Dave Attell has done a lot of work with Comedy Central. He appeared on The Daily Show from 1999 to 2002 as "The Ugly American", does voice work for Crank Yankers, and since 2001 has hosted his own show on the network, Insomniac with Dave Attell.

Attell was also a regular guest on the now-defunct Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. He performs stand-up comedy frequently in New York City. He has also recorded one stand-up album, Skanks for the Memories.