15 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Letterkenny’

15 It Began as a YouTube Series

Letterkenny first began as a YouTube show called “Letterkenny Problems,” before being picked up as the first original series commissioned by Canada’s Crave streaming service.

14 The Town Shares Its Name With a Ghost Town That Once Housed Al Capone

While Letterkenny is fictional, creator and star Jared Keeso reportedly based it off of his real-life hometown of Listowel, Ontario. Weirdly, though, there was a real Letterkenny, Ontario; a hamlet in Renfrew County, now a ghost town, that was once rumored to have housed a cottage belonging to Al Capone. Maybe someone should make a show about that Letterkenny. 

13 It’s Set and Filmed in Alex Trebek’s Hometown

The fake town of Letterkenny is supposedly near Sudbury, Ontario, which is where they film the series, which also, by the way, is the birthplace of Alex Trebek. Or rather, “What is the birthplace of Alex Trebek?”

12 Jay Baruchel Was a Guest Star

In 2018, Baruchel appeared in two episodes as “Hard Right Jay,” a hilariously pathetic white nationalist protesting the decision to rename the Letterkenny Chiefs.

11 The Actor Who Plays Noah Was a Canadian Talk Show Host

Local Mennonite Noah Dyck (that’s Dyck “with a Y”) is played by Jonathan Torrens, who also writes for the show.

But back in the 1990s, Torrens was best known for being the host of Jonovision, the CBC’s youth-oriented talk show.

10 Keeso Was in ‘Elysium’

Before creating Letterkenny, Keeso was a struggling actor in Hollywood. If you need further proof, you can see Keeso briefly in the Matt Damon turd Elysium.

9 He Also Played a Famously Obnoxious Hockey Personality in a TV Miniseries

Keeso did land a larger role when he moved back to Canada, starring in the CBC miniseries Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story playing notorious Canadian celebrity Don Cherry, the former NHL coach/broadcaster/annoying racist blowhard.

8 The Cast Went on Tour in 2022

The live shows featured scenes from Letterkenny, new unaired material and also the actors performing stand-up sets as themselves.

7 It Has Been Praised for its Indigenous Representation

As writer Kelly Boutsalis points out, “Letterkenny is a character-driven show that has humanized a lot of the players, no matter which group they identify with, and the show’s choice to represent the Indigenous characters so well is incredibly meaningful.”

6 Brad Pitt Is a Fan

During the 2020 Oscars red carpet, Pitt paused to tell a Canadian reporter how much he likes Letterkenny.

5 … and So Is the Guy From Tool

Also among the show’s celebrity fans is Maynard James Keenan, the frontman for Tool, who posted a photo of himself wearing a Letterkenny T-shirt on Instagram.

4 Puppers Is Now a Real Beer

Like Duff beer before it, Puppers, the fictional lager from the show, was eventually brewed in the real world, first by Sudbury’s Stack Brewing and later by Labatt.

3 It Won Several Canadian Screen Awards

The Canadian Screen Awards are basically like if the Oscars and Emmys were combined, but were also less exciting and more polite. Letterkenny's wins include one for Best Comedy Series in 2017.

2 Some Fans Want Keeso to Play Wolverine

There is a movement of fans who are demanding that Marvel cast Keeso as the new Wolverine — who, to be fair, is canonically Canadian. 

1 It Has Inspired Two Spin-Offs (One of Which Is a Cartoon)

The success of Letterkenny has led to two spin-off series, Shorsey, all about the falsetto-voiced hockey player whose face was previously never seen (also played by Keeso)…

…and, more bizarrely, the animated Littlekenny, which is basically the Muppet Babies of the Letterkenny-verse. 

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