Comedians around the globe have gifted the world with their ability to entertain others. We have curated a list of comedians with dyslexia who are extremely talented and open to sharing their stories about how they got to where they are today as well as the steps they took to achieve their success.
Phil Hanley
Phil Hanley is a comedian, actor and writer. He started his stand-up comedy career in Vancouver, Canada when he started performing at open-mic venues and between bands at music venues. He had success acting in the movie I Feel Pretty in 2018, Spymate in 2003 and Air Buddies in 2006. He has also made appearances on the Late Night with Seth Meyers talk show and the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In his interview with Dyslexia Canada’s Communications Manager, Anna Ashbarry, Phil explains how he was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 10, however, realized that he had a type of learning difficulty at 6 years old. Dyslexia affects Phil’s day-to-day activities through his lack of organizational skills. For example, scheduling his flights and shows alongside juggling his personal life can be quite daunting.
Phil Hanley on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Click on the video below to watch a snip-clip of Phil Hanley’s performance on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
Dyslexia Diaries with Phil Hanley
Dyslexia Canada’s Communications Manager, Anna Ashbarry, recently had the opportunity to interview Phil Hanley! Watch this interview to gain further insight into his career, experience with dyslexia, and more!
Mo Gilligan
Mosiah Bikila Gilligan is a British stand-up comedian. He realized his passion for comedy while attending a performing arts school in the UK. However, he was very aware of how difficult it was to start a career in comedy so he started posting videos of himself on the internet displaying his personality and humour to allow him to reach out to an audience. The success of his social media platforms helped him start his career and build the connections and fanbase he needed. On top of being a successful comedian, he wrote a book called That Moment When: Life Stories from Way Back Then. During an interview with BBC Radio Live, Mo described that writing his book helped him prove to himself that he could tackle big feats as his dyslexia made him feel like writing a book would be a near-to-impossible task. His advice to others was to “own it”, whether you have dyslexia or something that makes you feel less confident, you should own your situation and not shy away from who you are and what you have to do to prove to yourself or others that you are worthy. Mo has won two BAFTA awards and was named the funniest person in Britain by The Times!
Mo Gilligan and his take on school and his dyslexia
Mo Gilligan was bullied for having dyslexia in school and now often uses these experiences to fuel his stand-up comedy routines.
Liz Miele
Liz Miele started her career by doing stand-up comedy at the age of 16 in New York City. Her stand-up videos have blown up on YouTube and she has released her own podcast and animated video series. Liz was diagnosed with dyslexia in grade 3. In her stand-up comedy video, Dyslexia and Comedy she explains how difficult it was going to school when she was younger. As she would be separated from her friends to be put in different classes that wouldn’t even give her the education she needed.
Liz Miere’s dyslexia and comedy
One of Liz Miele’s stand-up comedy videos posted on YouTube was very insightful and informative on dyslexia and her personal experience with this learning disability.
Do you know any comedians with dyslexia we haven’t included in this blog post? We’d love to know! Email us at info@dyslexiacanada.org.