Robert Schimmel Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

Quite frankly, I'm shocked at the news that Robert Schimmel was arrested for beating his wife. I mean, his  comedy is really raunchy, nothing is off-limits, and he's crude, rude, and loud.

But he seems like such a real guy. Maybe that's the problem?

Anyway, whether or not he did it, Schimmel is one of the funniest people on the planet. I remember taking my wife to see him quite a few years ago, thinking to myself, "WTF was I thinking when I asked her if she wanted to go see him?" as he spewed nasty joke after nasty joke. I was thinking that I just wanted to leave. I was totally embarrassed that I took my wife to his show.

Until I slowly, carefully, slyly looked over at my wife as she was balled up in a laughing fit, nearly peeing her pants.

I immediately knew 3 things:

1. I was okay
2. Schimmel rocks even the girls
3. My wife is totally cool

Here's the story. I hope it's not true. I won't ever be able to go see him again if he hit his wife. Joking about stuff is far different than actually doing it (not that I remember him joking about domestic violence, but I'd be surprised if he never did).

Stand-up comic Robert Schimmel was arrested Saturday on suspicion of beating his wife. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said the comedian, 59, was taken into custody after an alleged fight at his Calabasas home. Schimmel was booked in the county jail and later released on $50,000 bail. A call seeking comment from Schimmel's agent was not immediately returned. The comedian has been a frequent guest on Conan O'Brien's TV show and on Howard Stern's radio program. His 2008 memoir, Cancer on $5 a Day chronicles his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/04/2009