan of the pioneering late-night talk show Broadway Open House during its short run. He went to the Bronx for high school, but was expelled from Cardinal Hayes High School after three semesters at age 15. He briefly attended Bishop Dubois High School in Harlem and Salesian High School in Goshen. He spent many summers at Camp Notre Dame in Spofford, New Hampshire, where he regularly won the camp's drama award; upon his death, some of his ashes were scattered at Spofford Lake per his request.

Carlin joined the U.S. Air Force and trained as a radar technician. He was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, and began working as a DJ at radio station KJOE in nearby Shreveport in July 1956. Labeled an "unproductive airman" by his superiors, he received a general discharge on July 29, 1957. During his time in the Air Force, he was court-martialed three times and received many nonjudicial punishments and reprimands.

Career

1959–1960: Early work and breakthrough

Carlin (standing) with singer Buddy Greco in 1967

In 1959, Carlin met Jack Burns, a fellow DJ at radio station KXOL in Fort Worth, Texas. They formed a comedy team and after successful performances at Fort Worth's beat coffeehouse called The Cellar, Burns and Carlin headed for California in February 1960.

Within weeks of arriving in California, Burns and Carlin put together an audition tape and created The Wright Brothers, a morning show on KDAY in Hollywood. During their tenure at KDAY, they honed their material in beatnik coffeehouses at night. Years later, when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Carlin requested that it be placed in front of the KDAY studios near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street. Burns and Carlin recorded their only album, Burns and Carlin at the Playboy Club Tonight, in May 1960 at Cosmo Alley in Hollywood. After two years as a team, they parted to pursue individual careers, but "remain the best of friends".

Carlin performing on UK's This Is Tom Jones in 1969

In the 1960s, Carlin began appearing on television variety shows, where he played various characters, including a Native American sergeant, a stupid radio disc jockey, and a hippie weatherman. Variations on these routines appear on Carlin's 1967 debut album, Take-Offs and Put-Ons, which was recorded live in 1966 at The Roostertail in Detroit, Michigan and issued by RCA Victor in 1967. During this period, Carlin became a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show, initially with Jack Paar as host, and then with Johnny Carson. Carlin became one of Carson's most frequent substitutes during the host's three-decade reign. Carlin was also cast in Away We Go, a 1967 comedy show that aired on CBS. His material during his early career and his appearance, which consisted of suits and short-cropped hair, had been seen as "conventional", particularly when contrasted with his later anti-establishment material.

Carlin was present at Lenny Bruce's arrest for obscenity at the Gate of Horn club in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1962. As the police began detaining members of the audience for questioning, they asked Carlin for his identification. After responding that he did not believe in government-issued IDs, Carlin was arrested and taken to jail with Bruce in the same vehicle. In the late 1960s, Carlin was making about $250,000 annually. Over time, Carlin changed his routines and his appearance; he grew his hair long, sported a beard and earrings, and typically dressed in T-shirts and blue jeans. He lost some TV bookings by dressing strangely for a comedian at a time when clean-cut, well-dressed comedians were the norm. He hired talent managers Jeff Wald and Ron De Blasio to help him change his image, making him look more "hip" for a younger audience. Wald put Carlin into much smaller clubs such as The Troubadour in West Hollywood and The Bitter End in New York City, and later said that Carlin's income was thus reduced by 90% but his later career arc was greatly improved.

1970–1979: Stardom and acclaim

Carlin in the 1970s

In 1970, record producer Monte Kay formed the Little David Records subsidiary of Atlantic Records, with comedian Flip Wilson as co-owner. Kay and Wilson signed Carlin away from RCA Records and recorded a Carlin performance at Washington, D.C.'s Cellar Door in May 1971, which was released as the album FM & AM in January 1972. De Blasio was busy managing the fast-paced career of Freddie Prinze and was about to sign Richard Pryor, so he released Carlin to Little David general manager Jack Lewis, who, like Carlin, was somewhat wild and rebellious. Using his own persona as a springboard for his new comedy, he was presented by Ed Sullivan in a performance of "The Hair Piece" and quickly regained his popularity as the public caught on to his sense of style.

