Mike King (advocate) explained

Mike King
Birth Name:Michael King
Birth Date:12 April 1962
Nationality:New Zealand
Education:Massey High School (1974–1977)
Alma Mater:Auckland Technical Institute (1978–1981)
Occupation:Advocate, television personality
Children:6
Awards:New Zealander of the Year (2019)
Years Active:1997–present
Organization:Key To Life Charitable Trust (2012–present)
Spouse:Joanna King (2015–present)

Michael King (born 12 April 1962) is a New Zealand mental health advocate,[1] television personality, and former comedian.[2]

King's television career began in 1997 with his debut in the New Zealand comedy show Pulp Comedy. Before television, King worked as a stand-up comedian. He was voted comedian of the year in 1997 by Metro magazine readers and nominated for the Billy T Award in the same year.[3] [4] After his television debut, King began to appear on more prominent New Zealand television comedy shows, notably Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves and Strassman. In 2002 he was nominated twice at the 2002 NZ Television Awards for his stand-up show An Audience With the King. He went on to host Mike King Tonight from 2003. The show aired for only one season.

He is well known for his work on mental health advocacy, which began in 2009 with his radio show, The Nutters Club. It was broadcast on New Zealand's Radio Live and then Newstalk ZB. He founded The Key to Life Charitable Trust,[5] in 2012 which promotes suicide prevention and suicide awareness.[6] King was named New Zealander of the Year in 2019 for his mental health advocacy work.[7] [8] [9] He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2019 and he returned the honour in 2021 as a protest over the lack of progress in the mental health system.

He is also known in New Zealand as a spokesperson for New Zealand pork, presenting 30-second TV commercials on cooking pork known as Mike's Meals until he disengaged from the pork industry.[10] [11]

Early life

King was born in April 1962 and raised in Whenuapai, New Zealand.[12] [13] [14] He is one of five siblings. King attended Massey High School from 1974 until 1977, and then trained as a chef from 1978 to 1981 at the Auckland Technical Institute in Auckland, New Zealand.[15] [16] Mike King lives in Papatoetoe with his family.[17]

Career

Initially making his name as a stand-up comedian, playing heavily on his Māori origins, he made the move to a more lucrative mainstream audience, appearing on the New Zealand TV shows Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves, Strassman, TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Pulp Comedy and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In 1997 he was nominated for the prestigious Billy T Award.

In 2003 King starred in his own talk show, Mike King Tonight, which was produced by Greenstone Pictures. The show ran for only one season.

In 2004 he hosted Mike King. Although similar in concept to Mike King Tonight, it was produced by Touchdown Television. It was shot on a smaller stage and no longer included the live band present on Mike King Tonight. It also ran for only one season.

Health

In 2006 he revealed that he suffered from depression,[18] and took on the role of patron for the Phobic Trust.[19] He provided further details in his 2008 autobiography.

On Jan 14, 2007, King collapsed in a Melbourne hotel and was left momentarily unconscious and partially paralyzed from a blood clot in a blood vessel which burst in the back of his neck, a very rare condition. He was attending a poker championship in Melbourne (a prize he claimed after winning a poker tournament in Auckland, New Zealand). It was not known whether he had a heart attack or stroke.His life was saved by his good friend and poker player Richard Lancaster. Lancaster found him in a state of paralysis and sent him to Alfred Hospital.[20] [21]

Addiction and mental health

In recent interviews, King has openly released information surrounding his several-year addiction to the drug cocaine. He claims to have purchased a travel agency to assure himself of access to the drug: "If it ever came to it I could always jump on a plane and put myself up in a hotel for a few days".[22]

In 2009, King started a Radio Live programme airing on Sunday evenings entitled The Nutters Club. On the programme, King works with mental health professionals David Codyre and Malcolm Falconer, and invites listeners to phone in with comments and to share stories or issues which might be troubling them.[23] In 2013, The Nutters Club moved to Newstalk ZB.[24]

In 2012, King founded the Key to Life Charitable Trust. In 2019 King was named New Zealander of the Year. After this, he set up a social media campaign for mental health awareness[25] as well as a Gumboot Friday which raised money to help youth to access counselling.[26] [27]

In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, King was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM), for services to mental health awareness and suicide prevention.[28] In June 2021, he returned the medal to the government in protest of a lack of progress improving the mental health system,[29] a move he had foreshadowed a month prior.[30] [31] His resignation was accepted by the Queen, who directed that King's appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit be cancelled and annulled.[32]

In May 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey confirmed that the National-led coalition government would invest NZ$24 million in I Am Hope's Gumboot Friday programme providing counselling to young people.[33]

Pork marketing

Beginning in 2008, King was the spokesman for New Zealand Pork, presenting 30-second TV commercials showcasing quick-fix meals using pork known as Mike's Meals.[34] He dropped out of the campaign after SAFE contacted him about pig farming conditions in New Zealand.

