Sedaris was born in Johnson City, New York and was raised in North Carolina. He first achieved prominence in 1992 with the radio essay The SantaLand Diaries on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.
Several compilations of his humour columns have been published in books such as Naked, Barrel Fever, and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He can occasionally be heard reading essays on radio programs such as This American Life.
He is gay and lives mostly in France. His sister, Amy Sedaris, is a writer and actress.