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Rhys Nicholson
Nicholson in 2019
Born (1990-04-22) 22 April 1990 (age 33)
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
MediumStand-up comedy, theatre, television, film
NationalityAustralian
GenresComedy
SpouseKyran Wheatley
Websitewww.rhysnicholson.com

Rhys Nicholson (born 22 April 1990) is an Australian comedian and actor known for being a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under from 2021 onwards.

Career

Nicholson in 2013

In 2011, Nicholson featured in the ABC documentary GayCrashers, alongside Joel Creasey, in which the duo travel to the small town of Colac and perform a stand-up show. Creasey had been the subject of a homophobic attack on an earlier visit to the town.[1]

Rhys Nicholson stars on the show The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

In 2016, to highlight the importance of marriage equality in Australia, Nicholson publicly married lesbian and fellow comedian Zoe Coombs Marr at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. That year Nicholson and Coombs Marr were also both nominated for the Barry Award for Best Show, which Coombs Marr won.[2]

In 2021, Nicholson served as a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, alongside RuPaul and Michelle Visage.[3] The same year they appeared on the panel show Patriot Brains. In 2022, they played Doctor Sarkov in Netflix's Science-Fiction series The Imperfects.[4]

In February 2024, Nicholson will be a contestant on the second series of Taskmaster Australia.[5]

Live solo shows

Personal life

Nicholson grew up in Newcastle to parents who were both artists.[7] They are the nibling of a member of Machine Gun Fellatio.[8]

Nicholson is gay[9] and non-binary.[10][11] They have also spoken openly about their struggle with bulimia.[12]

In September 2023, Nicholson married their partner, former Triple J radio presenter Kyran Wheatley, with whom they had established Comedy Republic, a comedy venue in Melbourne.[13][14]

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2017 Rhys Nicholson Live at The Eternity Playhouse Best Comedy Release Nominated [15]

References

  1. ^ "Gaycrashers: Opening Shot". ABC Television. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Comedians Zoe Coombs Marr and Rhys Nicholson wed in Melbourne's first gay marriage". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ^ "New judge joins RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under". Stuff.co.nz. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  4. ^ Lucy Buglass (8 September 2022). "Meet The Imperfects cast: who's who in the Netflix sci-fi series". whattowatch.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Taskmaster Australia Announces It's [sic] Season 2 Line-Up!". 10 play. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  6. ^ Rhys, Nicholson. "Rhys Nicholson Biography". imdb.com. imdb. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  7. ^ Suzi Ruffell (5 June 2023). "S7 EP13: Rhys Nicholson". Spotify (Podcast). Keep It Light Media. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ^ Michael Chakraverty and Mark Watson (September 2021). "rhys nicholson: machine gun fellatio". Spotify (Podcast). Impatient Productions. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Gay comedian Rhys Nicholson: Men on train called me a faggot and threatened to 'bash me to death'". 18 March 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Rhys Nicholson's MICF 2022 show is clever, polished and so so funny". 15 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  11. ^ Magazine, express (15 August 2022). "Exclusive: Rhys Nicholson Serves Non-Binary Realness". express Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  12. ^ Thomas, Sarah (17 April 2017). "Rhys Nicholson's Sydney Comedy Festival show I'm Fine shares his story of bulimia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Rhys Nicholson's wildest dreams have come true, so what comes next?". 2 May 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  14. ^ @rhysnicholson (30 September 2023). "One week ago 💒" – via Instagram.
  15. ^ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

External links

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