Starting in 1972, singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin was Carlin's label mate on Little David Records, and Rankin served many times as Carlin's musical guest or opening act during the early 1970s. The two flew together in Carlin's private jet; Carlin says that Rankin relapsed into using cocaine while on tour since Carlin had so much of the drug available. FM & AM proved very popular, and marked Carlin's change from mainstream to counterculture comedy. The "AM" side was an extension of Carlin's previous style, with zany but relatively clean routines parodying aspects of American life. The "FM" side introduced Carlin's new style, with references to marijuana and birth control pills, and a playful examination of the word "shit". In this manner, Carlin renewed a style of radical social commentary comedy that Lenny Bruce had pioneered in the late 1950s.

Carlin c. 1973, with a cardboard cutout of himself as he looked in the 1960s

In this period, Carlin perfected his well-known "seven dirty words" routine, which most notably appears on Class Clown as follows: "'Shit', 'piss', 'fuck', 'cunt', 'cocksucker', 'motherfucker', and 'tits'. Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that'll infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war." On July 21, 1972, Carlin was arrested after performing the routine at Milwaukee's Summerfest and charged with violating obscenity laws. The case, which prompted Carlin to refer to the words for a time as the "Milwaukee Seven", was dismissed in December when the judge declared that the language was indecent but that Carlin had the freedom to say it as long as he caused no disturbance. In 1973, a man complained to the FCC after listening with his son to a similar routine, "Filthy Words" from Carlin's Occupation: Foole, which was broadcast one afternoon over radio station WBAI. Pacifica received a citation from the FCC for violating regulations that prohibit broadcasting "obscene" material. The Supreme Court upheld the FCC action by a vote of 5 to 4, ruling that the routine was "indecent but not obscene" and that the FCC had authority to prohibit such broadcasts during hours when children were likely to be among the audience.

The controversy increased Carlin's fame. He eventually expanded the "dirty words" theme with a seemingly interminable end to a performance, finishing with his voice fading out in one HBO version and accompanying the credits in the Carlin at Carnegie special for the 1982–83 season, and a set of 49 web pages organized by subject and embracing his "Incomplete List of Impolite Words". On stage, during a rendition of this routine, Carlin learned that his previous comedy album FM & AM had won a Grammy. Midway through the performance on the album Occupation: Foole, he can be heard thanking someone for handing him a piece of paper. He then exclaimed "shit!" and proudly announced his win to the audience. Over his career, Carlin was arrested seven times for reciting the "Seven Dirty Words" routine.

Carlin hosted the premiere broadcast of NBC's Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975. Per his request, he did not appear in its sketches. The following season, 1976–1977, he appeared regularly on CBS Television's Tony Orlando & Dawn variety series. Carlin unexpectedly stopped performing regularly in 1976, when his career appeared to be at its height. For the next five years, he rarely performed stand-up, although it was at this time that he began doing specials for HBO as part of its On Location series; he did 14 specials, including 2008's It's Bad for Ya. He later revealed that he had suffered the first of three heart attacks during this layoff period. His first two HBO specials aired in 1977 and 1978.

1980–1999: Film roles and sitcom

In 1981, Carlin returned to the stage, releasing A Place for My Stuff and returning to HBO and New York City with the Carlin at Carnegie TV special, which was filmed at Carnegie Hall and aired during the 1982–83 season. Carlin continued doing HBO specials every year or two over the following decade and a half. All of Carlin's albums from this time forward are from the HBO specials. He hosted SNL for the second time on November 10, 1984, this time appearing in several sketches.

Carlin began to achieve prominence as a film actor with a major supporting role in the 1987 comedy hit Outrageous Fortune, starring Bette Midler and Shelley Long; it was his first notable screen role after a handful of previous guest roles on television series. Playing drifter Frank Madras, he poked fun at the lingering effect of the 1960s counterculture. In 1989, he gained popularity with a new generation of teens when he was cast as Rufus, the time-traveling mentor of the title characters in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and reprised his role in the film sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) as well as the first season of the cartoon series. In 1991, Carlin had a major supporting role in the film The Prince of Tides, which starred Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand, portraying the gay neighbor of the main character's suicidal sister.

