D.J. Demers Explained

D.J. Demers
Birth Place:Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Occupation:Stand-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 released 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]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/whatson-story/7494455-kitchener-born-comedian-d-j-demers-needs-your-votes-to-become-top-comic/ "Kitchener-born comedian D.J. Demers needs your votes to become top comic"
  2. Web site: Cowper . Janna . 2022-05-02 . Talking with Deaf comedian D.J. Demers on World Laughter Day . 2022-10-12 . Hearing Like Me . en-US.
  3. https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52811-Healthy-hearing-conversation-dj-demers Healthy Hearing conversation: D.J. Demers
  4. https://www.therecord.com/news-story/6714029-kitchener-comedian-makes-his-mark-on-america-s-got-talent-/ "Kitchener comedian makes his mark on ‘America’s Got Talent’"
  5. https://dailyevergreen.com/17384/mint/jl-d-j-demers-kicks-off-comedy-tour-at-wsu/ "D.J. Demers kicks off comedy tour at WSU"
  6. http://theinterrobang.com/d-j-demers-performs-stand-conan/ "D.J. Demers Performs Stand Up on Conan"
  7. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thedebaters/eavesdropping-is-harmless-fun-1.4124306 "Eavesdropping is harmless fun"
  8. http://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/junos-news/arcade-fire-and-daniel-caesar-lead-2018-juno-award-nominations-1.4520940 "Arcade Fire and Daniel Caesar lead 2018 Juno Award nominations"
  9. Ernie Tripper, "Who is On Late Night Tonight in Comedy: Week of November 11, 2019". The Interrobang, November 11, 2019.
  10. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/comedy-accessible-fundraiser-1.5153486 "Montreal's first fully accessible stand-up comedy show takes the stage"
  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.