Hamilton just keeps ‘em laughing

A viral moment on Hamilton Beach is just the latest milestone in the city’s rich contributions to Canadian comedy.

What started as a routine clean out of a house in Hamilton turned into a viral sensation – and unexpectedly brought renewed attention to a city already steeped in Canadian comedy history.

While helping his brother pack for a move in early June, comedian and content creator Ben Stager was given an unopened Hamilton Beach kettle that had been sitting in the basement for years, untouched and forgotten. What happened next would propel both the appliance – and Hamilton’s longstanding ties to humour – into the online spotlight.

“I checked Google Maps, and sure enough, there it was,” says Stager. “So, I drove there, made the video, and history was made.”

The video, posted June 9 to Instagram and TikTok, showed Stager standing at Hamilton Beach holding the Hamilton Beach kettle. The visual pun was simple, but the response was staggering. The post quickly garnered nearly 800,000 views and attracted attention from Canadian brands including KD Canada, CFL, Smart Sweets, Paramount Canada and DAVIDsTEA. Even Juno-winning Hamilton band Arkells joined the online commentary.

“This moment in History will make a great docu-series,” Paramount Canada quipped.

“Rewriting the history books as we speak,” added KD Canada.

“They’re going to write about this in History books,” the CFL commented.

“So proud to be Canadian,” said DAVIDsTEA.

“Proud to witness this moment,” wrote Smart Sweets.

For Stager, the virality wasn’t something he planned. It never is.

“A lot of it is just impromptu. I’ll be driving, see something funny or interesting, and think, ‘Let’s make a video here,’” he said in a recent interview. “I also made a lot of Cambridge and Guelph videos. I never really plan them; it’s just stuff that strikes me in the moment.”

Stager says his blend of comedy found its footing during the pandemic, when a series of offbeat quarantine videos sparked his first brush with viral attention.

“In terms of comedy, I do a mix of sketch, musical comedy, stand-up, and music,” Stager says. “Over the last few years, I’ve been making a lot of videos for TikTok and Instagram. I think the first time I gained some real traction was during the pandemic.”

At the time, Stager was working an unconventional gig as a transport driver for a Hallmark-style movie production company. 

“One of my jobs was looking after actors coming in from the U.S. who had to quarantine at Horseshoe Valley, which was closed because of COVID,” he says.

Isolated and surrounded by snow-covered resort grounds, Stager began posting short, absurd videos from the empty hotel. Drawing inspiration from horror-comedy tropes, he likened the experience to something straight out of a Stanley Kubrick 1980 cult classic.

“I started making these videos, joking that my job was like Jack Nicholson’s character from The Shining, because I was basically alone at the resort,” he says.

The clips quickly gained traction on social media, marking one of Stager’s first viral breakthroughs. While not every video hits the mark, he says, the process is part of the creative rhythm of online comedy.

“Those videos started doing really well, and I’ve kept making them since,” Stager says. “Some resonate with people, some don’t, that’s just the game.”

Regarding the Hamilton Beach video, the post was classic Stager: spontaneous, locally flavoured, and rooted in relatable, low-stakes absurdity. His comedy thrives on regional quirks and Canadian in-jokes, drawing a steady and growing online following of over 80,000.

“I was doing what I always do, hit record, post, and see what happens. This one just happened to take off,” he says. “Once it’s out there, it’s not really mine anymore. People can spin it however they want. It’s like pulling the handle on a slot machine. One in 20 videos might hit, and this one was the jackpot.”

The kettle video’s success culminated in something even more unexpected: a partnership with the global appliance brand itself. Hamilton Beach reached out to Stager and helped organize an in-person pop-up event at the lakeside location.

More than 100 people showed up for the casual meetup, where Hamilton Beach handed out complimentary blenders, branded t-shirts, and created a community moment that mirrored the online sensation.

“People were recreating the video, taking photos, and just having fun,” Stager says. “It was a really good vibe. The weather was perfect.”

The viral Hamilton Beach video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/47yYri7sZIk?si=cvpaglHG8POoRsSv

Jeca Martinez, a social media influencer, who attended the gathering, praised the feel-good energy of the event and its organic celebration of something uniquely Hamilton.

“Overall, I found the event light-hearted and unserious. We were all there for a silly goofy time, and it was exactly what we had,” says Martinez. “We rarely have these pop-ups in Hamilton, and it was great meeting others in the lineup, eagerly waiting for our blender or shirt, and an epic moment in history with Ben.”

