D.J. Demers

D.J. Demers
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
OccupationStand-up comedian

D.J. Demers (born 1986) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, best known for his television appearances on season 11 of America's Got Talent and on the late night talk show Conan.[1] Originally from Kitchener, Ontario,[1][2] Demers was diagnosed with hearing loss in childhood, and focuses his comedy largely but not exclusively on his experiences as a person who wears hearing aids.[3]

Career

Demers began performing comedy in his second year of university, making his first comedy club appearance at Yuk Yuk's.[1] He won the 2013 Toronto Comedy Brawl and the Homegrown Comics Competition at the Just for Laughs Festival in 2014, and won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Breakout Artist in 2015.[4]

He appeared on America's Got Talent in 2016,[4] advancing to the Judge Cuts round but not making it to the live shows.[5] In 2017 he appeared on Conan,[6] and undertook a comedy tour of university and college campuses across the United States sponsored by hearing aid manufacturer Phonak.[5] He has also appeared on episodes of the CBC Radio comedy series The Debaters.[7]

He received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018, for his comedy album [Indistinct Chatter].[8]

In 2019 his stand-up comedy special Interpreted was streamed as a Crave original,[9] and he headlined Comedy for a Cause, a stand-up show in Montreal that consisted entirely of comedians with physical disabilities.[10] His second comedy album Uninterpreted, a selection of segments from the Crave special, was also released the same year.

In June 2023, CBC Television greenlit One More Time, a comedy series starring Demers as the manager of a used sporting goods store.[11] The series premiered on CBC in January 2024,[12] but was cancelled after a single season.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kitchener-born comedian D.J. Demers needs your votes to become top comic". Kitchener Post, August 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Cowper, Janna (2022-05-02). "Talking with Deaf comedian D.J. Demers on World Laughter Day". Hearing Like Me. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  3. ^ Healthy Hearing conversation: D.J. Demers. Healthy Hearing, November 17, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Kitchener comedian makes his mark on ‘America’s Got Talent’". Waterloo Region Record, June 8, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "D.J. Demers kicks off comedy tour at WSU". The Daily Evergreen, October 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "D.J. Demers Performs Stand Up on Conan". The Interrobang, July 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "Eavesdropping is harmless fun". The Debaters, May 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "Arcade Fire and Daniel Caesar lead 2018 Juno Award nominations". CBC Music, February 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Ernie Tripper, "Who is On Late Night Tonight in Comedy: Week of November 11, 2019". The Interrobang, November 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "Montreal's first fully accessible stand-up comedy show takes the stage". CBC News Montreal, May 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Greg David, "CBC unveils 2023-24 programming slate featuring over 40 original series from Canadian storytellers". TV, eh?, June 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Debra Yeo, "How hard-of-hearing comedian D.J. Demers turned his high school job into a Canadian sitcom". Toronto Star, January 6, 2024.
  13. ^ Alex Nino Gheciu, "Allan Hawco, Snotty Nose Rez Kids among familiar names behind upcoming CBC lineup". Canadian Press, May 24, 2024.