Yuk Yuk's is a national

comedy club A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisati ...

chain in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, founded by former

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

comedian Mark Breslin and established in 1976 by Breslin and long-time friend Joel Axler. The company is currently run by Breslin and his long-time partner and president Jeff Silverman. The head office is located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Currently there are nine Yuk Yuk's Comedy Clubs in five provinces across Canada. Yuk Yuk's primarily uses talent under exclusive contract to its in-house agency, Funny Business Talent Inc., but it also books popular American stand-up comics to tour their clubs from coast to coast.

Creation 1976-1986

The first Yuk Yuk's shows were held on Wednesday nights in 1976 in the basement of

The 519 Church Street Community Centre The 519, formerly known as The 519 Church Street Community Centre, is an agency by the Municipal government of Toronto, City of Toronto. A Canadian charitable, non-profit organisation, it operates a community centre in the Church and Wellesley n ...

on Church Street, downtown Toronto. After two years Breslin and Axler opened their first full-time location at 1280 Bay Street on March 14, 1978. In 1984 Breslin opened his second location in the nation's capital,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Ottawa comics and comedy fans flocked to the only comedy club in the city (originally at the Beacon Arms Hotel, now known as Capitol Hill Suites), with their first headliner,

Mike MacDonald Michael Macdonald (born June 26, 1987) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the B ...

. In that same year Yuk Yuk's Hamilton was opened at the Connaught Hotel with Donny Coy headlining. By 1986 Breslin had successfully opened two more locations in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Mississauga, Ontario.

1987-1998

From the late 1980s throughout the late 1990s Breslin was able to open two Yuk Yuk's comedy clubs out west in Edmonton and Calgary as well as three in Ontario, Sudbury (with comedian Chris Hawes), Ajax and London.

1999-2007

By 1999 Yuk Yuk's had grown to having nine comedy clubs across Canada. In 2000, Yuk Yuk's had created the Search for Canada's Funniest New Comic with

Adam West William West Anderson (September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017), known professionally as Adam West, was an American actor. He portrayed Batman in the 1960s ABC series of the same name and its 1966 theatrical feature film, reprising the role in ...

. In 2006 Breslin along with Silverman created a comedy contest called the Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off which aired on the Comedy Network. The national comedy contest showcased 64 comedians with 1 winner receiving $25,000, Canada's largest comedy cash prize. The Laugh Off became an annual event running from 2006 to 2011 with 6 winners and a total of $150,000 in comedian winnings. By 2007 Breslin added clubs in Kitchener Ontario, Vancouver British Columbia, Halifax Nova Scotia and Vaughan Ontario.

2008-Present

In 2009, Breslin opened the second Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Ottawa. Smaller than the original Ottawa club, the Prescott room was designed more for the open mic audience and comedians. In 2010, Yuk Yuk's Oakville opened with headliner Glen Foster. The club closed in 2012. The current Yuk Yuk's are located in the following cities:

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Halifax, Burlington,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, and

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Programming

* ''Peoples Comedy Festival'' - Host

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

– 1992 Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's 25th Anniversary'' - 2000, shot in Ottawa National Art's Centre aired on the Comedy Network, hosted by

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', playing rowd ...

, featuring Harland Williams, Jeremy Hotz, Mike Bullard,

Pat Bullard Patrick Bullard is a Canadian- American television writer, host, producer and comedian. Biography Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Bullard's elder brother was comedian Mike Bullard and his older half-brother is Downchild Blues Band lead singer ...

, Derek Edwards, Shaun Majumder,

and many others. * ''Mondo Taboo'' - 1999 - Aired on Viewer's Choice * ''Canada's Search'' - 2001- Host

"Batman" Aired on

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming and operates two time-shifted feeds, runni ...

* ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2006 - Winner Jeff McEnery, Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2007- Winner Paul Myrehuag- Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2008- Winner Graham Clark, Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2009 - Winner Mark Little, Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2010 - Winner Tom Dustin, Aired on the Comedy Network * ''Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off'' 2011 - Winner Mark DeBonis, Aired on the Comedy Network * ''The Yukin' Funny Comedy Show'', Season 1 - 2011- Aired on Bite TV * ''The Yukin' Funny Comedy Show'', Season 2 - 2012- Aired on Bite TV

Publications

*Zen and Now (Somerville House) 1985- Mark Breslin *Son of a Meech (Random House) 1991 - Mark Breslin *Control Freaked (Insomniac Press) 2002 - Mark Breslin *Yuk Yuk's Guide to Stand Up Comedy (HarperCollins, audio book) 2009 – Mark Breslin *Rarities and Road Worriors (HarperCollins, audio book) 2011 – Mark Breslin *Funny Business (Burman Books) 2012 – Jeff Silverman

References

External links

Official website

Funny Business

Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off
{{Authority control Canadian brands Comedy clubs in Canada Companies based in Toronto 1976 establishments in Canada