Jim Gaffigan Says Furious Canadian Audiences Have Shifted: ‘We Hate You’
Jim Gaffigan has always loved performing stand-up comedy in Canada, but these days, its citizens aren't always loving him back. On a recent episode of the We Might Be Drunk podcast, Gaffigan noted a marked change these days when he performs for Canadian audiences.
Over the years, Vancouver has always had amazing comedy crowds, Gaffigan noted, a motion seconded by one of the podcast’s cohosts, comedian Sam Morril. “I’m going there soon,” he said. “I love Vancouver.”
You could always count on Canada, Gaffigan reiterated. It wasn’t like performing in Europe, where “the English are just condescending in general” and the Irish turned on Americans after the Gulf War. “The Canadians were always like, ‘Yeah, you know, it's not you. It's your government doing this foreign policy.’”
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But lately — maybe it has something to do with Donald Trump’s needling about Canada becoming America’s 51st state — the perpetually nice nation has turned on Gaffigan. “My joke was I would bring up that the Canadians were always there,” he said. “And now the Canadians are like, ‘We hate you.’ They’re furious.”
It’s not just on stage. Gaffigan went to a whiskey bar in Vancouver “because, you know, I’m an alcoholic. I do that in every city now.” Gaffigan enjoys bourbon and ordered one. Only problem: No bourbon. “I go, ‘This is a world whiskey bar.’ And they’re like, ‘No, we’re not selling any American whiskey.’ And I go, ‘So did you get rid of it?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s back there. We’re just not selling it.’”
Okay, thought Gaffigan. He went back to his hotel, which was owned by an American company, and got his bourbon. But the point remains: Canada is mad, and it’s not going to take it anymore.
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Comic Tom Green wrote an op-ed on Vulture last week, encouraging more of his fellow Canadians to voice their displeasure about what’s going on in the U.S. He applauded Mike Myers for sporting a “Canada is not for sale” shirt when he guested on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, a cue for even more Canadians to speak up. “I lived and worked in the United States for 20 years of my life, and four years ago, I moved back to Canada,” Green said. “I’m glad I did.”
“Canada’s mad at us,” said co-host and comedian Mark Normand. “Never thought I’d see that.”