Open Mike's Comedy Unites Hilarious Comics in the Time of Distancing

The rapid-fire Q&A video series features K. Trevor Wilson, Sophie Buddle, Arthur Simeon, Ronny Chieng and more

BY Exclaim! StaffPublished Aug 13, 2020

Promotional consideration provided by Mike's Hard

Have you been missing live comedy these past few months? You're not alone, and, thankfully, Live Nation and Mike's Hard — a brand known for its quirky sense of humour — have teamed up to satisfy your comedy craving. They have launched Open Mike's Comedy, a distanced comedy series streaming on YouTube.

The unique concept works like this: each Tuesday, an episode pairs two cutting edge comedians for a side-splitting discussion in which they banter back and forth and ask one another probing questions. The episodes to date are: Letterkenny funnyman K. Trevor Wilson and Uganda-born/Toronto-based standup Arthur Simeon; The Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng and South African/New Zealand actor-comedian Urzila Carlson; British standup Mo Gilligan and Toronto-raised Sabrina Jalees; Broken Lizard sketch partners Jay Chandrasekhar and Steve Lemme; and JUNO-winning comedian Sophie Buddle with Joel Kim Booster.

Watch the five episodes below. For a little extra context, let's take a closer look at three of our Canadian favourites.

Sophie Buddle

Canadian comedy fans have certainly heard of Sophie Buddle by now, since her hysterical 2019 album Lil Bit of Buddle won the 2019 JUNO Award for Comedy Album of the Year. Her humour is frequently cynical and a bit raunchy — but always delivered with a naïveté and irony that somehow makes jokes about weed, blowjobs and watching porn seem downright innocent.

In addition to being an award-winning standup, she's a writer for This Hour Has 22 Minutes and hosts the podcast Obsessed with Sophie Buddle.

K. Trevor Wilson

Letterkenny is one of our country's most beloved, quintessentially comedy institutions. Sadly, the rural Ontario sitcom had to postpone its 2020 live tour due to coronavirus — but cast member K. Trevor Wilson (who plays hick storyteller Squirrelly Dan) is keeping busy with his appearance in Open Mike's Comedy. Born and raised in Toronto, his comedy comes with a dose of sincerity — he emits a heartfelt warmth that's as well-suited to insightful discussions of religion and body image as it is jokes.

His gravelly laugh is infectious — so you'll get plenty of that in his appearance on Open Mike's Comedy. Plus, he once released an album called SexCop FirePenis, which is so low-brow that it demands respect.

Arthur Simeon

Arthur Simeon has become something of a comedy vet here in Canada, with a successful career that stretches back well over a decade. And yet, despite his many years spent on stages and on TV, he never seems jaded or cynical. He has a self-deprecating wit and a keen observational eye, making him inherently likeable — the kind of guy who might tease you lightly, but you still want to hang out with.

Catch all these comics on Open Mike's Comedy. Check out the full five-episode series below.









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