Daniel-Ryan Spaulding is a Canadian comic and influencer whose brand is the slogan 'Power Gay', which refers to "someone who isn't afraid to say what they think".[1]
Early life and education
editSpaulding grew up in a liberal suburb of Vancouver attending public schools that emphasized anti-bullying. He majored in theater at Queen's University at Kingston,[2] and first performed standup comedy at age 23 at a gay bar in Vancouver.[3]
Career
editSpaulding's 2014 video “If Gay Guys Said the Stuff Straight People Say...” gained over 2 million views on Youtube, exposing microaggressions and straight privilege.[3] The HuffPost praised the video's "brilliant" lines including "Ugh! That's so straight!"[4] and ran a second piece when Spaulding released a followup video.[5] While living in Amsterdam, Spaulding created over 130 episodes of a video series called "It's Berlin" in which he delved into the psychology of Berliners.[6] Lola magazine described Spaulding as "one of Berlin's iconic personalities".[7]
Spaulding's 2023 video "Birthday & New Beginnings After Gastric Sleeve Surgery!" marked his foray into working as a health and wellness content creator.[6]
Spaulding performed his one-man show "Power Gay" at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe's Just the Tonic at the Caves,[8] in Europe and Tel Aviv,[9] and at New York City's Redeye.[10]
Spaulding's video about the October 7 attacks gained over 9 million views on social media.[11][12]
Criticism
editFollowing his activism in late 2023,[13] critics said Spaulding was social climbing in New York while on the "Zionist payroll". Spaulding, who is not Jewish, responded that antisemitism is a conspiracy theory[14] and that he advocates for peace and for gay rights in the Middle East.[1]
Personal life
editSpaulding lost over 200 pounds (90 kilos) after achieving sobriety and having gastric sleeve surgery in 2022. He also underwent a hair transplant in Turkey.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Nunn, Jerry (August 14, 2024). "Daniel-Ryan Spaulding pumps up for a 'Power Gay' performance". Windy City Times. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Berliner Hipster und deutsche Effizienz: Daniel Ryan Spauldings Corona-Retter heißt Böhmermann" [Berlin hipsters and German efficiency: Daniel Ryan Spaulding's Corona savior is called Böhmermann]. Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ a b Meyer, Jonas (September 15, 2021). "Interview — Daniel–Ryan Spaulding". MYP Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Nichols, James (May 22, 2014). "Daniel-Ryan Spaulding Asks 'What If Gay Guys Said The Shit Straight People Say?'". HuffPost. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Nagy, Sasha (June 26, 2014). "Comedian Turns Tables On Thoughtless Gay Comments (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Styles, Rhyannon (July 25, 2023). "Daniel-Ryan Spaulding: Seriously funny". The Berliner. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Bijur, Cathy. "He's So Berlin". LOLA. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Edfringe 2023 Review: Daniel-Ryan Spaulding: Power Gay!". Culture Fix. August 8, 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Spaulding, Daniel-Ryan (March 19, 2024). "Facing Hate in Berlin". Tablet. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "We Took New York's TikTokers to Lunch". New York Magazine. curbed.com. December 4, 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Check dein Hirn": Wutrede von Comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding zu Hamas-Terroristen geht viral" ["Check your brain": Comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding's angry speech about Hamas terrorists goes viral]. T-online.de. October 12, 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Eidinger, Irene (March 28, 2024). "Hamas is being infantilized". Jungle World. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (March 15, 2024). "Gay Canadian comedian's viral video exposes Hamas in new light". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Spiro, Amy (March 22, 2024). "Comedian-turned-unlikely advocate for Israel is heading back to the Jewish state". Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 September 2024.