In 1991, Carlin became the second America narrator of the children's television series Thomas & Friends, narrating the first four seasons of the series and played the role of Mr. Conductor on the PBS show Shining Time Station until 1996, replacing Ringo Starr on both programs. According to Britt Allcroft, who developed both shows, on the first day of the assignment, Carlin was nervous about recording his narration without an audience, so the producers put a stuffed teddy bear in the booth. In 1993, Carlin began a weekly Fox sitcom, The George Carlin Show, playing New York City taxicab driver George O'Grady. The show, created and written by The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon, ran 27 episodes through December 1995. In his final book, the posthumously published Last Words, Carlin said about The George Carlin Show, "I had a great time. I never laughed so much, so often, so hard as I did with cast members Alex Rocco, Chris Rich, Tony Starke. There was a very strange, very good sense of humor on that stage ... I was incredibly happy when the show was canceled. I was frustrated that it had taken me away from my true work." Carlin was honored at the 1997 Aspen Comedy Festival with a retrospective, George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy, hosted by Jon Stewart. His first hardcover book, Brain Droppings (1997), sold nearly 900,000 copies and spent 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.

2000–2008: Final HBO specials

Carlin at a book signing for Brain Droppings in 2004

Carlin later explained that there were other, more pragmatic reasons for abandoning his acting career in favor of standup. In an interview for Esquire magazine in 2001, he said, "Because of my abuse of drugs, I neglected my business affairs and had large arrears with the IRS, and that took me eighteen to twenty years to dig out of. I did it honorably, and I don't begrudge them. I don't hate paying taxes, and I'm not angry at anyone, because I was complicit in it. But I'll tell you what it did for me: it made me a way better comedian. Because I had to stay out on the road and I couldn't pursue that movie career, which would have gone nowhere, and I became a really good comic and a really good writer."

In 2001, Carlin was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual American Comedy Awards. In December 2003, Representative Doug Ose introduced a bill (H.R. 3687) to outlaw the broadcast of Carlin's "seven dirty words", including "compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms)". The bill omitted "tits", but included "asshole", which was not one of Carlin's original seven words. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution in January 2004, where it was tabled.

Carlin in April 2008

Carlin performed regularly as a headliner in Las Vegas, but in 2004 his run at the MGM Grand Las Vegas was terminated after an altercation with his audience. After a poorly received set, filled with dark references to suicide bombings and beheadings, Carlin complained that he could not wait to get out of "this fucking hotel" and Las Vegas; he wanted to go back east, he said, "where the real people are". He continued: "People who go to Las Vegas, you've got to question their fucking intellect to start with. Traveling hundreds and thousands of miles to essentially give your money to a large corporation is kind of fucking moronic. That's what I'm always getting here is these kind of fucking people with very limited intellects." When an audience member shouted, "Stop degrading us!" Carlin responded, "Thank you very much, whatever that was. I hope it was positive; if not, well, blow me." He was immediately fired, and soon thereafter his representative announced that he would begin treatment for alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction on his own initiative.

Following his 13th HBO special on November 5, 2005, Life Is Worth Losing, Carlin toured his new material through the first half of 2006. Topics included suicide, natural disasters, cannibalism, genocide, human sacrifice, threats to civil liberties in America, and the case for his theory that humans are inferior to other animals. At the first tour stop in February at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, California, he mentioned that the appearance was his "first show back" after a six-week hospitalization for heart failure and pneumonia. In the 2006 Pixar animated film Cars, Carlin voiced Fillmore, an anti-establishment hippie VW Microbus with a psychedelic paint job and the license plate "51237" (Carlin's birthday in m/dd/yy format). In 2007, he voiced the wizard in Happily N'Ever After, his last film.

Carlin's last HBO stand-up special, It's Bad for Ya, aired live on March 1, 2008, from the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California. Themes included "American bullshit", rights, death, old age, and child rearing. He repeated the theme to his audience several times throughout the show: "It's all bullshit, and it's bad for ya". When asked on Inside the Actors Studio what turned him on, he responded, "Reading about language". When asked what made him proudest of his career, he cited the fact that his books had sold close to 1 million copies.

