Weird Al Yankovic is more than just a songwriter and comedian–he's a cultural icon. With over 12 million albums sold and five Grammys, all from writing parody versions of popular songs and his own original comedic music. Weird Al is one of the most successful comedy recording artists of all time, but also a beloved character with a memorable personality.
Beyond his musical exploits, Weird Al Yankovic is also known for his many cameos. His unique status as a comedy rock star has led him to star or appear in countless films and TV series as both himself and other characters. His work on television is a great window into how he's charmed audiences for nearly fifty years.
10 That Time Weird Al Created The Anti-Parody
30 Rock Season 6, "Kidnapped by Danger"
Weird Al's silly persona makes him a natural fit for 30 Rock's absurd comedic style. In the 2012 episode "Kidnaped By Danger" Jenna releases a single that is immediately parodied by Al. Upset by this, she retaliates with a song so silly and self-mocking that she deems it "unparody-able"...until Al comes back with a completely serious version of the same song - the anti-parody.
By subverting Weird Al's typical process, 30 Rock creates unexpected comedy on par with Yankovic's own stylings. Weird Al returns to create a parody for the end-credits song, adding lyrics that roast the shows supposedly low viewership to the instrumental-only tune that typically plays at the end of each 30 Rock episode.
9 That Time Weird Al Sang About Bathrooms
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4, "I Have A Date Tonight"
Funny musical numbers form the backbone of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a show about a woman obsessed with her ex in which the cast often breaks into song. The musical comedy of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend makes it perfect for a Weird Al cameo, and his appearance comes in the Season 4 episode "I Have a Date Tonight," where he plays the owner of a hot-air balloon rental company.
When asked if there are bathrooms built into his rented balloons, Yankovic bursts into a song entitled "There's No Bathroom," in which he lets the show's characters know that there are, in fact, no bathrooms aboard the balloon. The song is actually a reprise of a song titled "Where's the Bathroom," which appeared in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's first season.
8 All The Times Weird Al Was Uncle Muscles
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
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Another deeply absurd show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, is one of the few shows to hold the honor of featuring Weird Al in regular segments. The segments portray Yankovic as Uncle Muscles, the host of a fictional, fever-dreamlike variety television show entitled "The Uncle Muscles Hour."
Though Weird Al's appearances on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! are short, his star-power brings a bit of familiarity to the off-the-walls series. Absurdist comedians like Weird Al paved the way for Adult Swim stars like Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, making their collaboration a testament to the staying power of experimental comedy.
7 That Time Weird Al Visited Springfield
The Simpsons Season 14, "Three Gays of the Condo"
A Simpson's cameo is often a sign of pop culture greatness. Weird Al first appeared on The Simpsons in 2003, in the episode Three Gays of the Condo. After a dramatic fight with Marge, Homer moves out of their house and into an apartment with two gay men, where he becomes immersed in drinking margaritas and going to the disco.
To get Homer back, Marge hires Weird Al to write Homer a song. Al parodies John Mellencamps "Jack and Diane," retitling it as "Homer and Marge" and including lyrics with references to their relationship. The song successfully reunites Homer and Marge but was interestingly not actually written by Weird Al. Instead, it was penned by Simpsons writer Matt Warburton.
6 That Time Weird Al Was A Supervillain
Teen Titans Go! Season 3, "Two-Parter"
Although Weird Al Yankovic often plays himself, his cameo on Teen Titans Go! provides an example of his work inhabiting a different character. In a two-part episode, accurately titled "Two-Parter", Weird Al plays supervillain Darkseid, whose deep and scary voice turns goofy after he's given cold medicine.
When Cyborg points out that his new voice sounds a bit like Weird Al, Darkseid states that he believes Weird Al to be evil for parodying great songs. Infuriated by this, the Teen Titans beat Darkseid up, saving the Justice League in the process.
5 That Time Weird Al Went Back To The 1980s
The Goldbergs Season 3, "Weird Al"
Although Weird Al has seen decades of success, the 1980s might be considered his golden age, as he had multiple charting tunes such as "Eat It" and "Like A Surgeon." The Golbergs, a modern family sitcom set retroactively in the '80, had Weird Al appear as himself in all his 1980s glory in the episode "Weird Al."
In the episode, Adam and Dana attend a Weird Al concert together, only to discover that their relationship may be broken beyond repair. Weird Al makes several appearances in the episode, giving plenty of love advice and naming potential parodies of popular songs of the era.
4 That Time Weird Al Ripped Off Ted
How I Met Your Mother Season 7, "Noretta"
In a 2011 How I Met Your Mother episode titled "Noretta," Ted claims he wrote Weird Al a piece of fan mail that inspired the song "Like a Surgeon." It seems unbelievable, but an ending tag scene features another appearance from 1980s Yankovic, this time opening up fanmail and reading parody song suggestions from 8-year-old Ted.
The letter includes "Wake Me Up Before You Pogo" which doesn't exactly thrill Al, but the suggestion of "Like a Surgeon" sends him running off to the studio to record. Interestingly, the concept of "Like a Surgeon" was actually suggested by Madonna herself, who wrote "Like a Virgin".
3 That Time Weird Al First Appeared On TV
The Tomorrow Show, April 21, 1981
Weird Al's first-ever TV appearance was on The Tomorrow Show in 1981. He performed "Another One Rides the Bus," a parody of Queen's classic tune, "Another One Bites the Dust." The song was a follow-up to his only other released song at the time, his "My Sharona" parody entitled "My Bologna."
After making its debut on the Dr. Demento radio show, which gave Al many of his earliest air-plays, "Another One Rides the Bus" became popular enough to warrant an appearance on the then-popular Tomorrow Show, which was itself a cutting edge and subversive program for its time. Fresh out of college, Weird Al says he was scared out of his mind, but it provided a launching pad for his lucrative career over the next forty years.
2 That Time Weird Al Was A Singing Monk
Galavant Season 1, "Completely Mad...Alena"
Who better to play a singing Monk than Weird Al Yankovic? In the 2015 Galavant episode "Completely Mad...Alena", Al is one of the members of The Monks of the Order of Our Father the Perpetual Refrain, who, instead of taking a vow of silence, have taken a vow of singing.
Galavant is a parody of medieval fantasy shows and movies like King Arthur, creating a perfect atmosphere for a Weird Al cameo. Yankovic, with a choir of monks behind him, performs the song "Hey Hey Hey, We're the Monks" which is a parody of the theme song from the show The Monkees, which is itself a partial parody of The Beatles.
1 That Time Weird Al Played A More Serious Role (As An Animated Dog)
Bojack Horseman
There are way too many celebrity cameos on Bojack Horseman to seemingly ever keep track of, with nearly every episode featuring a famous person playing themselves, a parody of themselves, or another character altogether. Surprisingly, Weird Al doesn't play himself here, but instead plays Mr. Peanutbutter's brother, Captain Peanutbutter.
Weird Al's recurring role on Bojack Horseman is a bit more serious, in line with the show's darker themes. Captain Peanutbutter is at risk of death from a twisted spleen, leading him to ponder the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life throughout much of his time on the show. It's intriguing to see a Weird Al cameo with a little more of a serious touch, making this a highlight in his TV cameo catalog.