Kliph Nesteroff Explains Why Canadians are Funnier than Jay Is
August 24, 2026 · 54 min
Why listen
A comedy historian explains why Canada produces so much great comedy and what actually makes things funny.
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In this episode
- A real theory for why Canada punches so far above its weight in comedy
- The strange history of Canadian television and why it shaped so many careers
- Why some brilliant Canadian comedians never cross over to American fame
- A firsthand account of growing up obsessed with comedy in rural British Columbia
About this episode
Comedy historian and author Kliph Nesteroff joins Jay to answer one of life's great mysteries: Why are Canadians so damn funny?
From Jim Carrey and Norm Macdonald to Kids in the Hall, Nathan Fielder, SCTV, Michael J. Fox, and countless others, Canada has produced an absurd amount of comedy talent. Kliph has a theory about why — and it might have something to do with being an outsider looking in on America.
Kliph also tells Jay about growing up in rural Canada, obsessing over comedy and The Simpsons, becoming “California sober” before ever moving to California, and the legendary high school election where he roasted his teachers in front of the entire school, won the presidency 398–2… and promptly got kicked out.
They also dig into the strange history of Canadian television, why some brilliant Canadian comedians never become famous in America, what actually makes something funny, and why Southern California apparently doesn't count as moving to the United States.
Kliph's new book, Sorry, We're Funny: How Canada Became a Comedy Powerhouse, explores how a country once dismissed as humorless became responsible for some of the funniest people in entertainment.
And after nearly an hour of discussing what makes Canadians funny, absolutely no progress is made toward explaining Jay.
Bio: Kliph Nesteroff is the author of four books about comedy: The Comedians, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem, Outrageous and the forthcoming Sorry, We're Funny: How Canada Became a Comedy Powerhouse. He often appears in his capacity as comedy historian on CNN, HBO and Vice and has worked on projects with Judd Apatow, Albert Brooks and the late Rob Reiner. Born in Castlegar, British Columbia, he grew up watching Wayne and Shuster and the Kids in the Hall on CBC.
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About Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen
Don’t Be Alone with Jay Kogen is a comedy/advice podcast trying to fight the isolation of modern life. Each episode, Award winning TV writer/comedian/philosopher Jay Kogen has a conversation with a friend about how to solve the problems on Jay’s mind.
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