Ryan Long

Long built his audience almost entirely outside the usual industry route. His crowds lean heavily toward young men who found him through his podcast, The Boyscast, and his viral sketches. Those videos often highlight how the far left and far right sound exactly the same, and that instinct drives his live show. He is the comic for people who are tired of internet lectures and just want to watch a guy mock everything without apologizing.

The standup relies on his ability to sound completely certain about things that make no sense. He will defend rigid gender roles or make fun of online activists with the exact same blunt delivery. The best jokes work because he refuses to soften the blow or check the room’s temperature. When a bit drags, it is usually because the desire to take the opposing side overtakes the joke itself. But he never drops the attitude, selling every line with the total confidence of a guy holding court.

He grew up in Toronto playing drums in the ska-punk band The Johnstones. He treats a club stage with that exact same sweaty, aggressive frontman energy, pacing the boards and dragging the mic stand behind him.