Gavin Matts reigns victorious, taking home the grand prize of $25,000 and
title of Canada’s funniest, after going mic-to-mic against seven fierce competitors
Veteran stand-up comedian Todd Barry headlined last night’s Finale in Toronto.
SiriusXM Canada, the country’s leading audio entertainment company, crowned Gavin Matts of New Westminster winner of the eighth annual SiriusXM Top Comic competition last night at the Toronto Finale, as part of JFL42. Matts took home the competition’s grand prize of $25,000 and guaranteed spots at three of Canada’s biggest comedy festivals in 2018 ‑ JFL42 in Toronto, JFL NorthWest in Vancouver and the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, which includes a spot in the Montreal festival’s televised special JFL: All Access, airing on The Comedy Network.
SiriusXM’s Top Comic Finale, which was broadcast live on SiriusXM’s Canada Laughs (ch. 168), featured eight finalists who went mic-to-mic in front of an esteemed panel of industry judges and a Canada-wide text-to-vote.
Runners-up, Sterling Scott of Edmonton and Graham Chittenden of Brantford will receive TV spots at the 2018 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, as well as a co-headlining show at JFL42 in 2018.
Stand up comedian and actor Todd Barry, who was dubbed by Vogue Magazine as “one of the funniest comics working today” and recently received high praise on the release of his first book Thank You for Coming to Hattiesburg, closed out last night’s Top Comic Finale from the packed house. Ben Miner, Canadian comic and host of SiriusXM’s Canada Laughs once again acted as the competition’s host.
“To be selected by the judges as the last one standing in this competition has been incredibly surreal,” said Matts. “I’m honoured to have had the chance to compete alongside my industry peers, it’s been an unforgettable experience.”
“We were once again blown away by the comedic talent in this country, including Gavin Matts, who delivered an incredible set that wowed the judges and crowd alike,” said Ben Miner.
The Finale capped off a nearly four-month journey for Gavin Matts. After hundreds of comics from across Canada registered for the competition in the spring, 60 contestants were selected to compete at the Toronto and Vancouver auditions over six nights in June. Judges then selected 18 semi-finalists to participate in a Canada-wide online vote, and the six comics with the most votes, as well as two additional comics who were chosen by a panel of judges, advanced to last night’s finale.
Top Comic is part of SiriusXM Canada’s ongoing initiatives to provide exposure to Canadian talent. Last year, Toronto’s Chris Robinson took home the title and grand prize, with Sophie Buddle of Vancouver and Che Durena of Toronto placing as runners-up. Previous winners include Derek Seguin, Faisal Butt, Pete Zedlacher, Eric Andrews and Matt O’Brien.
Canada Laughs (ch. 168) features uncensored Canadian comedy 24/7 including stand-up, sketch and more, putting the spotlight on the rich pool of extraordinary talent from Canada. Canada Laughs is available to all SiriusXM subscribers in Canada and across the U.S. and joins SiriusXM’s hilarious comedy lineup, including Comedy Central Radio, Raw Dog Comedy, The Foxxhole, Jeff and Larry’s Comedy Roundup, Laugh USA and more.
