Latest news with #McGurk
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
He almost left comedy altogether. Now, Liam McGurk is sharing a more personal side onstage
The laughter is a bit nervous, but it grows as McGurk talks about how maybe he shouldn't have scheduled a date three days after he was released. How his potential mate found the grippy socks he kept lying around his apartment. And he defends the decision to keep the gown from the hospital — he only did it because he likes his space on the train. This is the part that's different. McGurk has always been funny. Now, he's digging deeper and talking about the parts of his life that make him nervous. 'Over this year and last year, there's been like, a huge change in me, as corny as that sounds,' he said, speaking backstage after the show. 'People say like, 'I've been working on myself.' I used to say that, and it didn't really mean anything. But I have hours and hours every week of like, different sorts of therapy and recovery stuff.' Advertisement McGurk has had to take breaks in his comedy career before to deal with addiction and mental illness. In 2023, McGurk posted on social media that he was back pursuing comedy. He felt better, so he thought he was better. But the turmoil returned. He would swing from hopeful to hopeless. He couldn't control his thoughts or emotions. It got to the point where he didn't think he'd be able to live a normal life. 'I was pretty much debilitated for all of 2023,' he said. 'Late 2023, I was able to get into a program that actually started to change me and turn my life around.' Advertisement Over the past couple of years, he has undergone intense therapy in the Borderline Personality Disorder Outpatient Program at McLean Hospital, 15 hours a week with different psychologists and psychiatrists trained to help people with his condition. McGurk was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2022. The program gave him better control over his emotions and a way to navigate his daily life. When he got back to performing comedy again in 2024, he did so without any big pronouncements. 'I just quietly started going to mics and shows again,' he said. 'Quietly started to reconnect with people.' Comedian Liam McGurk, right, kills time with fellow comedian Laith Al-Sasah before his set at Goofs Comedy Club. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe The new treatment helped him as a person, and as a comedian. 'It's actually changed me internally,' he said. 'It made me like, a much happier and grateful person. And so I feel a lot looser onstage, because I'm just very happy to be up there and perform. And when I see people laugh, I get very excited, and then I want to tell my next joke.' Advertisement Andrew Giampapa has known McGurk since they were both 19 and starting their careers as students at UMass Amherst, and he has seen the work McGurk has put in. 'You watch somebody who's just goofy like that really deal with some of the most painful and serious situations that a human being can experience,' he said, 'and not only get past them and get through them, but thrive. He's just become a much stronger version of himself.' McGurk's comedy hot streak almost ended before it got a chance to take hold. He was preparing to demote stand-up to hobby status in May and pursue nursing classes, and almost dropped out of a scheduled appearance in the A friend convinced him to do it anyway. Then he was eliminated in the first round, but found himself back in it when a comedian ahead of him dropped out. He made it to the finals and had a killer set at the Somerville Theatre for the finale and wound up winning the competition. He was shocked. 'If you look at the video of me winning, I almost passed out,' he said. It was a test of McGurk's ability to persevere through uncertainty. 'I can at least be true to myself by giving the best performance that I can,' he said. 'That's the only thing I can control. I could control my delivery, and I can control my timing, and I can control how confident I'm coming across.' Advertisement McGurk takes the stage. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe Since winning the Boston Comedy Festival competition, McGurk has been getting more headlining spots around town. He's out several times a week doing showcase shows. He landed a college booking agent and will start the audition process to get on that circuit soon. The Festival win gave him the confidence he needed to take one more step forward. 'I thought I could never be a full-time comedian, and [I realized] that's actually not true at all,' he said. 'I'm much, much closer than I thought.' McGurk knows he's not a finished product. But he realizes he doesn't have to be. Right now, the dream is working out, and he's writing and gigging to make sure he takes full advantage of every opportunity. And that's enough. 'If I'm really looking at, should I be a comedian, or should I be a nurse?' he said, 'I don't have to make any final decisions. I could go back and be a nurse if I want to be a nurse. But I'm looking right now like, I just got this agent, I just won this contest, and winning made me realize how hard I was on myself.'
