Floyd Vivino, Host of The Uncle Floyd Show, Dies at 74

Floyd Vivino, the entertainer who grew his local DIY variety program The Uncle Floyd Show into a cult-favorite show that in some markets followed NBC’s Saturday Night Live, died on Thursday. He was 74 years old.

His death was announced by his brother, Jerry Vivino, on Facebook early Friday morning.

“With a heavy heart I am sad to announce the passing of my brother and everybody’s favorite uncle, Floyd Vivino,” Jerry wrote. “After a 2 and a half year battle with ongoing health issues his curtain peacefully closed at 6:05pm on Thursday January 22nd.”

In April 2022, Floyd revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancers, “at very low levels,” of the bladder and in the prostate. In July 2023, he suffered a stroke while recording his radio show; at the time, Jerry shared on Facebook that Floyd was “expecting a full recovery.”

Brother Jimmy Vivino shared a reflection of his own following the news. “I’ll see you backstage at the next theater or nightclub,” he wrote. “I’m sure they have real pianos in Heaven (the old upright grand’s that you so loved and made speak).”

Jerry and Jimmy Vivino are themselves known to late-night viewers as members of Conan O’Brien’s house bands.

Vivino debuted The Uncle Floyd Show on local cable TV in New Jersey in 1974, launching the program at his own expense. The variety show—which was formatted as a children’s show but often appealed to an adult audience with its absurdist humor—featured Vivino in sketches, musical numbers, puppetry skits, and viewer interaction segments. The show also featured a number of musical guests that would go on to become icons, including The Ramones, Blondie, and Elvis Costello.

Reaching viewers in the New Jersey and New York areas, The Uncle Floyd Show became an underground favorite throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1982, the show expanded its reach around the country with a 17-city syndication deal. In New York, it became a part of WNBC’s late-night programming, following Saturday Night Live. On weekdays, it aired in the hours after Late Night with David Letterman and SCTV.

While the syndication deal only lasted a year, The Uncle Floyd Show continued with a more localized run, airing throughout the tri-state area on various cable, UHF, and VHF channels. Vivino also frequently performed live stage shows. 

Over the years, Vivino’s cult status grew, as did his influence in comedy and entertainment circles. David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and John Lennon were avowed fans of The Uncle Floyd Show, with Bowie penning the 2002 song “Slip Away” about the show.

The Uncle Floyd Show continued into the 1990s, producing its final new episodes in 1998.

In 2024, comedian Chris Gethard spoke with LateNighter about Vivino’s influence on his own late-night show, The Chris Gethard Show, calling The Uncle Floyd Show “the peak of raw, DIY, strange TV.”

“Uncle Floyd is probably, in my mind, the most under-appreciated entertainer of recent memory. He was huge for me,” Gethard told LateNighter. “He’s kind of cut from a different cloth… He’s very versatile. He’s absolutely a genius.”

That influence extended out to countless other comedians and entertainers.

“There’s a number of people in comedy, especially if they grew up in the Northeast, who really obsess over Uncle Floyd,” Gethard said. “A lot of people who think differently point to Uncle Floyd as someone who was doing stuff that was really original, really hilarious, and really pure. Like, really just cracked open from his own brain. And it did not always make sense, but, god, it was f**king awesome.”

In addition to his variety work, Vivino acted in film and TV, with credits including Law & Order, Cosby, The Jack and Triumph Show, and Good Morning, Vietnam. Following his stroke, he and collaborator Scott Gordon created The Uncle Floyd Podcast, a fan Q&A show that kept Uncle Floyd connected with his viewers while he recovered.

Per Jerry Vivino, a memorial celebration of life for Floyd will be announced at a later date.