Andrew Dice Clay’s Career Reaches TikTok Troll Stage

If you haven’t heard much from Andrew Dice Clay lately, you just might be looking in the wrong places. Instead of rocking out raunchy stand-up specials, he’s regularly posting on TikTok, not reciting dirty nursery rhymes but messing with unsuspecting normies who have no clue who he is.

The “bit” goes like this: The Diceman, camouflaged in winter gear but wearing his trademark glasses, approaches strangers — on the street, in diners or in the checkout aisle. In a weird, disguised voice, he asks if they were the ones who wanted to take a picture with him. Since Dice doesn’t sound like Dice or even especially look like Dice, it’s no surprise that most of the dopey folks don’t recognize him. And that, we think (?), is the joke.

As trolling goes, it’s a weird self-own. The “funny” part is that no one identifies Clay, which is totally understandable given his hat, face-covering winterwear and affected voice. It’s self-deprecating humor, or would be if the joke was on him. Instead, it seems what the comic finds hilarious is people walking down the street who don’t instantly shout “Dice!” and demand a selfie. He loves the bit so much, in fact, that he enlists fellow 1980s comedy icon Pauly Shore to pull the same shenanigans (with similar “I have no idea who you are” results). 

Somehow, it’s even sadder when Shore does the gag — unlike Clay, there’s nothing covering Shore’s face and his trademark SoCal-stoner voice is on full display. The only excuse for someone not recognizing him is that the Weasel has faded into obscurity.

Occasionally, a fan does recognize Clay, who generously agrees to take that picture that no one else wants. After so many misses, it should feel triumphant but somehow, it’s just as awkward as the videos where Clay is met with blank stares.

We know all the kids are on Tiktok, so this is presumably Clay’s stab at continued relevancy. But that’s a dubious strategy when the punchline is that you’re no longer relevant at all.