Brent Butt

Brent Butt

Brent Butt was born and raised in the small farming community of Tisdale, Saskatchewan (population 3000). As the youngest of seven children, one does what one can to be noticed, and at an early age Brent discovered that being funny was a good way to get and hold people’s attention. When he was 12 he watched a stand-up comic on television and immediately told his mother that he was going to become a comedian. Not fully understanding what he was talking about, she said, “Go ahead”.

Brent honed his comedic storytelling prowess at the local coffee shop, where he and his friends would sit around – literally for hours at a time – discussing everything from world-domination to the most comfortable kind of socks. Brent insists, “Coffee shop conversation was a great way to learn comedy. It’s relaxed and conversational and the jokes build naturally without forcing them.”

In high school Brent performed stand-up comedy at variety nights and drama nights. When he was 20 a comedy club opened up in nearby Saskatoon, and Brent moved to the city to pursue a career in humour. He moved through the ranks incredibly quickly, and within four months of his first amateur night appearance, he was offered a tour on the road. After a year he was headlining in Toronto, and after only 4 years, he was showcased in his own gala performance at the world’s largest international comedy festival – Montreal’s Just For Laughs.

His career, which was the subject of an episode of the cultural affairs program Adrienne Clarkson Presents, is an interesting one. Brent has become a regular at Just For Laughs as well as appearing on numerous national and international television programs. Aside from his own national special Bedtime With Brent Butt, he has been seen on A&E, HBO, CBC, CTV, and Global. His one-hour TV special entitled Comedy-Now Funnypants earned him a Gemini Nomination in the category “Best Comedy Performance”. He was named “Best Male Stand-Up in Canada” at the 2001 Canadian Comedy Awards and was subsequently selected to represent his country on the World Comedy Tour in Australia. He followed that by hosting the Just For Laughs Asian Tour in Singapore. His invitation to appear on the CBC 50th Anniversary Special entitled All-Star Comedy Homecoming secured his reputation as one of the funniest people in the country, as he performed alongside the most noted comedic minds from the past 5 decades of Canadian entertainment. Brent headlined at the Halifax Comedy Festival in 2013 and hosted the Winnipeg Comedy Festival gala in 2016. Brent returned to Just For Laughs in 2018 after a 15-year absence with his own solo headliner show, gala performance and more.

Over the years, Butt, who claims he never went after an acting career, landed bit parts in various productions such as 2000’s Duets, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the Bob Saget directed TV movie Becoming Dick, and episodes of The Kids in the Hall, The X-Files (1998) and Millennium (1997) and Cold Squad (2003).

Who kne