Sunday World
31-07-2025
- Sunday World
Sicko horse killer and convicted paedophile back in court facing raft of fresh charges
In January we reported how the 25-year-old was continuing to trade horses despite being banned from keeping animals for seven years That charge stands out because in January we reported how the 25-year-old was continuing to trade horses despite being banned from keeping animals for seven years after he brutally knifed a horse to death. He admitted to us he WAS trading horses but claimed he was complying with all court orders and had no contact with the animals. McGurk – a pal of killer jockey Jonathan Creswell – is a convicted child sex monster who was jailed for 15 months three years ago for having sex with a child, having originally been charged with rape. The horse trader was later convicted of a disgraceful and shocking attack on a horse which he stabbed to death with a knife in a revenge attack on another 'horsey set' pervert Harry Evans – claiming in court he was high on drink and drugs when he killed the poor animal. Earlier this year we revealed how McGurk was not only expecting his first child with his new partner but also he was continuing to trade horses despite the ban. Speaking through his solicitor in January, McGurk claimed that he had no contact with the horses he buys and sells. Two weeks ago McGurk posted a picture on his Facebook account of his newborn baby sitting on a white horse. Now we can reveal McGurk is due to appear at Dungannon Magistrates Court to face five driving charges. The alleged offences, which are all dated to have taken place on January 11, are that he drove with a defective brake light, that as a learner driver he was driving without supervision, that he was not displaying L plates, that he breached a traffic sign and, finally, that he was driving a horsebox without a number plate. And it's not the first time he has been caught driving illegally. In 2021 he was caught driving without insurance, failing to provide driving documents to police, failing to display a rear number plate and using a trailer which was in a dangerous condition, presenting a risk of injury. Despite spending a considerable amount of time behind bars for the sex attack on a teenage girl and for stabbing a horse to death, it seems McGurk has not learned his lesson and is continuing to flout the law. 'He said back in January he wanted a quiet life and left alone to live his life didn't he? Well if he didn't keep behaving like the law doesn't apply to him then he'd maybe be able to do that,' said a source who tipped us off about his fresh court date. McGurk was sentenced to 15 months behind bars for having sex with a girl, who was under 15 at the time, after he'd been boozing and taking cocaine at a party in October 2019. He had initially been charged with rape, which he denied, but pleaded guilty to charge of sexual activity involving penetration with a child. He was on bail for the horse cruelty matter when he sexually assaulted that child, who told the Sunday World after he was jailed she finally felt 'free of shame'. After he was jailed for that, he was dealt with for the twisted horse abuse. McGurk said he had been drinking with Harry Evans and claimed that Evans had stabbed the horse after becoming 'agitated'. Police found Evans at his Magherafelt home, where he showed them a video sent to him by McGurk. The distressing footage clearly showed the horse being stabbed and when McGurk was arrested he gave a 'no comment' interview. A vet provided a report on the severity of the injuries, confirming he had to be put down. The judge said the attack on the horse was clearly an act of revenge. He added: 'Repeatedly stabbing that totally innocent animal which had the misfortune to be in the defendant's care was a profoundly evil act. 'I cannot begin to imagine the level of what that defenceless horse suffered involving extreme pain, fear and distress. One cut was very deep and probably caused its death. 'This wasn't a moment of madness. It was at least four moments of madness. Blood was pooling around that defenceless animal's feet. That level of evil cruelty is disturbing.' McGurk was jailed for seven months and banned from owning any animal for seven years. The news that McGurk is again trading horses and is cocky enough to have a picture taken with one is sure to dismay animal rights campaigners. After he was jailed and banned from keeping animals for seven years, the USPCA released a statement calling for him to be banned for life. 'The individual in this case carried out a truly disturbing and malicious act of animal cruelty – a 'moment of madness' that resulted in the loss of an innocent animal's life. 'Whilst we welcome the seven-month prison term, we believe that the level of violence and brutality involved in this attack should face a lifetime ban from owning animals, not seven years.' He recently moved into a property in Beragh and had started a relationship with a woman who runs a successful small business. Mark McGurk News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 31
West Australian
03-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
State Government charges ahead with plans to grow WA screen industry despite Trump's tariff threats
Despite threats from US President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on all foreign-made films, which cast doubt on WA's investment in the film sector, the State Government is charging ahead with its plans to grow WA's screen industry and workforce. During Budget estimates on Thursday, the State Government outlined its plans to grow WA's screen industry workforce, a move it admits the US President wouldn't be pleased with. It has allocated $5 million in the 2025–26 Budget for a capacity-building program intended to 'fast-track growth in key sectors of the local screen industry' by helping businesses scale-up through improved infrastructure and services. Last month's Budget also increased the rebate on WA post-production, digital and visual effects expenditure to a flat 20 per cent for projects with budgets of more than $100,000. Previously, the incentive was a 20 per cent rebate on qualifying post-production expenditure for the first $500,000, and 10 per cent thereafter. The rebate is aimed at bringing more film productions to WA as part of the $20 million WA Production Attraction Incentive Fund, which was first announced in 2021. 'This is the package that I joke, perhaps people don't want to talk too much to President Trump about, because they're quite generous,' Minister for Creative Industries Simone McGurk said on Thursday. Although posts in early May warned of the film tariffs, and President Trump said he authorised the US Commerce Department to act because America's film industry was dying a 'very fast death', no official action has occurred so far. 'Other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,' Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post. 'This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat . . . it is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda.' 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' The tariffs would be a major plot twist for the State Government, given a $290m film studio is currently under construction in Malaga and due to open next year. Despite the funding commitments, the State Government won't mandate local content requirements. Rather, it will focus on creating opportunities for WA workers and businesses through incentives. 'While there won't be a mandated component for local content, actually making sure that there are opportunities for West Australians and West Australian companies is very much at the core of the screen industry strategy,' Ms McGurk said. Ms McGurk said the Government was committed to supporting and creating a wide range of job opportunities across the film industry. 'We will be committing to a published plan coming out before the end of the calendar year, in relation to all of the different people working directly in the production of film, but also . . . film-adjacent occupations,' she said. '(That) could be anything from writing, script development, production, it could be in set design, it could be in set construction, it could be in make-up, it could be in costumes.'
