While my “Weird Al” Yankovic-related passion, knowledge, and appreciation all pale in comparison to that of my business partner (and like seven other freelancers we’ve paid to write about the guy through the years), I assure you, dear reader…I actually DO like “Weird Al” Yankovic. It’s true! However, I would characterize my fandom as normal. Or “Norm Al,” if you will.
Like every kid in America in 1996, I owned and loved his Bad Hair Day album. I tuned into UHF more than a few times when it was re-airing on Comedy Central after school. I’ve committed lyrics from various points of Al’s discography—including some pre- and post-Bad Hair Day material—to memory. I’ve even seen the guy live once…during the tour where he only performed original material, no less!
I also legitimately enjoy every time I see or hear “Weird Al” Yankovic in a film or on a TV show. And thankfully for me and other fanatic-Al folks out there, that happens a lot. Over the last 40-plus years, the song parody king and accomplished original musician has appeared in close to 30 films and more than 100 combined live action and animated television programs. Heck, he’s even popped up on a video game, on a pinball machine, in a wealth of web shorts, and on stage of a live theater production. The guy books!
More often than not, Al’s acting as himself. Since the late, great Rob Wieland already rounded up a few of Yankovic’s more unconventional roles—most of which were not in the role of himself—for a previous Weird Al Week, I figured I would focus on 10 of my favorite instances of “Weird Al” Yankovic playing “Himself” in movies and on TV. Action!
In Film
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Al’s first major motion picture credit—and a predecessor to his staring role in UHF the following summer—was in the original Naked Gun film, where he played himself. The cameo that somewhat exaggerated his level of fame and cultural impact at the time only lasted a few seconds, but would kick off an unmatched streak of appearances in the celebrated franchise that would span all four films to this point and surpass the likes of Leslie Nielsen, O.J. Simpson, the Zucker/Abrahams directorial team, and pretty much anyone else except Priscilla Presley.
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
As noted directly above this, Yankovic has been in every single Naked Gun film. After showing his range in the microscopic role of “Police Station Thug” in the 1991 sequel, Al returns to the familiar part of “himself” and gets a little more screen time in the third installment, 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/2: The Final Insult. During this extended pop-in, he earns more laughs than his prior two appearances combined as he steps out of a limousine and onto the red carpet alongside his assumed award show date—none other than Vanna White at the peak of her popularity. He even shows a little skin this time around!
Halloween II
Speaking of scene-stealing appearances in sequels, Yankovic scares up some laughs in the Rob Zombie-directed Halloween II (also known as H2 despite being the tenth film in the Halloween franchise). Questionable chronology aside, Al holds his own in the 2009 flick as he acts opposite iconic character actor Malcolm McDowell of A Clockwork Orange and Caligula fame and, uh, Chris Hardwick from MTV’s Singled Out on a fictional late night show panel. He also gets a little meta by likening the slasher Michael Myers to comedian Mike Myers’ Austin Powers character. Oh behave, Al!
The Naked Gun
Yep! Even though 2025’s The Naked Gun came out more than 30 years after the latest installment and it has a different star, different writers, and a new director, I’m happy to report Yankovic’s historic run in the Naked Gun franchise continues as he finds his way on the screen as a billionaire villain’s hired entertainer in his underground bunker. Al also brings the excellent reboot to close with another appearance—trusty accordion in hand—in a post credit scene.
Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass
I’m going to round out my quintet of favorite Yankovic film cameos with his latest movie credit. Released this summer, the absolutely hilarious David Wain- and Ken Marino-directed Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass finds Al breaking type to portray a violent and automatic weapon-brandishing version of himself when the title character and her newfound friends trespass onto Yankovic’s property. Penn Jillette is also there for some reason and it’s never really addressed.
On Television
The Simpsons
Since they both reached public consciousness in the late 1980s and have each remained cultural touchstones in the almost 40 years that followed, it’s only natural that The Simpsons would call upon “Weird Al” Yankovic a few times during its historic run. To this point, Al has lent his voice and animated likeness to three episodes—all credited as “himself”—between 2003 and his latest cameo in the cartoon in 2023. There are worse ways to make some extra dough (or “Doh!”).
30 Rock
In terms of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s TV acting reel, I’d have to say his episode of 30 Rock takes the cake. Basically, the episode entitled “Kidnapped By Danger” that aired in the beloved NBC comedy’s penultimate season finds Al parodying a song Jenna Maroney released. Insulted by the musical send-up, Jenna and Tracy Jordan set out to write a song that’s so un-serious that it can’t be parodied. Yankovic responds by taking a “Normal Al” approach and recording an earnest and patriotic parody. He also resurfaces at the end of the episode and sings over the closing credits.
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Of his extensive acting résumé (the majority of which is in the realm of television), the highest volume of screen time for any single “Weird Al” Yankovic project has to be on Comedy Bang! Bang! Following recurring appearances as both himself and “Mike Cankers” in the IFC series’ first four seasons, Al stepped into the role of bandleader and co-host for the show’s fifth and final season. By show’s end, he turned up on a total of 25 episodes…and that’s not even counting his oodles of appearances on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast that’s still going strong.
Garfunkel And Oates
To be honest, I wanted to include Yankovic’s appearances (some of which were as himself) on the subversive Adult Swim cult comedy Childrens Hospital here, but I couldn’t find any clips of him on that show online, so the 2014 episode of Garfunkel And Oates in which Al played himself it is! Though they’re no Childrens Hospital, I do recall both this show and this musical comedy duo being enjoyable.
American Dad!
Yeah, this is literally a case of “Simpsons did it!” Still, I like the idea of “Weird Al” Yankovic recording Beastie Boys-style vocals to a “Sabotage” parody about rabbits for a 2020 episode of American Dad!‘s 17th season because he was asked to. He seems down to do almost anything in the world of comedy and that tickles me.