Comedian and Actor Sinbad Recovering After a Stroke

Beloved comedian and actor Sinbad is recovering from a recent stroke, according to his family. Sinbad, who was recently part of the title and poster reveal for Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, is expected to make a full recovery, although few details are available and the family is asking fans to respect their privacy during his recovery. Born David Adkins, Sinbad is best known for his work on TV shows like A Different World and movies like Necessary Roughness and Jingle All the Way. More recently, he has found viral fame online due to a solid Twitter presence and one of the weirder internet conspiracy theories.

Hundreds of Redditors have collectively decided that a Sinbad movie called Shazaam, in which the stand-up comic plays a genie, exists in spite of there being no real evidence that it does, and Sinbad himself denying it. Shazaam is one of a number of apparent collective delusions being shared on the Mandela Effect subreddit, named for a popular shared misconception that former South African President Nelson Mandela died in prison. It was that notion that led to David F. Sandberg and DC inviting Sinbad to participate in the Shazam! 2 launch, although he is not expected to appear in that film, either.

“It is out of sincere love that we share Sinbad, our beloved husband and father, is recovering from a recent stroke,” the family told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “Sinbad is a light source of love and joy for many generations. While he is beginning his road to recovery, we are faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon.”

Sinbad was a huge star in the ’90s, but has worked hard to keep his profile up and keep out of the “whatever happened to…?” files. In recent years, he has provided voice work for Stephen Universe and Lion Guard, as well as appearing in 12 episodes of the Fox sitcom Rel. Bringing him into the Shazam! panel at FanDome was a fun way to liven up a panel for a movie that hasn’t yet begun production, and about which the cast knows little. Bringing his humor, his celebrity, and a decade’s worth of jokes about that non-existent genie movie, he was able to create something that everyone was talking about online, without actually signing up for the movie and without the producers having to drop an animated teaser or something.

Our thoughts are with Sinbad and his family as he continues his recovery.