A man of short stature with a huge personality: Meet Nick Reynoldson

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Nick Reynoldson, a Toronto-native that is guaranteed to have you beside yourself with joy.

The Scarborough-born and raised stand-up comedian can’t physically entertain live audiences at the moment, but he has something else up his sleeve to keep people laughing at home.

Reynoldson’s debut stand-up comedy album I’ll Be Fine, presented by Comedy Records is set to be released on May 22^nd, 2020. It will be available on Spotify, Google Play and Apple Music.

I’ll Be Fine gives a hilarious background story of what it’s like to be the eldest son of a Guyanese mother and white Canadian father. The album never has a dull moment, with animated tales about flexing in the club, first-time experiences with healing crystals and his internal battle with thermal underwear. From receiving a speechless parrot as a pet, adopting whales and constantly being intimidated by his younger brother, Reynoldson’s sharp, energetic, self-deprecating comedic style shines through.

A 15-minute conversation that left me chuckling even once the phone call ended, it was a shock that comedy was not his initial dream.

“I think I wanted to be an actor growing up. I always knew I wanted some sort of attention from strangers,” he says.

His aspirations to pursue comedy came from discovering hysterical heavy hitters such as Dave Chappelle and Jim Carrey. Reynoldson gives them credit for inspiring him to apply for the comedy program at Humber College.

Much of Reynoldson’s humour stems from the fact that he’s the product of an interracial marriage. From his parents’ debates on whether to spank their children to his father being the only white man present at Guyanese get togethers, Reynoldson attributes the diversity in his childhood to who he is today.

“Growing up in a mixed-race household was awesome. I knew I was mixed because one side of my family was brown and the other is very white. You notice it as a kid, but you don’t necessarily understand what that means. You don’t even understand what two cultures mean, but you’re gaining things from two very different cultures. Scarborough is very multicultural. All of my friends were mixed, so I thought that was how everyone grew up. It wasn’t until I went to college when people started asking, “What the hell are you? Or Guyana, what’s that?” It really shaped my brain to see how different we are but how exactly the same we can be,” says Reynoldson.

Entertaining people from coast-to-coast, Reynoldson often faces different audiences but receives the same laughter. As a rising star on the comedy scene, he was a runner up at SiriusXM’s Top Comic Competition in 2018. Reynoldson has appeared in major festivals including Just for Laughs, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and JFL42 as part of the New Faces Showcase. He has also been featured on a multitude of television networks such as MTV, MUCH, and CBC.

Outside of stand-up comedy, Reynoldson has a love he shares with millions of Canadians.

As a big-time Raptors fan, he co-hosts a weekly podcast alongside fellow comedian Barry Taylor titled “Talking Raptors.” With episodes under 40-minutes long, the dynamic duo informally discuss all sorts of topics related to the Raptors franchise with their distinct comedic tone. Venturing into its 7^th season, the show had been picked up by Raptors Republic, an ESPN TrueHoop Network affiliate.

With a 14-year long journey so far that’s nowhere close to ending soon, Reynoldson shares some heartfelt advice with any upcoming Canadian comedians.

“Don’t do it. Stay in school and get a better job,” he jokes.

“But seriously, you have to love it. Don’t step into it with a goal of being rich and famous because that isn’t how it happens. You have to work hard and stay persistent and that begins with loving what you do.”