The Hill
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Former Trump official: ‘I think we are gearing up for a strike' on Iran nuclear site
A former Middle East envoy in President Trump's first administration said Wednesday that he believes the United States is preparing to strike Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility in the coming days. 'What I can see is the military maneuvers are getting in place,' Brett McGurk told CNN's Pamela Brown on Wednesday. 'I think we are gearing up for a strike … a U.S. military strike.' Iran's secretive Fordow nuclear plant is located deep in a mountain south of Tehran, requiring the use of a so-called 'bunker buster' bomb to hit. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program's objectives are peaceful, but Fordow has drawn scrutiny over the country's ambitions. McGurk, who also held senior national security positions under former Presidents George W. Bush, Obama and Biden, said it will take a few days for the U.S. 'to have everything in place,' leaving little time for diplomatic solutions to prevent the strike. 'I would try to use that time to see if Iran is prepared to take a diplomatic off-ramp,' he said. 'I think we have a few days here, hopefully.' But McGurk also acknowledged Trump has given Iran few options to negotiate a retreat from its nearly week-long military conflict with U.S. ally Israel. 'I've been very struck by — since the president said unconditional surrender, that just leaves very little room for diplomacy,' he said. Trump has repeatedly stressed that he wants 'unconditional surrender' from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to prevent the U.S. from stepping in. The ayatollah, meanwhile, has pushed back vowing 'irreparable damage' to the U.S. if the country gets involved. 'I know a lot about the risks here,' McGurk, now a CNN global affairs analyst, said. 'They're not insignificant.' McGurk warned that 'alignment with Israel' on the purpose of any U.S. mission will be 'really critical' to prevent a prolonged war. 'We're the only ones that can take out the Fordow facility, and we need alignment on the objectives,' he said. 'The objective here is the nuclear program and the missiles, and then that's it — we're not going to have mission creep; this is going to be end of the military campaign.' 'You need alignment with the Israelis on that before we do that,' McGurk added.
India.com
15-06-2025
- Sport
- India.com
FLOP in IPL 2025, now smashed Sunil Narine and Andrew Russell for fun, scored 88 runs of just...., his name is....
Jack Fraser McGurk, who failed for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, made a comeback in Major League Cricket (MLC). He hit 88 runs off 38 balls against Los Angeles Knight Riders, which included 11 sixes and 2 fours. His explosive innings made even veteran bowlers like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine look ineffective. On the strength of McGurk's innings, San Francisco Unicorns defeated Los Angeles Knight Riders by 32 runs. This was the team's second win in the tournament and now it has reached the top of the points table. Along with McGurk, New Zealand's Finn Allen also played a brilliant innings of 52 runs off 27 balls. Both the batsmen together shared a 121-run partnership in 54 balls for the second wicket. This partnership strengthened the innings of Unicorns. Los Angeles Knight Riders' experienced bowlers Andre Russell and Sunil Narine could take only one wicket each in their spells of 4-4 overs and both conceded 42-42 runs. The team did not get any special benefit from their experience. Unmukt makes girl go weak in the knees. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf bowled brilliantly for San Francisco Unicorns and took 4 wickets. His sharp bowling shattered the hopes of the Knight Riders. Jack Fraser McGurk was named 'Player of the Match' for his explosive innings of 88 runs. Delhi Capitals fans must be thinking now that if only McGurk would have shown such a game in IPL too. In IPL 2025, he could score only 55 runs in 6 matches, for which he was bought for Rs 9 crore.