Personal life

In August 1960, while touring with comedy partner Jack Burns in Dayton, Ohio, Carlin stopped at a roadside diner, where he met waitress Brenda Hosbrook. They began dating and were married at her parents' home in Dayton on June 3, 1961. Their only child, daughter Kelly Marie Carlin (born June 15, 1963), later became a radio host. Carlin and Hosbrook renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas in 1971.

Their marriage was often marred by his cocaine use and her alcoholism, the latter of which worsened when Carlin's mother came to stay with them and would secretly pour Hosbrook drinks while speaking negatively about Carlin. When Hosbrook was hospitalized due to her drinking, she told Carlin that she would not return home if his mother was still there; he immediately went home, booked his mother on a flight back to New York, and took her to the airport. The couple soon addressed their addiction issues, with the marriage improving so much that Kelly later said it felt like it had been rebooted. Hosbrook died of liver cancer on May 11, 1997, the day before Carlin's 60th birthday.

Carlin met comedy writer Sally Wade six months after his first wife's death and described it as "love at first sight", but admitted to her that he was hesitant to act on his feelings so soon after being widowed. He told her that he needed to be alone, potentially for up to a year, before feeling ready to date again. They then had no contact with each other and she assumed he had moved on, but he called her eight months later to ask her out on a date. They wed in a private and unregistered ceremony on June 24, 1998, and remained married until Carlin's death in 2008.

In a 2008 interview, Carlin stated that using cannabis, LSD, and mescaline had helped him cope with events in his personal life. He also stated several times that he had battled addictions to alcohol, cocaine, and Vicodin, and spent some time in a rehab facility in late 2004. During the taping of his stand-up special Life Is Worth Losing on November 5, 2005, he mentioned that he had been sober for 341 days.

Although born into a Catholic family, Carlin was outspoken in his rejection of religion in all forms, frequently criticizing and mocking it in his comedy routines. When asked if he believed in God, he responded, "No. No, there's no God—but there might be some sort of an organizing intelligence, and I think to understand it is way beyond our ability."

Death

Carlin had a history of heart problems spanning three decades, which included heart attacks in 1978, 1982, and 1991. He also had an arrhythmia requiring an ablation procedure in 2003, a significant episode of heart failure in 2005, and two angioplasties on undisclosed dates. In the 2022 documentary George Carlin's American Dream, Jerry Hamza—Carlin's manager from 1980 until his death—said that Carlin underwent many heart surgeries in a short period towards the end of his life. Jeff Abraham, Carlin's publicist, said that he once lifted his shirt after coming to a gig straight from the hospital, to show Abraham his torso, prompting Abraham to remark that it looked like a science project.

On June 22, 2008, at the age of 71, Carlin died of a heart attack at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. His death occurred one week after his final performance at The Orleans Hotel and Casino. Per his wishes, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in front of various New York City nightclubs and over Spofford Lake in New Hampshire, where he had attended summer camp as an adolescent. His will stated that there was to be no funeral, religious or otherwise and that he wished only for his widow and daughter to host a small gathering at his home for loved ones to share their fun stories of him.

Legacy

Awards and honors

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by George Carlin

Along with numerous other accolades, Carlin won five Grammy Awards and was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 and was a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008.

Influences

Carlin's influences included Danny Kaye, Jonathan Winters, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Nichols and May, Jerry Lewis, the Marx Brothers, Mort Sahl, Spike Jones, Ernie Kovacs, and the Ritz Brothers. His daughter Kelly said in 2022 that he took more acting roles in the latter half of his career because he "never gave up on the Danny Kaye dream".

Comedians who have claimed Carlin as an influence include Adam Ferrara, Bill Burr, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Liz Miele, Patrice O'Neal, Colin Quinn, Steven Wright, Mitch Hedberg, Russell Peters, Bo Burnham, Jay Leno, Ben Stiller, Kevin Smith, Chris Rush, Rob McElhenney, and Jim Jefferies.

