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Josh Thomas (comedian)

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Josh Thomas
Birth nameJoshua Michael Thomas
Born (1987-05-26) 26 May 1987 (age 37)[1]
Blackwater, Queensland, Australia
MediumStand-up, television, radio
Years active2005–present
WebsiteJoshThomas.com.au

Joshua Michael "Josh" Thomas (born 26 May 1987) is an Australian comedian, actor and TV writer. In 2005, at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy Competition.[2] He appeared on television numerous times, including as a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network Ten's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.[3] In 2013, Thomas created the award-winning ABC2 and Pivot television series Please Like Me, which he also writes and stars in.[4]

Early life

Thomas was born in Blackwater, Queensland.[5] He lived in Chapel Hill and Westlake in Brisbane's western suburbs and attended Kenmore State High School, graduating in 2004. He studied for a Bachelor of Creative Industries, majoring in Television at the Queensland University of Technology, but dropped out after one year.[citation needed]

Career

In 2005, at the age of 17, Thomas was the youngest-ever winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's RAW Comedy Award. He made the finals of So You Think You're Funny at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The following year, he was selected to perform in The Comedy Zone, a showcase of Australia's most promising up-and-coming comedians presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[6]

In 2007, Thomas' first solo show, "Please Like Me" debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it received the Melbourne Airport Award for Best Newcomer.[7] His live shows have toured both nationally and internationally, appearing in both Edinburgh and Montreal's comedy festivals.[8] In 2010, Thomas toured his coming-out themed stand-up show "Surprise", taking it to the Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[9]

2011 saw him touring Everything Ever at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, among other locations.[10]

Podcast

Thomas has a podcast called Josh Thomas and Friend, available from iTunes, which features Thomas and his comedian friends Melinda Buttle and Tom Ward. In November 2009 a second series of the podcast was released on iTunes, and the first series was deleted. The third series was released in 2011, and the second series was deleted as well.[citation needed]

Print

Thomas has also written articles for popular teen girls' magazine Girlfriend.[11] He had an opinion piece published in The Age newspaper in 2010.[12]

Television

Thomas has made guest appearances on the Australian television shows The Sideshow, Stand Up Australia, Ready Steady Cook, Good News Week, Rove Live, Celebrity Splash and The Project.[11]

In 2009, Thomas became a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network Ten's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.[11] He also competed in Celebrity MasterChef Australia, but lost in the first heat to Kirk Pengilly of INXS.[13]

In March 2011, Thomas hosted the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala event, which is held annually in support of Oxfam.[14]

Thomas has appeared several times on the ABC discussion panel program Q&A. In a program exploring mental health issues in rural areas, he challenged Federal MP Bob Katter's views on homosexuality and his previous declaration that there are no homosexuals in his electorate. Katter's refusal to consider the issues of gay young people in a discussion of suicide and mental health problems was received poorly by the audience and fellow panelists.[15]

Please Like Me

Main article: Please Like Me

In February 2013, the television series Please Like Me, written by Thomas, debuted on ABC2. Participant Media's television network Pivot acquired the series for the US and premiered all six episodes as a binge marathon on 1 August 2013 to celebrate the channel's launch after premiering the first episode online.[16] The initial six-part series is based on his stand-up comedy shows and stars Thomas as himself.[4]

In 2014, the series was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series.[17] For his work on the series, Thomas has won various accolades, including an AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay in 2015.[18]

On 2 February 2017 Josh Thomas announced on social media that season 4 was the last, stating that "we are really happy with what we've made and feel like it is complete".[19]

Personal life

Thomas stated that he was an atheist on the 2009 season finale of Good News Week.[20]

In November 2009, Thomas confirmed via his podcast that he was in a relationship with Triple J radio presenter Tom Ballard. They separated in June 2010 after 16 months of dating, with Ballard posting on his Facebook fanpage: "Josh and I aren't going out anymore. It's all pretty complicated, but basically I just decided that I have to follow my heart and get married to Mitch Hewer, Zac Efron, Daniel Radcliffe and Eamon Sullivan. We are still great friends though and it is all okay."[21]

Thomas is currently dating Australian actor and co-director of Twentysomething, Josh Schmidt. The couple began dating in 2012. Thomas met Schmidt at an ABC workshop.[22]

In 2010, Thomas was selected by readers of samesame.com.au as one of the 25 most influential gay Australians.[23]

Thomas also has an older sister, Nikki, and an older brother named Drew, who appeared on an episode of Talkin 'Bout Your Generation on 15 August 2010.

References

  1. ^ Micallef, Shaun. "Talkin' 'Bout your Generation profile".
  2. ^ Stephens, Andrew (8 April 2007). "Did you hear the one about the comedian who broke even?". The Age. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  3. ^ Talking Bout Your Generation – Josh Thomas. Ten.com.au (2009-04-06). Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
  4. ^ a b [1] ABC2 Homepage for 'Please Like Me' TV series
  5. ^ "Panellist: Josh Thomas". Q&A. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  6. ^ Slattery, Annette (28 April 2006). "Comedy Zone". The Groggy Squirrel. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  7. ^ Ziffer, Daniel (30 April 2007). "Jokes aside, Kitson is the best". The Age. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  8. ^ Slattery, Annette (7 February 2008). "Brisbane gets a dose of Festival Spirit". The Groggy Squirrel. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  9. ^ Josh Thomas web page. joshthomas.com.au
  10. ^ Melbourne Comedy Festival webpage
  11. ^ a b c "Josh Thomas: Comedian/Writer". Token Artists. January 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  12. ^ "A sure-fire way Kevin can win: break a leg". The Age. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  13. ^ AAP (1 October 2009). "INXS' Kirk Pengilly wins MasterChef heat". The Age. Fairfax. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  14. ^ [2][dead link]
  15. ^ Kembrey, M. (7 October 2014). "Bob Katter struggles for words on Q&A about mental health problems faced by gay community". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  16. ^ "'Please Like Me,' Australian TV Series, Explores Coming-Of-Age And Sexuality (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Please like Josh's show for an Emmy". NewsComAu. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Josh Thomas". IMDb. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  19. ^ http://www.facebook.com/officialjoshthomas/posts/10155094048974701
  20. ^ "Season Finale". Good News Week. 23 November 2009. Network Ten. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Niet compatibele browser. Facebook (2010-11-22). Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
  22. ^ Hooton, Amanda (20 January 2017). "The secret life of comedian Josh Thomas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Samesame 25". samesame. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
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