Canadian comedian, podcaster and writer, DeAnne has dual citizenship – they grew up in upstate New York, but started their comedy career in Canada, ‘In 2008 I did a few gigs in Australia and was introduced as Canadian, so I just ran with it. It was the era of George W Bush, so I was happy for people to think I was not American. It was also during this time I met Hannah for the first time. I was flyering in Adelaide and saw someone that looked like they would enjoy my show, so I said they should come, but they said their show was at the same time’. DeAnne kept bumping into Hannah on tours and eventually they became good friends, ‘they are still in my phone as Hannah Gadsberry because the compere got their name wrong, so it just stuck.’
Before they started their career in standup comedy, DeAnne started out writing funny online articles, ‘I eventually decided it would be easier to just say the stories out loud rather than write them. I started doing open mic sessions in Montreal and it went from there.’
In 2008 they toured their debut full-length solo stand-up show to popular and critical acclaim, winning the Sydney Comedy Festival’s Time Out Best Newcomer Award and a nomination for Best Newcomer in the 2008 Canadian Comedy Awards.
They love absurd comedy and pushing the envelope, especially interacting with the audience.
DeAnne’s comedy style was once described as ‘nerdy but dirty’ which they quite liked, although they’re not sure if that is still relevant, ‘A more recent review said I was ‘better than therapy’ which I’m very proud of. I like to be the weirdest one in the room. But also someone who is personal and relatable.’
When DeAnne started in comedy in 2006, it was a very different climate to what it is now, ‘I remember going on stage and the stage manager saying ‘just make sure you don’t come out on stage’, so I made sure it was the first thing I did’. DeAnne uses they/them pronouns.
In 2014/15 DeAnne started talking about more gender queer topics, ‘I have grown up being socialised as a woman, so I felt being on stage was an opportunity to almost educate people a bit more. I wanted to be able to answer the question, ‘why does my voice matter in this room over someone else’s?’ I felt like it helped justify my comedy if I can add in a bit of information/education about it.’
DeAnne Smith has performed all over the world, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Iceland Comedy Festival and Just for Laughs Montreal and Chicago. They starred in the Netflix show Comedians Of The World with a special called ‘Gentleman Elf’. They are gigging relentlessly around the USA/Canada for the start of 2024.