In May 2009, he spoke out against the factory farming of pigs, and apologised for his previous promotional work. Appearing on the Sunday programme, he said "I will not be a party to this brutality, this callous and evil treatment of pigs. It's disgusting and it needs to stop."[35]

Driving charge

In November 2012, King was ordered to complete 200 hours of community work after pleading guilty to a driving charge.[36]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleNotes
1996Pukukata[37]
1997Comedy Central[38]
1997–2001Pulp Comedy
1998Newsflash
1999–2005Game of Two Halves[39]
2000Project Timor[40] Television documentary
2000–2003TV2 Big Comedy Gala[41]
2000–2002Strassman
2001The Truth about Kiwi MenTelevision documentary
2001An Audience with the King
2002Von Tempsky's Ghost
2002The Last Laugh
2002Blokes: The Kiwi Male RevealedTelevision documentary
2003Mike King TonightHost
2003Mike King's Christmas Special[42] Host
2004Mike KingHost
2009Lost in TranslationPresenter
2010A Night at the Classic
2010–presentThe Nutters ClubTelevision and Radio Broadcast
2012Postcard from Afghanistan with Mike King
2014Through the Lens – The First 10 Years of Māori Television
2014Happy Hour
2014The Last SaintFilm
2018The AM Show[43]
2019Breakfast[44]
2020The Project[45]
2021Have You Been Paying Attention?[47]Guest Quiz Master
2022Celebrity Treasure Island[46] Intruder (Joined Later In The Game)Left On Day 6

Books

Personal life

King has been married since 2015 to Joanna King (née Methven),[48] and they have one daughter.