The Carlin Warning

After Carlin's seven dirty words routine and subsequent FCC v. Pacifica Foundation Supreme Court ruling in 1978, broadcasters started to use the "Carlin Warning" to remind performers of the words they could not say during a live performance.

Tributes

George Carlin Way in Manhattan

Upon Carlin's death in 2008, HBO broadcast 11 of his 14 HBO specials from June 25 to 28, including a 12-hour marathon block on their HBO Comedy channel. NBC scheduled a rerun of the first episode of Saturday Night Live, which Carlin hosted. Both Sirius Satellite Radio's "Raw Dog Comedy" and XM Satellite Radio's "XM Comedy" channels ran a memorial marathon of Carlin recordings on the day after his death. Sirius XM Satellite Radio has since devoted an entire channel to Carlin, entitled Carlin's Corner, featuring all of his comedy albums, live concerts, and works from his private archives. Larry King devoted his entire show on June 23 to a Carlin tribute, featuring interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, Roseanne Barr and Lewis Black, as well as Carlin's brother Patrick Jr. and daughter Kelly. On June 24, The New York Times printed an op-ed piece on Carlin by Jerry Seinfeld. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau paid tribute in his Doonesbury comic strip on July 27.

A dedication from the Laugh Factory two days after Carlin died

Four days before Carlin's death, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts had named him its 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor honoree. He became its first posthumous recipient on November 10, 2008. Comedians honoring him at the ceremony included Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Lily Tomlin (a past winner of the prize), Lewis Black, Denis Leary, Joan Rivers, and Margaret Cho. Louis C.K. dedicated his stand-up special Chewed Up to Carlin, while Lewis Black dedicated the second season of Root of All Evil to him.

For a number of years, Carlin had been compiling and writing his autobiography, to be released in conjunction with a one-man Broadway show tentatively titled New York Boy. After his death, his collaborator on both projects Tony Hendra edited the autobiography for release as Last Words. The book, chronicling most of Carlin's life and future plans including the one-man show, was published in 2009. The abridged audio edition is narrated by Carlin's brother Patrick Jr. In March 2011, Carlin's widow Sally Wade published The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade, a collection of previously unpublished writings and artwork by Carlin interwoven with Wade's chronicle of their decade together. The subtitle is a phrase on a handwritten note that Wade found next to her computer upon returning home from the hospital after his death. In 2008, Carlin's daughter Kelly announced plans to publish an "oral history", a collection of stories from Carlin's friends and family. She later indicated that the project had been shelved in favor of completion of her own project, an autobiographical one-woman show called A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George.

On October 22, 2014, a portion of Carlin's childhood West 121st Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan was renamed "George Carlin Way". Moneyball screenwriter Stan Chervin announced in October 2018 that a biopic of Carlin was being written.

George Carlin's American Dream, a documentary about Carlin's life, was released on HBO Max on May 20, 2022. It was directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and produced by Carlin's daughter Kelly. In a Netflix stand-up special released in May 2022, The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up inducted Carlin into the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.

Internet hoaxes

Many online quotes have been falsely attributed to Carlin, including various joke lists, rants, and other pieces. The website Snopes, which debunks urban legends and myths, has addressed these hoaxes. Many of them contain material that runs counter to Carlin's viewpoints; some are especially volatile toward racial groups, gay people, women, the homeless, and other targets. Carlin was aware of this and debunked the quotes by writing on his website, "Here's a rule of thumb, folks: nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it comes from one of my albums, books, HBO specials, or appeared on my website. It bothers me that some people might believe that I would be capable of writing some of this stuff."

In 2011, "Weird Al" Yankovic referenced the hoaxes in his song "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me" with the lyric, "And by the way, your quotes from George Carlin aren't really George Carlin."

