From the CBC:
“This northern Ontario comic can't talk, but he's made it on
America's Got Talent”
Ahren Belisle can't talk because he's living with cerebral
palsy, but that hasn't stopped the Canadian standup comic from landing a spot
on America's Got Talent. Belisle, who grew up in Bonfield and North Bay in
northern Ontario, uses a text-to-speech app on his phone for his stage routine.
The 28-year-old's television debut on NBC's America's Got Talent is set for
Tuesday night, although the widely popular show has already released his
audition on its social media channels.
Spoiler alert: all four judges approved of his set and gave him "yes"
votes. "You have a grasp of timing and humour," said judge Howie
Mandel, a fellow Canadian. "You open up the conversation, and normalize
humanity and originality. And you're funny." Longtime judge Simon Cowell
asked Belisle if he has a day job, to which Belisle replied, through his app
and after a long pause: "I'm an engineer." Cowell said the
performance will change his life.
Belisle told CBC's Morning North that he became a standup
comic after a trip to Portugal. "I went to a charity comedy night at a
café," he said using his text-to-voice app. "Apparently I was
heckling and the comics thought I was hilarious. So they told me I should try
comedy." That was one year ago. Belisle said he spends a lot of time in
Ottawa, where he has a good relationship with the Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club.
His America's Got Talent appearance came after producers saw
a TikTok video of his routine that had gone viral. "It was a lot easier
and better than I imagined," Belisle said about performing on the show. "I
thought I would be under a lot of rules and they would tell me to do things,
but honestly, they really did let me be me. And if you saw my audition, they
definitely let me be edgy."
A lot of Belisle's humour stems from his experiences living
with cerebral palsy, and how people around him react to a person with a
disability. In his skit, for instance, he says he used to have the word
"handicapped" on his social media bio, and pokes fun at a woman who
messaged him saying he needed to change "handicapped," which is
"offensive," to "disabled." (In the video with this story,
you'll see the comedic way Belisle handled her comments.) Belisle said his
goals are to keep touring and make people laugh, and eventually get his green
card to more easily work and perform in the U.S. Ahren Belisle of North Bay got
a spot on America's Got Talent. His stand-up comedy routine is very
impressive... especially since he can't speak. Thanks to technology, we had the
opportunity to interview Belisle and play a portion of his routine from a
YouTube video of the performance.
^ I watched him on “AGT” and he was very funny. I hope he goes
far on the show and in his career. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ahren-belisle-comic-americas-got-talent-1.6874575
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