Josh Thomas (comedian)

Joshua Michael Thomas (born 26 May 1987) is an Australian comedian, actor and writer living in Melbourne. In 2005, he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy Competition.[1] He has since appeared on television numerous times, including as a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network Ten's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.[2] In 2013, Thomas created the award-winning ABC2 and Pivot television series Please Like Me, which he also co-wrote and starred in.[3]

Josh Thomas
Thomas in 2012
Birth nameJoshua Michael Thomas
Born (1987-05-26) 26 May 1987
Blackwater, Queensland, Australia
MediumStand-up, television, radio
NationalityAustralian
Years active2005–present
WebsiteJoshThomas.com.au

Early life

Thomas was born in Blackwater, Queensland, the son of Rebecca and Mike Thomas.[4][5] He lived in Chapel Hill and Westlake in Brisbane's western suburbs and attended Kenmore State High School, from which he matriculated in 2004. He studied for a Bachelor of Creative Industries, majoring in Television at the Queensland University of Technology, but dropped out after one year.

Career

In 2005 he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's RAW Comedy Award. He made the finals of So You Think You're Funny at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The following year, he was selected to perform in The Comedy Zone, a showcase of Australia's most promising up-and-coming comedians presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[6]

In 2007, Thomas' first solo show, "Please Like Me" debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it received the Melbourne Airport Award for Best Newcomer.[7] His live shows have toured both nationally and internationally, appearing in both Edinburgh and Montreal's comedy festivals.[8] In 2010, Thomas toured his coming-out themed stand-up show "Surprise", taking it to the Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[9]

2011 saw him touring Everything Ever at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, among other locations.[10]

Podcast

Thomas has a podcast called Josh Thomas and Friend, available from iTunes, which features Thomas and his comedian friends Mel Buttle and Tom Ward. In November 2009 a second series of the podcast was released on iTunes, and the first series was deleted. The third series was released in 2011, and the second series was deleted as well.

Television

In 2009, Thomas became a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network Ten's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.[11] He also competed in Celebrity MasterChef Australia, but lost in the first heat to Kirk Pengilly of INXS.[12]

Please Like Me

In February 2013, the television series Please Like Me, written by Thomas, debuted on ABC2. Participant Media's television network Pivot acquired the series for the US and premiered all six episodes as a binge marathon on 1 August 2013 to celebrate the channel's launch after premiering the first episode online.[13] The initial six-part series is based on his stand-up comedy shows and stars Thomas as himself.[3]

In 2014, the series was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series.[14] For his work on the series, Thomas has won various accolades, including an AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay in 2015. In 2015 it was short-listed for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.[15]

Everything's Gonna Be Okay

In 2018, Thomas created Everything's Gonna Be Okay, a television comedy about a single guy (played by himself) in his twenties who stays in the United States, after his father dies, to take care of his teenage half-sisters. The show was given a pilot order by Freeform,[16] and was picked up to series.[17] The show premiered in January 2020, with Thomas starring, writing, and serving as the showrunner in the series.

References
  1. Stephens, Andrew (8 April 2007). "Did you hear the one about the comedian who broke even?". The Age. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  2. Talking Bout Your Generation – Josh Thomas. Ten.com.au (2009-04-06). Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
  3. ABC2 Homepage for 'Please Like Me' TV series
  4. "Panellist: Josh Thomas". Q&A. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. Hooton, Amanda (7 December 2016). "The secret life of comedian Josh Thomas". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  6. Slattery, Annette (28 April 2006). "Comedy Zone". The Groggy Squirrel. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  7. Ziffer, Daniel (30 April 2007). "Jokes aside, Kitson is the best". The Age. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  8. Slattery, Annette (7 February 2008). "Brisbane gets a dose of Festival Spirit". The Groggy Squirrel. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  9. Josh Thomas web page. joshthomas.com.au
  10. Melbourne Comedy Festival webpage Archived 15 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Josh Thomas: Comedian/Writer". Token Artists. January 2008. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  12. AAP (1 October 2009). "INXS' Kirk Pengilly wins MasterChef heat". The Age. Fairfax. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  13. "'Please Like Me,' Australian TV Series, Explores Coming-Of-Age And Sexuality (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  14. "Please like Josh's show for an Emmy". NewsComAu. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  15. "New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards" (PDF). SL Magazine. 8 (4): 36.
  16. Petski, Denise (10 May 2018). "Freeform Orders 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Comedy Pilot From 'Please Like Me' Creator". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  17. Otterson, Joe (12 December 2018). "Freeform Orders Comedy 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' From Josh Thomas". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
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