There was an age-old stereotype in the humor business, especially in stand-up comedy. It has always tipped in favor of the male sex. Recently, however, a new generation of female comics has emerged that has reached and even surpassed the male-dominated stage. One of the prominent figures among them is Irish, Canadian-born stand-up comedian, actress, author and show host Katherine Ryan.
She was the perfect replacement for Steve Jones as the host of British reality show Hair on BBC2 in 2015 and she has also appeared on the sitcom Campus and Don’t Have a Front Row alongside English comedian Jack Dee.
She is a stand-up comedian on the BBC Live at Apollo , which won her the 2013 Nivea Funny Women Award. In this post, you will learn more about her biography, boyfriend and family life.
Katherine Ryan Bio
Katharine Ryan was born on June 30, 1983 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada to Irish immigrant Finbar Ryan, who was an architect and engineer. She worked part-time as a waitress trainer at the Hooters while at school and continued her work full-time after graduating from the University of Toronto. The job gave her a much-needed opportunity to travel to various company offices across Canada and she even helped open an office in Nottingham, UK.
She finally moved to London in January 2008, a move she is very pleased with. She joked in an interview that she would only return to Canada if she was terminally ill.
As a comedian, the Canadian stand-up comic made her first TV appearance on BBC Channel 4’s 8 out of 10 Cats TV comedy panel Game in 2012. The following year (2013) she starred in Lets Dance Impersonated for Comic Relief competition Nicky Minaj. She made it to the finals in the competition and placed fourth. That same year, Katharine appeared with the Whitney Cummings Just for Fun .
When Steve Jones (of X-factor) left the BBC Two Hair in 2015, Katharine joined the reality show as his stand-in and also became a panelist on Sky One ‘s Bring the Noise music/comedy competition . She also aired another show that same year, ITV’s Safe Word . Katherine Ryan won the introductory series in the second series of Taskmaster in 2016 and went on a comedy tour tagged Kathbum the same year.
Katharine Ryan was the voice actress for the Ranceford cat TV series in the 2016 Disney animated film Fake Cat.
In February 2017, Netflix released her comedy special Katharine Ryan: In Trouble , featuring some of the live performances from the previous year’s tour. She has two series of your face or mine? a Longside Jimmy Carr.
Katherine’s winning humor was misunderstood in 2013 after she jokingly scoffed at the fact that cosmetics weren’t tested on animals but on Filipino children. This stunt was met with dislike from Filipino audiences, who labeled it a racist remark and called for the show to be stopped. After that, vile death threats poured in over the internet, but somehow she trudged through the water for her own safety.
comedian’s family life
The multi-talented television personality was born to Irish immigrant father Finbar Ryan, who was an architect and engineer, while her mother was a Canadian who owned an ICT consulting firm. Katharine has two younger sisters; Kerrie Ryan and Joanne Ryan and they all spent some of their childhood days with their paternal grandparents in Cork, Ireland.
Her parents’ marriage ended when she was only 15. At 18, young Katherine left home to pursue a career in the city. She enrolled at the University of Toronto and part-time worked at the Hooters, where she trained waitresses. As a hobby, Katherine would attend open mic nights at a clubhouse, a habit that gradually developed her flair for comedy.
Her mother’s name is not known, but another fact known about her is that she was a breast cancer survivor. Coincidentally, Katherine Ryan had her own seizure (skin cancer) twice and luckily she overcame it.
daughter, friend
Katherine Ryan is a single mother to a daughter, Violet, who was born in 2010. Violet is an offspring of her relationship with an ex-boyfriend whose identity she has not revealed, although she broke up with him for cheating and even made a joke out of it.
She is single with no known relationship and currently resides in London with her only child. The actress told The Guardian in an interview that she would love to get pregnant again.
Ryan’s passion for her career and love for her baby saw her belt just under 21 days after giving birth in the baby to meet up with her previously booked comedy show. The single mother is looking forward to more children but added that a man may not be in her family picture.
Ryan once revealed that she was dating American stand-up comedian Alex Edelman from New York. He won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2014.
The Canadian-born actress later told a UK-based tabloid The Sun that she doesn’t see much of Edelman. According to her, they have been in operation for over three years. However, she added that the American comedian is the best she has ever dated.
The 5ft 6in tall blonde comedian earns most of her income from stand-up tours and acting. Her current net worth is estimated at around $1 million. If she continues her impressive performances in the years to come, she could earn a lot more.