Born Andrew Clay Silverstein on September 29, 1957, comedian Andrew Dice Clay is known for his misogynist and sexist routines, and his excessive use of profanity. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he first rose to fame through appearances in stand-up bars, and later transitioned to staging sold-out arena shows across the nation. He was even the first comic to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.
Clay’s rise to notoriety was furthered when he released his first comedy album, Dice, in 1989. Its content was considered so offensive, the parental advisory label simply warned that “this album is offensive.” The same year, he appeared in his very own HBO special, The Diceman Cometh; the following year, he appeared in his first feature film, the action comedy The Adventures of Ford Farlaine. He continued releasing albums throughout the early 1990s.
However, Clay’s style later caught up with him. His comedy had him banned from MTV, and his guest appearance on a 1990 episode of Saturday Night Live ended in boycotts from guest performer Sinead O’Connor and cast member Nora Dunn. From there, not much was heard of him: apart from a handful of albums at the turn of the millennium, and a few films spread years apart, he was mostly heard as a sample for tracks by hip-hop artist Ice Cube and British dance band EMF.
Clay returned to headlines in 2002, when he was divorced by his wife, and decided to focus instead on raising his two sons. He attempted to return to the spotlight in 2007, through the VH1 reality series Dice: Undisputed, which followed his life and that of his family. More recently, he joined the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice.