At the end of 2023, Dana Carvey tragically lost his son Dex. He was 32 when he died of an accidental drug overdose in November, and the comedian and his family have been taking time to grieve. Now, the legendary Saturday Night Live alum is getting back to work co-hosting his podcast with his friend and fellow SNL star David Spade, and he explained why now was the time to return.
After paying tribute to Dex and confirming his death, Dana Carvey spent the holidays away from the public and with his family. However, now, he’s back at work and he opened the episode of Fly on the Wall, addressing his tragic loss, and why he decided to come back to the podcast a few months after it happened. He said:
I thought about this over the holidays, and I decided to come back to the podcast, because I think, you know, it’s a long day when you’re not working. You get in your head, and I think it’s going to be a great break, and I think it’s really cool to laugh. So, with that, here I am with my old friend David Spade.
Following the news about Dana Carvey’s son Dex, many in the comedy world shared their condolences with him. This included Colin Jost, who sweetly paid tribute to the Carvey family as the credits rolled on the Season 49 episode of SNL hosted by Jason Momoa. Along the same lines, David Spade’s first comments on this podcast were about all the love he’s received from others for his friend, noting that Chris Farley’s mom sent him a letter to pass on to his fellow co-host.
Carvey went on to say that he’s enjoyed his time with his family and they do “fun things” together. He emphasized the importance of moving and staying busy as they recover from this devastating loss, and getting back to work is part of that, as the Wayne’s World star said:
Doing this, and riffing with you [Spade] I think is going to be very healthy for me as I recover. I’m kind of on the pain train with about millions of other people on this planet. And you don’t know how long you’re going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better, but in the meantime, all this kind of stuff is very healthy.
David Spade agreed with Carvey’s candid points about how getting back to work and joking about their time on the legendary sketch show and working on movies inspired by SNL characters is very helpful for his recovery. The Tommy Boy star went on to talk about how he’s been supporting his friend through this tough time, saying:
I do like to get my mind off things, it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten anything. It just means I need a break. We laugh a lot together when we’re together, and I like leaving you messages and trying to make you laugh because things in life happen, but we can move on.
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The episode then moved forward, and the duo, who are considered two of the best SNL cast members from the ‘90s, went back and forth joking about things like award shows, Jo Koy getting roasted over the Golden Globes and trading bits, as they typically do.
Normally, Fly on the Wall features guests who have a connection to Saturday Night Live, however, this candid installment was all about the two hosts. As the new year kicks into high gear, and Carvey and his family continue to grieve and heal, his podcast will continue. You can expect more hilarious as well as sincere moments between him and Spade as new episodes drop every Wednesday.
As Dana Carvey said, while he’s still grieving, he’s excited to be back at work and laughing with his pal, co-host and fellow SNL vet David Spade, because laughter is the best medicine.
