Mike Ward (comedian)

Michael John Ward (born September 14, 1973) is a Canadian comedian.[1] He performs comedy in both French and English.

For people named Michael Ward, see Michael Ward (disambiguation).
Mike Ward
Ward in September 2016
Birth nameMichael John Ward
Born (1973-09-14) September 14, 1973
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Mediumtelevision, stand-up, radio, podcast & documentary
NationalityCanadian
GenresBlack comedy
Notable works and rolesChabot on L'Gros Show
Henri on CNM (Simon & Henri)
Ludger (cotton ouaté avec un loup) on Testostérone Participant on the show Chabada
Websitehttps://mikeward.ca

Career

Ward has appeared on television doing stand-up in 20 countries; airing throughout Europe, Africa, Australia and North America. He is a frequent guest of the Anthony Cumia Show podcast.[2] Ward hosts two podcasts: 2 Drink Minimum with comedian Pantelis on Compound Media[3] and Mike Ward sous écoute.[4]

Controversies
Ward in May 2014

Ward has been the subject of controversy. At Jean-Marc Parent's 2008 Just for Laughs French gala, he made a joke about Revenu Québec, in which he mentioned[5] Cédrika Provencher, a young girl who had been abducted in 2007[6] in Quebec and whose remains were found in December 2015.

Mocking of Jérémy Gabriel

Between 2010 and 2013, Ward performed a comedy routine about Jérémy Gabriel, a young disabled singer with Treacher Collins syndrome. Ward mocked Gabriel's appearance, his illness and his abilities as a singer and joked about trying to kill him by drowning him. Gabriel was repeatedly bullied at school and became suicidal.[7]

Gabriel's parents filed a complaint with the Quebec human rights commission, and the commission brought the case in front of Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal seeking $80,000 in damages from Ward. On July 20, 2016, he was ordered to pay $42,000 ($35,000 to Jérémy, $7,000 to his mother). Ward's lawyer, Julius Grey, appealed the decision,[8][9] and the decision was upheld by appellate court judges on November 28, 2019, but dropped the fee initially ordered to be paid to the mother.[10]

In February 2021, Ward appealed the damages award to the Supreme Court of Canada.[11] On October 29, 2021, the Supreme Court overturned, in a 5–4 split, the lower court's decision, citing "The question is whether a reasonable person, informed of the relevant circumstances and context, would consider that the remarks about Mr. Gabriel incite contempt for him or his humanity on a prohibited ground of discrimination. The next question is whether such a reasonable person would consider that, in context, the words could reasonably be expected to lead to the discriminatory treatment of Mr. Gabriel. In our view, the remarks made by Mr. Ward do not meet either of these requirements."[12]

Filmography

Television
  • 2002: Testostérone
  • 2004: Le Mike Ward Show
  • 2005-2006: L'Gros Show
  • 2015: Nasty Show
  • 2016: Mike Ward Show

DVDs and Digital Release
  • 2004: Les meilleurs moments.Testostérone. Spécial Mike Ward
  • 2006: L'Gros show 1
  • 2009: Haïssable
  • 2013: Mike Ward s'eXpose
  • 2018: Mike Ward au Bordel
  • 2018: Infamous

Albums
  • 2001: Vulgaire
  • 2016: Pedophile Jokes & Death Threats
  • 2018: Infamous

Radio and Podcasts
  • 1996-1998 Les grandes gueules (writer)
  • 2001- 2002: Les Mecs Comiques
  • 2004 - 2005: Les grandes gueules
  • 2007-2009: Midi Morency
  • 2011-: Mike Ward sous écoute
  • 2018-: 2 Drink Minimum[13]

Film

Awards
  • 2002 Nez d’or: Découverte (Quebec City Comedy Festival Award for Best Newcomer)
  • 2002 Victor: Révélation (Just For Laughs Award for Breakout Star of the Festival
  • 2005 Olivier: Meilleure performance scénique (Best Comedy Performance)
  • 2006 Gémeaux: Meilleure performance humour (Gemini Award for Best Comedy Performance)[15]
  • 2012 Victor: Numéro de l’année (Just For Laughs Award for Best Set of the Fest)”
  • 2015 Antoine: Humanitarian Award
  • 2016 Olivier: Série web (Best Web Series)[16]
  • 2016 Olivier: Olivier de l’année (Comedian of the Year)[17]
  • 2016 Canadian Comedy Award: Comedic Artist of the Year[18]
  • 2017 Olivier: Meilleur podcast (Best Podcast)
  • 2018 Olivier: Meilleur podcast (Best Podcast)
  • 2019 Olivier: Olivier de l’année (Comedian of the Year)
  • 2019 Olivier: Spectacle de l’année (Best Show of the Year)
  • 2019 Olivier: Auteur de l’année - Spectacle (Best Writing - Stage Show)
  • 2019 Olivier: Meilleur podcast (Best Podcast)

References
  1. "Mike Ward speaks our languages". The Gazette. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  2. Anthony Cumia. "Anthony Cumia Show". compoundmedia.com (Podcast). Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  3. "Mike Ward". Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  4. "Mike Ward, le roi du podcast au Québec". December 3, 2018.
  5. "The Canadian Comedian on Trial Before a Human Rights Tribunal for a Mean Joke". May 13, 2016.
  6. Patriquin, Martin (March 23, 2016). "Comedian Mike Ward's joke about a 12-year old has landed him in court and put a brand of very edgy comedy on trial". Maclean's. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016. He once used Cédrika Provencher, a nine-year-old whose disappearance in 2007 was heavily covered in the media, as the butt of a joke.
  7. "Mike Ward vs. Jérémy Gabriel: Supreme Court hears case this week on limits of comedy". Montreal Gazette. Montreal. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  8. "Mike Ward devra verser 35 000 $ à Jérémy Gabriel". Ici Radio-Canada (in French). Montreal. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  9. Sioui, Marie-Michèle (21 July 2016). "Mike Ward condamné à une amende de 42 000 $". Le Devoir (in French). Montreal. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  10. "Comedian Mike Ward must pay Jeremy Gabriel for discriminatory joke, appeals court rules". montreal.ctvnews.ca. November 28, 2019.
  11. "Quebec comedian Mike Ward heads to the Supreme Court after making singer with disability butt of joke". montreal.ctvnews.ca. February 15, 2021.
  12. "Quebec comedian Mike Ward's mockery of disabled singer not discriminatory: Supreme Court". ctvnews.ca. October 29, 2021.
  13. Brownstein, Bill "Brownstein at Just for Laughs: Is political correctness killing comedy?",Montreal Gazette, 27 July 2018, Retrieved 29 July 2018
  14. "In Review: The Comedian's Guide to Survival". August 27, 2016.
  15. "Liste des récipiendaires par catégories". Prix gémeaux. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  16. "Gala Les Olivier 2016: Mike Ward remporte l'Olivier de l'année". Le Huffington Post. May 13, 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  17. "Gala Les Olivier 2016: Mike Ward remporte l'Olivier de l'année". Le Huffington Post. May 13, 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  18. "Mike Ward, premier Québécois à gagner le prix Comedic Artist of the Year au Canadian Comedy Awards". Le Huffington Post. 7 November 2016.
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