Hilarious Comedian Has Liberals Walking Out of his Show

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Comedian Ben Bankas Has Crowds Walking Out

Ben Bankas is a Canadian stand-up. He’s sharp. He’s loud. He doesn’t play safe.

Some people love him. Others walk out. That’s the point for a lot of his fans. For others, his material crosses a line.

He covers hot-button topics. Religion. Race. Immigration. Gender. He makes jokes that land and jokes that don’t. Clips of his sets have been shared widely on social platforms. Some went viral.

One clip has him saying a line that grabbed attention: “I’m okay with late term abortion if the baby was trans” and you can see people leaving. That tweet and others have driven the debate about whether his comedy is edgy or just crude.

Other clips show him poking at the Muslim call to prayer and commenting on activists. They landed for some and upset others.

He has posted clips from his own account too. One short bit references an activist he calls the “ICE LADY.”

Another clip touches on language and appearance while riffing about race. It’s the sort of routine that splits a room.

Not everyone is amused. A Canadian outlet reported that a local theatre canceled a scheduled Bankas show after complaints. The reporting includes comments from the theatre board about improving vetting for events. The article says the show was canceled after Garden River Chief Karen Bell told SooToday she was against Bankas performing in the Sault –because his jokes about Indigenous people and residential schools are “inaccurate” and “crude.”

The piece notes that Bankas has had other shows canceled in Kelowna, Calgary, Thunder Bay and North Bay.

Christopher Rous, the board’s president, said having to cancel the March 6 performance made the board realize they must take a closer look at shows before letting them book the theatre.

“What occurred has shed light on the need to vet third-party programming with greater vigour to ensure we have appropriate and sufficient guidelines in place.

“We regret this and are taking these steps to ensure it does not happen again,” Rous said.

Whether you think Bankas is fearless or simply offensive depends on your taste in comedy. He’s still touring. If he comes near you, expect a show that won’t be buttoned up. Expect people to laugh. Expect people to leave.

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