Rhys Nicholson (born 22 April 1990) is an Australian comedian and actor known for being a judge on Drag Race Down Under from 2021 onwards.
| Rhys Nicholson | |
|---|---|
 Nicholson in 2019 | |
| Born | 22 April 1990 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, theatre, television, film |
| Nationality | Australia, United States |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Spouse | Kyran Wheatley |
| Website | www |
Career
edit
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]
On 31 October 2023, Nicholson released a book Dish: Spiels, Scoops, Emotional Outbursts and the Occasional Recipe.[5]
Nicholson competed in the third season of Taskmaster Australia, which began airing in September 2024.[6]
They are a dual citizen of Australia and the United States, which they revealed in a July 2024 Instagram post.[7]
- Social Liability (2011)
- Almost a Person (2012)
- Dawn of a New Error (2013)
- Eurgh (2014)
- Forward (2015)
- Bona Fide (2016)
- I'm Fine (2017)
- Seminal (2018)
- Nice People, Nice Things, Nice Situations (2019)
- Live at The Athenaeum (2020)
- Rhys, Rhys, Rhys (2020, 2021, 2022)
Personal life
editNicholson grew up in Newcastle to parents who were both artists.[9] They are the nibling of a member of Machine Gun Fellatio.[10]
Nicholson is gay[11] and non-binary.[12][13] They have also spoken openly about their struggle with bulimia.[14]
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.[15][16]
Awards and nominations
editARIA Music Awards
edit| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rhys Nicholson Live at The Eternity Playhouse | Best Comedy Release | Nominated | [17] |
References
edit- ^ "Gaycrashers: Opening Shot". ABC Television. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ Lallo, Michael (16 April 2016). "Comedians Zoe Coombs Marr and Rhys Nicholson wed in Melbourne's first gay marriage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Buglass, Lucy (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.
- ^ "Dish Spiels, scoops, emotional outbursts and the occasional recipe". Penguin Books Australia. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Perry, Kevin (10 September 2024). "Taskmaster Australia Moves to Tuesday Nights – Season 2 Starts September 24". tvblackbox.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Nicholson, Rhys [@rhysnicholson] (13 July 2024). "Nothing like a new passport to officially announce to yourself you are not a Twink anymore, and haven't been for quite some time". Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Rhys, Nicholson. "Rhys Nicholson Biography". imdb.com. imdb. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Swire, Saffron (15 February 2023). "Rhys Nicholson's MICF 2022 show is clever, polished and so so funny". Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Exclusive: Rhys Nicholson Serves Non-Binary Realness". gayexpress.co.nz. YOUR EX. 15 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Le Cross, Alannah (2 May 2022). "Rhys Nicholson's wildest dreams have come true, so what comes next?". Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ Nicholson, Rhys [@rhysnicholson] (1 October 2023). "One week ago 💒". Archived from the original on 19 September 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
