10 Great Artists Crushing Canadian Comedy in 2023

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This list is a source of angst. I vow every year to have it completed by Dec 15th, but in reality, putting the final edits on it has become a boxing day tradition. I almost didn’t write my list this year, wanting to avoid the yearly reality of talented people I just simply didn’t see enough or connect with in this highly subjective art form to include, resulting in my inbox overflowing with letters demanding personal apologies.

2023 was the year that writing about comedy was forever changed in Canada due to the continued news ban on social media. No links from major Canadian news sources could be shared on instagram or Facebook. They need to sort this out….I fear it will be a long time before they do. But arts and culture writing has drastically been negatively impacted. I’m very grateful to Interrobang that they are not banned and continue to be a platform that truly is always on the side of comedy.

Although this list does say “Canadian comedy” I feel I must acknowledge that it is very Toronto centric. That’s where I live, that’s what I know…. But there is so much vibrant talent in cities I have yet to see….this keeps me curious and I thank you for your contributions to our national sense of humour.

These are the moments in Canadian comedy that stood out to me in 2023, in no particular order

Toronto Affirmations: Instagram Account

The value of humorous digital daily content can not be over stated. previous generations could rely on their 365 a day Dilbert desk Calandar for the micro laughs that made the mundane bearable. One unmissable account for my morning scroll is Toronto affirmations a daily spoof of both the symptoms and solutions of all parts of Toronto life. Transit to towers Condos to Castles the bite sized 6ix satire is both comforting in its format and clever in its subject matter, reminding us all about taking a breather. Having a laugh is always a good way to deal.

Amanda Custodio: Producer/Stand up

In post pandemic Toronto, Custodio has emerged as a booked, blessed and busy producer. Producing countless shows in varying formats under her “Whore Store Presents” moniker that reads more like club kid parties than comedy shows.  Dump him” , “The Bachel-whore” just to name a few even hosting a Barbie roast at Canada’s answer to ComicCon Fan Ex at the hight of Barbiecore summer.  Infamously there was a brawl at Custodio’s Women’s Day show when an audience member had enough of a pro life heckler. Laughs were had, pizza was thrown taking to social media after the fact the audience member said, “Men should know their place at the Women’s Day show.” The success of Custodio’s shows have created a scene of emerging talent reflective of the blunt and fierce tone of the shows. Allie Moore, Gigi Klein and Nikki Rampage and of course Custodio herself are poised to make compelling and hilarious art in 2024.

Braydon Lynch: Producer/Stand up

Braydon Lynch is the next chapter in Canadian Hoser comedy. A blue collar, beer drinking transplant from Saskatchewan, he is a consistent and beloved producer in his own right with his company “Cowbell Comedy.” In 2023 Lynch had both a run at the Edinburgh Fringe and a successful cross country tour with Ben McKay entitled “Canadian Famous.” One of the most noteworthy moments of Lynch’s 2023 was getting $35k in fines (from running a series of safe yet deemed illegal outdoor pandemic shows that effectively united Toronto comedy) getting reduced to $630.00. He was so modest about it, hardly anyone knew. A podcast is in the works for 2024 for the conversational and principled Lynch.

Comedy Here Often: Record Label/Content Studio

As I have previously mentioned this list is Toronto centric. Yet the instagram page for Vancouver record label’s Comedy Here Often is a valuable source for clips from west coast comics. The record label Headed by Jonathan Simkin and home to one of the most compelling audio producers talents in the industry Kevvy Maher has won more Comedy Junos ( think Canadian Grammys) then they have lost. Including Sophie Buddle’s A Little bit of Buddle. Their slick daily clips from hilarious comics like Faris Hytiaa and Jon Endo as well as Maher’s work with Dan Soder proves Comedy here often lives up to it’s name.

Tyler Morrison: Comic/Roast Writer/Label Head

When the king of the comedy underworld Andrew Schulz came to Toronto it was no surprise the vicious and prolific Morrison opened for him. Tyler Morrison is a writer on countless shows, a highly sought after headliner and the best roast comic in the country. Morrison also heads the label Cottage Comedy that produces shows, albums, digital content and even a Metaverse venture. 2023 saw Morrison make the leap from comic’s comic to mainstream with his second season of Roast battle Canada that features some verbal carnage and a fabled episode that was too hot for T.V ….proving not all Canadians are nice and few comics will ever get to level of Tyler Morrison.

Tamara Shevon’s Table Wine: Comedy Album

Tamara Shevon is a dynamic beautiful and ambitious talent. A follow up to 2021’s Purse Wine, Table Wine is the only album on this list for good reason. A cohesive continuation of Shevon’s life and comedic journey, the album is is a creation largely around the process of making love work. Truly a fire sign, the idiocracy of life is called out and arrogance of others is taken down a peg. In 2023 Shevron was in a new era performance-wise, where there really is a undefined quality that can not be faked only earned and it’s freely flowing on Table Wine.

Danish Anwar: Producer/Stand up

Danish Anwar had a 2023 that was years in the making. A unique talent, he is just as strong as a producer as he is a comic. His success in both is a formula of honing in on uniquely contemporary and decidedly Toronto-centric sense of humour. His shows Your Hoods a Joke, Melting Pot, and Toronto Comedy All Stars consistently sell out often at the iconic Yuks Yuks Toronto location. Anwar’s latest venture– a Toronto chapter of the international Roast Battle league that truly saw his cultivation for talent hit new strides. He will close out 2023 appearing on the prestigious Massey Hall comedy Gala…plus he posts fire memes so there’s that.

Neil Bansil: Canadian Booker JFL

When it was announced that the Just for Laughs festival had hired a new Canadian booker it felt as if in a matter of hours one name was on everyone’s lips Neil Bansil. Bansil quickly sent the message he was not afraid of hard work and doing things his own way with cenus level highly transparent showcase season. That saw every festival ready comic from coast to coast preform. It served to invigorate the post pandemic Canadian industry and resulted in a dynamic New faces Canada co-hort that gave Dakota Ray Hebert, Henry Sir and Ryan Williams highly deserved breakout moments at this year’s festival in Montreal.

Laura Cilevitz: Actress/Sketch Comedy Pop Star

It was a unparalleled thrill for anyone familiar with Cilevitz’s work in film, T.V., and sketch comedy pop stardom to see the Kids in the Hall writer in the homegrown biopic blockbuster “Blackberry” a role that was written for her by the film’s director Matt Johnson. Starting alongside Jay Baruchel. “Shelly” is Glenn Howerton’s panicked but never pushed around assistant and the role was a well deserved break in Cilevitz’s career. The film is getting Oscar buzz and Cilevitz can be seen collaborating with Bruce McCollugh from the kids in the hall on his critical acclaimed residency at The Rivoli where The kids in the Hall got their start. 2024 is set to establish Cilivitz as a star in her own light on her own terms.

Letterkenny’s Final Season: T.V. Series

To be fair….all good things must come to an end. The quotable brilliant and anything but simple story of Letterkenny Ontario truly is the end of an era in Canadian comedy. Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney struck gold in 2013 when their viral short Letterkenny problems turned into a global phenomenon. Forging a new path for series development and establishing The Crave streaming service as a home for uniquely edgy Canadian comedy, Letterkenny brought us a dizzying 12 seasons, specials and spinoffs….bad gas and good comedy travels fast in a town like this.

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