Though viral humour often disappears as quickly as it arrives, Stager believes this moment worked because it tapped into something deeper: the enduring appeal of hyperlocal comedy.

“I think over the last few years, we’ve seen how local content really connects with people,” he says. “It might not go viral globally, but if you’ve lived here or visited, it resonates.”

And Hamilton, often equated with its steel mills and football team, has a comedic legacy as strong as any city in Canada.

“I was born in Hamilton, spent most of my life in Stoney Creek, but I also lived in Los Angeles and New York,” said veteran stand-up comic and television host Ben Guyatt. “I live in Hamilton now.” 

Known for helming the long-running TV show Comedy at Club 54, Guyatt’s career spans decades. He rose through the Second City ranks in Toronto. 

“I went to Second City and did a lot of their workshops,” he said. “I even had the pleasure of working with John Candy and Joe Flaherty.”

Guyatt recalls a particularly surreal moment with Candy in the parking lot of Second City.

“He pulled up in a 500 SL Mercedes-Benz and asked if I had an extra cigarette,” says Guyatt. “We ended up having a great conversation. Years later, I wrote a script, and my agent sent it to him. I included a note saying I’d met him at Second City. It almost came to fruition, but the financing fell through. Funny how life works.”

Hamilton’s comedy roots run deep. The city has produced major talents like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and Dave Thomas  – all of whom helped shape the national comedy scene through their work on SCTV and well beyond. 

Short, born and raised in Hamilton, became one of Canada’s most beloved comedic exports. He gained national attention on the sketch series SCTV before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, where he introduced characters such as Ed Grimley. Short went on to a successful film and television career, appearing in Three Amigos, Father of the Bride and voicing roles in animated features. He remains a prominent figure in comedy and continues to perform on stage and screen.

Levy, who attended Westdale Secondary School alongside Short, was a longtime collaborator on SCTV, where he created a roster of offbeat characters. He gained widespread recognition in the American Pie film series and solidified his status as a comedy icon through his work with director Christopher Guest in films like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. In recent years, Levy co-created and starred in the critically acclaimed series Schitt’s Creek, earning multiple Emmy Awards for his role as Johnny Rose.

Thomas, who grew up in Dundas, made his mark on SCTV as part of the legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe. He is best known for creating the characters Bob and Doug McKenzie with Rick Moranis, which became a cultural phenomenon in Canada and the U.S. Thomas also worked in film and television as both an actor and writer and has continued to contribute to the comedy landscape behind the scenes.

Ivan Reitman, a graduate of Hamilton’s McMaster University, became one of the most successful comedy directors and producers in Hollywood. Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada, Reitman directed box-office hits including Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters and Twins. His production company helped launch the careers of several major comedic actors, and he played a pivotal role in shaping the North American comedy film genre. Reitman died in 2022 at the age of 75.

Guyatt says the success of Hamilton-born comedians helped inspire his own path into comedy.

For Guyatt, performing in Canada – and especially in Hamilton – also means navigating a uniquely demanding audience.

“Canadian comics have to work harder,” he says. “U.S. audiences go to be entertained. Canadian audiences are harder to crack. But if you can make them laugh here, you’ll kill in the States.”

After returning from New York in the early ’90s, Guyatt pitched a stand-up comedy pilot to CHCH-TV. That pitch eventually evolved into Comedy at Club 54, filmed at the legendary Burlington venue. The show aired nationally and internationally – including on British Airways and American Airlines flights – and remains a cult favourite, still aired today on CH’s Rewind network.

Two other iconic Hamilton-based shows also emanated out of the CHCH studios. The Red Green Show is one of CHCH’s most iconic productions, debuting in January 1991. Created by and starring Steve Smith as the duct-tape-wielding Red Green, the parody comedy spoofed fishing and handyman shows with a uniquely Canadian twist. Hamilton native Patrick McKenna co-starred as Red’s awkward nephew Harold. Although the show eventually moved beyond CHCH, airing on networks like Global, CBC, and PBS, where it found surprising success in American markets, Smith kept the original CHCH crew with him until the series wrapped in April 2006 after 300 episodes.