Awards and recognitions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mental health advocate Mike King wins New Zealander of the Year. 2019-02-13. Radio New Zealand. en-nz. 2019-03-05.
  2. News: Mike King explains why mental illness is hard to see. 2018-08-23. Newshub. 2019-03-05. en.
  3. Web site: Mike King NZ On Screen. Screen. NZ On. www.nzonscreen.com. en. 2019-03-05.
  4. News: Mental health advocate Mike King named as Kiwibank 2019 New Zealander of the Year. The New Zealand Herald. 2019-02-13. 2019-03-05. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
  5. News: Tauranga children to shave their heads to help save lives. Hunter. Zoe . The New Zealand Herald. 2019-03-03. 2019-03-05. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
  6. Web site: I Am Hope NZ. www.facebook.com. en. 2019-03-05.
  7. News: Mike King 'overwhelmed' by response to 'I Am Hope' Facebook campaign. 2019-02-20. Newshub. 2019-03-05. en.
  8. News: 'You are truly amazing' – Mike King ecstatic as social media campaign raising funds for mental health hits $50k target. TVNZ. 2019-03-21. en-NZ.
  9. News: Kiwibank donating $50k to charity after Facebook 'I Am Hope' campaign success. 2019-02-21. Newshub. 2019-03-21. en.
  10. News: Mike King wins the 2019 New Zealander of the Year Award. TVNZ. 2019-03-05. en-NZ.
  11. News: 'My comedy has been a mask my whole life'. BBC News. en. 2019-03-05.
  12. Web site: Mike King. www.facebook.com. 2016-03-26.
  13. Web site: Mike King weds in Rarotonga. Stuff. 26 June 2015. 2016-03-26.
  14. Web site: National Portrait – Mike King is on a very different stand-up tour. Stuff. 23 March 2018. en. 2019-03-05.
  15. Web site: Mike King LinkedIn.
  16. Web site: Stand-up king Mike: depression is no joke. King. Mike. en-NZ. 2019-03-05.
  17. Web site: Covid 19 coronavirus vaccine: Comedian Mike King blasts 'feral self-righteous' zealots in debate.
  18. Web site: The huge success of celebrities coming out about depression . anewzealand.com . 2019-04-13.
  19. Web site: Mike King on the warpath . scoop.co.nz . 2019-04-13.
  20. Web site: Comedian Mike King ill . tvnz.co.nz . 2019-04-13.
  21. Web site: www.tv3.co.nz Kiwi comedian in Melbourne hospital after blood clot . 16 January 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071117112116/http://www.tv3.co.nz/Video/tabid/244/ArticleID/18800/Default.aspx . 17 November 2007 . dead . dmy-all .
  22. Web site: Gig of the week: My new trip is so weird and scary. scene.co.nz. 2015-03-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093608/http://www.scene.co.nz/gig-of-the-week-my-new-trip-is-so-weird-and-scary/254116a1.page?print=yes . 2015-04-02.
  23. Web site: Mike King: The Nutters Club Sundays from 8:00pm . radiolive.co.nz . https://web.archive.org/web/20090821014556/http://www.radiolive.co.nz/OnairHosts/WeekendProgrammes/MikeKing/tabid/416/Default.aspx . 2009-08-21 . dead . 2019-04-13.
  24. Web site: ZB. Nutters Club. 2021-07-25. ZB. en-nz.
  25. Web site: Why 'I Am Hope' frame has dominated Facebook. Herald. N. Z.. ZB. 2019-04-06.
  26. Web site: Time to get your gumboots on. 2019-04-02. Newsroom. en-AU. 2019-04-06.
  27. News: New Zealander of the Year Mike King urges Kiwis to dig deep for Gumboot Friday. TVNZ. 2019-04-06. en-NZ.
  28. Web site: Queen's Birthday honours list 2019 . 3 June 2019 . Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . 3 June 2019.
  29. News: Braae . Alex . The Bulletin: Despite more money, mental health facilities still in crisis . 22 June 2021 . . 22 June 2021.
  30. News: 2021-05-27 . Mike King to return his membership of the New Zealand Order of Merit . 2021-06-02 . Stuff. en.
  31. News: Mike King returning Order of Merit medal. 2021-06-04. NZ Herald.
  32. News: Resignation and cancellation of an honour . New Zealand Gazette . 7 July 2021 . 9 July 2021.
  33. News: Coalition confirms $24m for Gumboot Friday charity I Am Hope . 22 May 2024 . . 22 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240522010533/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/517470/coalition-confirms-24m-for-gumboot-friday-charity-i-am-hope . 22 May 2024. live.
  34. Web site: Comedian does U-turn on pork. Stuff. 10 June 2009. en. 2019-03-05.
  35. Web site: King of Pork . lovepigs.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20100602081506/http://www.lovepigs.org.nz/Latest-news/Mike-King-story/ . 2010-06-02 . dead . 2019-04-13.
  36. News: Comedian Mike King sentenced to community work. 5 November 2012. The New Zealand Herald.
  37. Web site: PUKUKATA. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  38. Web site: COMEDY CENTRAL – SPORT. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  39. Web site: GAME OF TWO HALVES – GAME OF TWO HALVES SERIES 1 PROGRAMME 6. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  40. Web site: MISC-DOCUMENTARY – PROJECT TIMOR. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  41. Web site: TV2 BIG COMEDY GALA – TV2 BIG COMEDY GALA. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  42. Web site: MIKE KING'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2003. ngataonga.org.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  43. News: Mike King explains why mental illness is hard to see. 2018-08-23. Newshub. 2019-03-05. en.
  44. News: New Zealander of the Year Mike King implores Kiwis to be proactive around mental health – 'What can I do to help?'. TVNZ. 2019-03-05. en-NZ.
  45. Web site: "The Project" Episode #4.35 (TV Episode 2020) – IMDb. 2021-06-05. www.imdb.com. en-US.
  46. Web site: 'I knew I had to be there for him': Alex and Mike King's treasured moments . 2022-09-18 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  47. Web site: The Nutters Club by Mike King. www.penguin.co.nz. en. 2019-03-05.
  48. Web site: Mike King marries his queen. Now To Love. en. 2019-03-05.
  49. Web site: Gladrap Awards 2019 winners. Gladrap Channel . 3 January 2020.