You Nearly Missed: Just for Laughs Comedy Tour 20th anniversary ft. Roy Wood Jr.

by V. S. Wells on November 23rd, 2023 at 2:18 PM

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It’s the 20th anniversary of Just For Laughs’ cross-Canada comedy tour.

Bringing together four gut-busting American and Canadian comedians, the month-long tour kicked off in Moncton on November 2 and will wrap up this weekend with a final show at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Hot off hosting the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Roy Wood Jr. headlines the lineup.

Best known for his eight years as a correspondent on The Daily Show (and formerly rumoured to take over the hosting seat from Trevor Noah), Wood boasts three Comedy Central specials to his name, along with spots on countless late night talk shows. His background as a journalist, and son of legendary civil rights journalist Roy Wood Sr., informs his work as part truth-teller, part joke-teller, and part political commentator—getting right to the meat of his set with thoughtful, hilarious insightfulness.

Joining him on the road is Joyelle Nicole Johnson, a Brooklyn-based comedian with a wealth of both writing and performance behind her. From scripting Broad City to fighting for reproductive rights as part of the Abortion Access Front or killing her set on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Johnson brings warmth to the stage—as evidenced by her Critics Choice-nominated comedy album, Yell Joy.

There are two other comics rounding out the bill. Lebanese-Canadian comedian Malik Elassal came up in Calgary, being named one of Just for Laughs’ New Faces of Comedy in 2022 and landing a spot on CBC Gem’s The New Wave of Stand-up Comedy this year for his observational riffs that skewer serious issues like Islamophobia and immigration. Elassel is also headlining a run of shows from November 29 to December 3 at Comedy After Dark (117 West Pender), if you want to hear his stuff in a more intimate venue.

Finally, Uganda-born, Toronto-based comedian Arthur Simeon brings insightful storytelling to his set. Simeon’s played Just for Laughs nine times, regularly appears on CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud and The Debaters, and has released two full-length albums: Born and Raised and The Blackest Panther.

With a diverse range of perspectives and comedy styles, there’s bound to be something for everyone—maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite comedian.