Another cult classic born at CHCH was The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, a surreal and comedic take on the horror genre. Filmed entirely in 1971 over just nine months, the show followed Count Frightenstein’s madcap efforts to revive a Frankenstein-like monster named Brucie J. Monster. Despite being marketed as a children’s program, its offbeat sketches and absurdist humour resonated with older audiences. The show’s legacy was cemented by the presence of horror icon Vincent Price, who filmed 400 segments at CHCH for $13,000. Canadian comic actor Billy Van anchored the show, portraying most of its zany characters himself.

These shows played a prominent role at the 2024 induction ceremony for the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame held in Hamilton. The inductees included Smith, the late Van, and SCTV alumni Levy and Short. Additional inductees included the cast of SCTV, actor-comedian Jim Carrey, Rose Ouellette, Marie Dressler, The Happy Gang, Joe Bodolai and Jo-Anna Downey. 

Tim Progosh, an actor and comedian, co-founded the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame and now calls Hamilton home after relocating from Toronto. 

“The process to get nominated and then voted in (Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame) gives legitimacy and honour to the inductees. There are quite a few, and although household names like John Candy, Jim Carrey and Eugene Levy are deserving, so are Marie Dressler, Billy Van, Mike McDonald and Peppiatt and Aylesworth,” says Progosh. 

However, with the onslaught of technology and online content, where people go to find their comedy content has shifted in recent years.

Guyatt, who still headlines shows at Club 54 every Saturday, is quick to point out the distinction between traditional stand-up and today’s algorithm-online-driven comedy culture.

“It’s killing live venues. People get all their laughs on their phones now,” says Guyatt. “But there’s a huge difference between being funny online and doing it live in front of hundreds. TikTok can’t teach timing or how to handle a heckler.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Stager, who was enrolled in the comedy program at Humber College in 2014, and now balances online performance with traditional stage time. He is also an actor, musician and landscape contractor.  

“There is a show called Smooth Comedy I regularly do at The Staircase in Hamilton,” says Stager. “It’s been running for years. They have always been super supportive to me, so a big shout out to them.”

The Staircase, a local institution for independent arts, has become a vital space for emerging talent. In a city that birthed some of the nation’s top comedic voices, it’s now serving as a proving ground for a new generation, many of whom blend digital comedy with traditional stagecraft.

And while the viral kettle moment was a highlight, Stager says the best part is still being able to make people laugh in real life.

“It was totally unexpected,” he says of the Hamilton Beach explosion. “But that’s what makes it fun. You can’t force that kind of reaction.”

Another comedy club in Hamilton where people can catch some incredible live comedians is Levity Comedy Club and Lounge at 120 King St. W. It’s the home base for another popular local comedian who was born and raised in Hamilton: Manolis Zontanos. 

Zontanos started performing live comedy at the Hamilton Yuk Yuk’s in 1998 on open mic nights. The now-closed comedy staple opened in Hamilton in 1984 and was located in the Connaught Hotel and Zontanos recalled those early days when he was breaking into the local comedy scene.

“Guys like me, we’re just trying to create opportunities. Comedy taught you how to deal with silence, rejection and everything,” Zontanos recalls. 

He quickly cut his teeth on material that was catching on with local audiences and was soon gracing the comedy stage on nights that didn’t involve amateurs getting their allotted five minutes. His material was gaining momentum and an audience. 

Zontanos refers to the Levity Comedy Club and Lounge as “his home base.” The comedy club opened in 2019 and was founded by Patrick Coppolino, another Hamiltonian who happens to be close friends with Zontanos. He was one of the first comics to grace the stage at Levity during its inaugural weekend. 

“I’ve poured a lot into it, decorated the club, the green room, even the lobby. People walk in and say it’s like a museum. Even (veteran comedian) Harland Williams said it was the coolest comedy club he’d ever seen,” says Zontanos. 

The walls inside the club are adorned with pop culture art, old front pages from The Hamilton Spectator, photos and album covers from legendary comedians and all kinds of memorabilia. Zontanos says the club is much more than a comedy club. It is a cool space with a hip vibe where people can hang out and just have a drink after the show. Zontanos holds the Hamilton audiences at the club close to his heart.

“When I’m on stage I need the audience more than they need me,” says Zontanos. “They tell me if my material is good or not.” 

As for Stager, he doesn’t rule out another collaboration with Hamilton Beach.

“We have talked about maybe doing something else later this year. Fingers crossed.”

Hamilton’s comedy history spans decades, all the way from black-and-white TV studios to TikTok feeds. The city is still laughing – and still making the rest of the country laugh, too.