This time, it was Comedy Central that came to the rescue, although вЂњslightly unwillingly, at least at the start,вЂќ reports Dunham who took a big gamble by financing and self-producing his first special, 2006вЂ™s вЂњArguing With Myself.вЂќ And it got to the point where I suddenly realized I just couldnвЂ™t afford that lifestyle anymore, and that weвЂ™d have to sell the house.вЂќ It was a wake-up call for Dunham who was married with three girls, and who allows that he was living вЂњhigh on the hog, with a huge house, private schools, nice cars - and a big overhead. And you always expect your business to keep growing and that your income will stay at a certain level. By the early 2000s I was at the top of the game on the comedy club circuit, but then I kept hitting a glass ceiling. вЂњBut itвЂ™s all relative and IвЂ™ve never really been down and out. вЂњI began auditioning for вЂThe Tonight ShowвЂ™ in вЂ™85, and by the time I finally got on in April 1990, IвЂ™d auditioned nine times.

вЂњEspecially in the early years,вЂќ he admits. in late 1988, faced his fair share of rejection. I never stopped working.вЂќД«ut despite a career arc that seems to have only headed up, Dunham, who moved to L.A. вЂњThat was the start of 30 years on the road,вЂќ adds Dunham, 52, who eventually returned to college where he studied communications and finished his exams while continuing to do shows вЂњfor everyone from big corporate gigs for GE to churches and comedy clubs. And in the fall of 1984, the spot came open and I was invited to join for two weeks.вЂќДЄfter delaying his college finals, he joined the show and ended up staying with it through the end of 1985.

вЂњThere was a touring version of the Broadway hit вЂSugar BabiesвЂ™ with Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller, with a variety spot in it where they used a juggler or a ventriloquist. But I vividly remember at that moment thinking, вЂThis womanвЂ™s an idiot! She has no idea what sheвЂ™s talking about.вЂ™ вЂќДЄnd after dropping out of Baylor U. вЂњI wasnвЂ™t some jerk - I was a fairly quiet, respectful child in the presence of adults. Lutz,вЂќ he tellingly remembers) later questioned his choice вЂњand rolled her eyes a lot at the idea, saying I needed a serious career,вЂќ Dunham stuck to his guns. They really laughed and believed that the dummy was talking, and by the fourth grade, I had no doubts - this was what I was going to do for a living.вЂќД®ven when his eighth-grade counselor (вЂњMrs.

вЂњI knew very early on that this is exactly what I wanted to do, and the first show I ever did, I was astounded that all my classmates bought the routine. ItвЂ™s a philosophy of comedy and life - coupled with an innate talent - that appears to have sprung almost fully formed from the Texas native, whose parentsвЂ™ gift of a ventriloquistвЂ™s dummy when he was 8 kick-started a career that has spawned a global brand. His latest international tour further confirmed that вЂњall these different countries and societies have much more in common than it often seems, and it just makes me feel that all the ridiculous problems in the world are caused by a handful of idiots, and that most people are good people who do care about the same things - family, friends, health, jobs, a nice home and a safe place to live. I thought, вЂWill they drag me off the stage and make an example of me?вЂ™ I honestly thought that was a possibility, as you never know how strict and real these laws are.вЂќ вЂњIt was Achmed with a beret and mustache, and the audience loved it, thankfully. вЂњHe wasnвЂ™t even allowed to come on stage, and I was prohibited from even mentioning his name or making any sort of religious references.вЂќДunham cleverly side-stepped the issue by introducing a new character вЂњWho knew that Achmed had a French cousin - Jacques, the dead French terrorist?вЂќ he says. Of course, despite his actвЂ™s universal appeal (according to Pollstar, Dunham was the top-grossing touring comedian in the world in recent years) he isnвЂ™t guaranteed a heroвЂ™s welcome - at least from governments. Two nights later, Dunham was performing in Tel Aviv, and an equally enthusiastic reception made him feel вЂњeven more emotional, as thereвЂ™s so many differences between these cultures and their histories, and thereвЂ™s all the fighting over the centuries, and then this idiot from America with a doll gets up on stage, and everyoneвЂ™s laughing at the same stuff. вЂњThey all howled with laughter at the jokes, and when I brought Achmed out, it was like a homecoming! They all went crazy,вЂќ he recalls. Dunham may have been nervous walking out of stage, but the reception he and his puppets - including Achmed, the manic Peanut and beer-swilling Bubba J - received was anything but traditional.

Achmed the dead terrorist has a son