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1968 With Six You Get Eggroll Herbie Fleck
1976 Car Wash Taxi Driver
1979 Americathon Narrator
1987 Outrageous Fortune Frank Madras
1989 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Rufus
1991 Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
The Prince of Tides Eddie Detreville
1999 Dogma Cardinal Ignatius Glick
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Hitchhiker
2003 Scary Movie 3 Architect
2004 Jersey Girl Bart Trinké
2005 The Aristocrats Himself Documentary
Tarzan II Zugor Voice
2006 Cars Fillmore
Happily N'Ever After Wizard
2020 Bill & Ted Face the Music Rufus Posthumous release; archival footage

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1962 Tonight Starring Jack Paar Self 3 episodes
1963–1992 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Self 108 episodes
1965–1978 The Mike Douglas Show Self 29 episodes
1965–1981 The Merv Griffin Show Self 30 episodes
1966 The Jimmy Dean Show Self 2 episodes
1966 The Kraft Summer Music Hall Self 12 episodes; also writer
1966 That Girl George Lester Episode: "Break a Leg"
1966–1967 The Hollywood Palace Self 4 episodes
1967–1971 The Ed Sullivan Show Self 11 episodes
1968 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 1 episode
1969 What's My Line? Self 1 episode
1970 The Game Game Self 2 episode
1969; 1978 The Carol Burnett Show Self 2 episodes
1971–1973 The Flip Wilson Show 6 episodes
Also writer
1977 Welcome Back, Kotter Wally 'The Wow' Wexler Episode: "Radio Free Freddie"
1975, 1984 Saturday Night Live Host Episodes: 1 and 183
1984–1992 Late Night with David Letterman Himself 9 episodes
1985 Apt. 2C Fictionalized version of himself, Jesus Christ Pilot episode produced for HBO
1987 Nick at Nite
1988 Justin Case Justin Case TV movie directed Blake Edwards
1990 Working Tra$h Ralph Sawatzky Television film
1991–1995 Thomas & Friends Narrator Series 1–4
Voice, US dub; 104 episodes
1991–1993 Shining Time Station Mr. Conductor, Narrator 45 episodes
1992–2006 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Himself 13 episodes
1995 Shining Time Station: Once Upon a Time Mr. Conductor Television film
1995 Shining Time Station: Second Chances Mr. Conductor Television film
1995 Shining Time Station: One of the Family Mr. Conductor Television film
1995 Streets of Laredo Billy Williams 3 episodes
1995 Shining Time Station: Queen for a Day Mr. Conductor Television film
1994–1995 The George Carlin Show George O'Grady 27 episodes
1994–2001 Late Show with David Letterman Himself 8 episodes
1996 Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales Mr. Conductor, Narrator 6 episodes
1996–2001 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Himself 3 episodes
1999 Storytime with Thomas Narrator 3 episodes
1998 The Simpsons Munchie Voice, episode: "D'oh-in' in the Wind"
1999, 2004 The Daily Show Himself 3 episodes
2000 MADtv Mr. Conductor Episodes: 518 & 524
2004 Inside the Actors Studio Himself 1 episode
2004–2005 Real Time with Bill Maher Himself 3 episodes
2008 Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales Fillmore Voice, episode: "Unidentified Flying Mater"; archival recordings

Video games

Year Title Role
2006 Cars Fillmore

Discography

Records

Main
Compilations

HBO specials

Special Year Notes
On Location: George Carlin at USC 1977
George Carlin: Again! 1978
Carlin at Carnegie 1982
Carlin on Campus 1984
Playin' with Your Head 1986
What Am I Doing in New Jersey? 1988
Doin' It Again 1990
Jammin' in New York 1992
Back in Town 1996
George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy 1997
You Are All Diseased 1999
Complaints and Grievances 2001
Life Is Worth Losing 2005
All My Stuff 2007 A box set of Carlin's first 12 stand-up specials
(excluding George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy).
It's Bad for Ya 2008
Commemorative Collection 2018

Bibliography

Book Year Notes
Sometimes a Little Brain Damage Can Help 1984 ISBN 0-89471-271-3
Brain Droppings 1997 ISBN 0-7868-8321-9
Napalm and Silly Putty 2001 ISBN 0-7868-8758-3
When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? 2004 ISBN 1-4013-0134-7
Three Times Carlin: An Orgy of George 2006 ISBN 978-1-4013-0243-6 A collection of the three previous titles.
Last Words 2009 ISBN 1-4391-7295-1 Posthumous release.

Audiobooks

See also

References

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