Latest news with #Battleaxe
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Katherine Ryan: Battleaxe review – comedy's ice queen melts into audience agony aunt
How would you like a ruthless cynic as an agony aunt? That's the question thrown up by this touring show from Katherine Ryan, which pairs 45 minutes of caustic standup with a second 45 of counselling to the crowd. You might protest that that adds up to less than an hour of new material in Battleaxe, plus a second act that's more improvised therapy session meets audience Q&A. But at least those three-quarters of an hour find Ryan on imperious form, dispensing tart put-downs of men in general and some men in particular. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. This ice queen of comedy pose is one Ryan wears lightly now, after a few years where it sometimes felt restrictive and for show. Then came her 2022 show Missus, which diluted (or enriched) the persona to address the Canadian's then-recent out-of-the-blue marriage. Battleaxe is a retrenchment after that more expansive offering, with Ryan back in her high-status comfort zone, eye-rolling at her children's foibles, breaching PC protocols for LOLs, and wrinkling her nose at the weaker sex. 'If dildos could bleed a radiator, men would be obsolete.' There's a fine routine on the contrasting ways male and female bodies husband their reproductive material, and many a weary remark at the expense of 'im indoors. See this masterpiece of double-edgery: 'I love my current husband so much so far.' The Ryan we meet post-interval sits a little at odds to this act one badass, as she responds to problems volunteered by the crowd with even-handedness in place of cynical certainty. Fair enough: such is (in her own words) her duty of care, as she ministers to a man whose Lego habit his new wife refuses to tolerate, and a couple at odds about the appeal (or otherwise) of having a third child. But, in this touring show of two halves, the laughs in this crowdsourced comedy are milder than the short, sharp hit of concentrated Katherine that goes before. Touring until 28 June
Metro
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Katherine Ryan calls out ‘famous' comedian for showing young co-star sex videos
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Katherine Ryan has called out a fellow star comedian for allegedly showing colleagues videos of him having sex with women. The Canadian star, 41, has long been outspoken within the industry, including about the experiences she had herself when starting out. Now, Katherine has reflected on the landscape of comedy, revealing that a young colleague once sought support from her after the 'very powerful' male had abused his position. Speaking on the Nip Tuck podcast, the stand-up star told hosts Ashley Stobart and Lauren Adamson what reportedly went down. While she did not name the comedian in question, she said he is 'not British'. She began: 'I've been in green rooms where very famous male comedians. One male comedian in particular… I will say it's not British. 'He was very famous, very rich, very powerful, and he was in a room on a big show. I was one of a few women on that bill, maybe three women. 'And there was a young female comedian who was starting out who was next to him, and he was with all the lads, showing pictures and videos on his phone that he had taken of himself having sex with women.' Katherine said the content was 'really intimate', adding: 'His penis was in a lot of these videos.' On how the young woman turned to her after that moment, Katherine said the unidentified woman 'felt very uncomfortable'. 'Then she came into my dressing room to be like, 'Oh, I didn't like him showing me that,' and she's about to go on stage.' Katherine did not specify when the incident is believed to have occurred but said the woman was 'very new' on the scene. 'I was even quite new at that time, but yeah, stuff like that and being a minority in that situation, which female comedians, especially when I was starting out, were always minorities. 'In every green room, every dressing room, there are things we can't do that the boys can do.' On how this dynamic makes her fear for her safety, she explained: 'We can't take a night bus. We can't sleep on the floor with, like, four other comedians starting out a lot of times. 'We have children that we have to look after, and then we get fans who, like, could kill us.' It comes after she revealed she has had to 'edit' material in her routines due to an investigation into an 'unnamed' comedian. Katherine is currently touring with her Battleaxe shows, recently confessing to audiences that her lawyer instructed her to 'cut out a load of material'. It is not known who the man is, or whether it is connected to any comments she's made in the past. More Trending Meanwhile, at the start of this year, Katherine spoke about having 'scary experiences' when she began appearing on TV. In an interview with Good Housekeeping UK, he said male fans tried to follow her home after gigs and would 'be weird' with her. 'I had this following of very strange, lone-wolf men… Before I had a tour manager, they'd follow me onto the train and keep talking to me. 'I was trying to be polite and create a boundary, but some of those interactions were scary.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Katherine Ryan reveals she wrongly feared 'difficult' miscarriage was her own fault MORE: Katherine Ryan left reeling from surprise £6,000 blood test bill MORE: Katherine Ryan shares photo of unassuming 'deadly' mole her doctor overlooked
South China Morning Post
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Who is comedian Katherine Ryan's husband, Bobby Kootstra – who was formerly her high school sweetheart? He works in broadcasting and the couple are raising 3 children together
Katherine Ryan has found immense success in the entertainment industry: she's an award-winning comedian, an actress, a presenter, and on top of all that, she's also the writer, executive producer and creator of Netflix's 2020 TV series, The Duchess. The Canadian comedian, who is currently touring the UK and Europe with her new live show Battleaxe, also stars in U: TV's reality show Parental Guidance. Katherine Ryan is an entertainment industry multi hyphenate. Photo: @kathbum/Instagram Advertisement The show, which premiered in 2024, revolves around Katherine Ryan as she meets families across the UK to explore out-of-the-box parenting styles. Ryan herself is a mother of three children, who she shares with her childhood sweetheart turned life partner Bobby Kootstra. The comedian and her family also have their own TV show, At Home with Katherine Ryan. But who is Katherine Ryan's husband Bobby Kootstra and what does he do? Read on to find out. He works in the broadcasting industry Bobby Kootstra, like Katherine Ryan, is Canadian. Photo: @kathbum/Instagram Canada-born Bobby Kootstra was born in 1982 and reportedly works in the broadcasting industry, though his exact role is unknown. He met Ryan at senior school Katherine Ryan and Bobby Kootstra went to school together in Canada. Photo: @kathbum/Instagram In an interview on the Newlyweds podcast in September 2024, Ryan and Kootstra revealed that they went to the same school and began dating, only to break up after a drunk Kootstra unceremoniously dumped her on prom night. While the two kept in contact over the years, it wasn't until Ryan returned to Canada in 2018 to film a TV show that the pair reconnected.
