Mike Yard
Mike Yard is an American stand-up comedian. Yard was a contributor for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore for the duration of the series.[1] Yard was previously the winner of Comedy Central's Get Up, Stand Up comedy competition.[2] He has also appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and The Break with Michelle Wolf.
Yard was born on Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands[3] and raised in Frederiksted. When he was 13 he moved with his family to Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood. He studied computer programming at Hunter College, and later worked briefly as a union representative, involved in organizing a strike at the Museum of Modern Art, before first trying standup comedy when he was 24. He became a well-known presence in the New York comedy circuit,[4] touring actively[5] and appearing on ComicView, Def Comedy Jam and Comedy at the Apollo.[6]
On The Nightly Show, he became known as one of the show's leading contributors, serving as a comic "foil" to host Larry Wilmore,[7] and for his role in political skits such as his portrayal of a talking gun named "Hand Gun"[8] and his recurring "Y Files" segments parodying conspiracy theories. He also has his own podcast called Yard Talk.[4]
In 2008 he married plus-size model and actress Mia Amber Davis, who died of a blood clot after knee surgery in 2011.[4]
In 2018, Yard joined the cast of American Public Media's radio program Live From Here.[9]
References
- ^ Rivera, Joshua. "'The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore' announces its cast of contributors", Entertainment Weekly, January 9, 2015. Retrieved on June 13, 2015.
- ^ "Mike Yard". wisecrackers.biz. Retrieved Jun 9, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Yard – Stand Up NY". Retrieved Jun 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c Matthew Kassel, "Comedian Mike Yard Is Ready to Swing for the Fences", New York Observer, May 17, 2016.
- ^ Leonard Foster, "Mike Yard one of America’s hottest comedians", Flavourmag, April 24, 2009.
- ^ "Mike Yard". www.rooftoppro.com. Retrieved Jun 9, 2019.
- ^ Inkoo Kang, "Gonna Miss Jon Stewart? Don’t Worry, Larry Wilmore’s Hitting His Stride." The Village Voice, June 30, 2015.
- ^ Patrick Kevin Day, "'The Nightly Show' introduces its newest contributor, Hand Gun", Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2015.
- ^ "Live from Here with Chris Thile Announces Additions to Ensemble". www.livefromhere.org. Retrieved 2019-03-11.