Elvira Kurt (born December 9, 1961) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

, and was the host of the game show '' Spin Off''. She hosted the entertainment satire/

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

PopCultured ''PopCultured'' is a Canadian television talk show, which aired on The Comedy Network in 2005 and 2006. The program featured stand-up comedian Elvira Kurt and other cast members poking fun at celebrities in the context of a mock newscast similar to ...

with Elvira Kurt'', which began on

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...

in Canada in 2005. That show's style was similar to ''

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. It was cancelled due to poor ratings in early 2006. She is of Jewish Hungarian descent. Openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, she coined the term "fellagirly" to describe herself and other lesbians whose style is a blend of

butch and femme ''Butch'' and ''femme'' (; ; ) are terms used in the lesbian subculture to ascribe or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme) identity with its associated traits, behaviors, styles, self-perception, and so on. The terms were found ...

, as opposed to strictly one or the other. Her comedic style relies heavily on complaints about

celebrity culture Celebrity culture is a high-volume exposure to celebrities' personal lives on a global scale. It is inherently tied to consumer interests where celebrities transform their fame to become product brands. Whereas a culture can usually be physically ...

, her own appearance, and the effects of aging. Kurt was the first out LGBT comedian to perform on national Canadian television, with her performance on CBC talk show ''Friday Night! With Ralph Benmergui'' in 1993. She performed at the inaugural ''

We're Funny That Way! ''We're Funny That Way'' began as an annual charity comedy festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1996. Launched in 1996 by Maggie Cassella, the festival featured stand-up and sketch comedy shows by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comedia ...

'' comedy festival in 1997, and appeared in the festival's documentary film in 1998. In the same year she was part of the cast of ''

In Thru the Out Door ''In Thru the Out Door'' is a Canadian comedy special, which aired on CBC Television on June 22, 1998.Alan Conter, "Show tackles sex, gender full-tilt: Born at Just for Laughs, CBC's In Thru the Out Door brings gay comedy to the small screen". ''Mo ...

'', an LGBT-themed sketch comedy special broadcast by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. In 2007, Kurt hosted the second season of the gay wedding series '' First Comes Love'' (which originated in Canada under the title ''

My Fabulous Gay Wedding ''My Fabulous Gay Wedding'' is a Canadian reality show hosted by comedian Scott Thompson in the first season and Elvira Kurt in the second. The series airs on the Global Television Network. It is broadcast in the U.S. as ''First Comes Love'', ...

''). She is a judge on '' The Second City's Next Comedy Legend'', a frequent guest on the

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

show ''

The Debaters ''The Debaters'' is a Canadian radio comedy show hosted by Steve Patterson. It airs on CBC Radio One, Saturdays at 1:30PM and Wednesdays at 11:30AM, Eastern Time. During each episode, two debates take place between two sets of two contestants. ...

'', and a weekly guest on '' Q'' where she does a "Cultural Hall of Shame" segment each week, typically on the last half-hour on the Friday morning broadcast. Kurt was the host of ''Spin Off'', a prime time

quiz show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

-based television station

CHCH-DT CHCH-DT (channel 11) is an independent television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Channel Zero, the station maintains studios on Innovation Drive in the west end of Hamilton; prior to 2021, it was located near the corner of Jack ...

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...

was executive producer and creator of ''Spin Off'', which premiered on September 11, 2013. In 2020 she was the host of

CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

's '' Queer Pride Inside'' special.

Discography

*''Kitten with a Wit'' (1999)

References

External links

*
Elvira Kurt at CHCH
(autumn 2013)

My Fabulous Gay Wedding Blog

Q&A with Elvira Kurt on blogTO (2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurt, Elvira 1961 births Living people Jewish Canadian comedians Canadian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Canadian stand-up comedians Comedians from Toronto Lesbian comedians LGBT Jews Canadian women comedians Canadian LGBT broadcasters Canadian game show hosts Canadian sketch comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners Canadian LGBT comedians