7 X JUST FOR LAUGHS AWARD nominee (Montreal Fringe, 2011/12/13/14/15/16/17)
12 X SELECTION - THE MOTH MAIN STAGE (NYC/London/Boston/LA/Austin)
SELECTED OFF BROADWAY SOHO THEATRE (New York, 2019)
2 X SELECTED NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST (The Moth Occasional Magic, 2019 and How to Tell a Story, 2022)
“Bennett is the patron saint of storytelling. ★★★★★” – Broadway Baby (UK)
“Bennett is scorchingly funny.” - New York Daily News
“Masterful, hilarious and heartbreaking. A triumph.” - Broadway World
BEST STORYTELLING AWARD WINNER (Sydney Fringe, 2023)
NATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER (St. Louis Fringe, 2022)
5 X BEST COMEDY AWARD nominee (Perth Fringe, 2012/13/14/15/18)
2 X BEST COMEDY AWARD nominee (Sydney Fringe, 2023)
“Armed only with self-deprecating wit and memories, Bennett reminds us that ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. ★★★★★” – The Sunday Mail (AUS)
"Stories as funny as they are heart-warmingly honest. You will laugh, but you will also tear up at the honesty he brings to the stage. ★★★★★" - National Post
2 X SELECTION JUST FOR LAUGHS ZOOFEST (Montreal, 2013/2014)
OUTSTANDING STORYTELLING AWARD WINNER (London Fringe, 2018)
2 X THE MOTH STORY SLAM WINNER (New York, 2014/LA, 2019)
FUNNIEST SHOW AWARD WINNER (London Fringe, 2015)
“A tour de force who will make you laugh–to tears. ★★★★★” - Otakuno Culture
"Bennett is an elite comedian with a masterful delivery, sense of timing, and superlative writing skills. ★★★★★" – Theatre In London
INSPIRATION AWARD WINNER (Minnesota Fringe, 2022)
SELECTED CRUISE SHIP GUEST ENTERTAINER (Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines, 2018, 2019, 2023)
BEST PERFORMER & BEST SCRIPT AWARD WINNER (Nelson Fringe, 2018)
BEST COMEDY AWARD WINNER (Victoria Fringe, 2017)
“Bennett is a joy to watch. This is bold, honest, engaging and different to a lot of standard comedy on offer. ★★★★★” – Fringe Guru (UK)
“Energetic, engaging, heartfelt, hilarious. ★★★★★” - Winning at Failing (AUS)
BEST COMEDY AWARD WINNER (San Diego Fringe, 2018)
BEST STORYTELLER AWARD WINNER (Victoria Fringe, 2019)
PRODUCERS PICK AWARD WINNER (London Fringe, 2017)
GOLDEN GIBBO AWARD FOR BEST INDEPENDENT COMEDY nominee (Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 2015)
“Incinerates your expectations of the solo confessional, this flammable Australian is in a league of his own. ★★★★½" – Edmonton Journal (CAN)
“Wonderfully funny with a hefty layer of emotion under the laughs.” - Los Angeles Times
2 X BEST INTERNATIONAL COMEDIAN nominee (New Zealand Comedy Awards, 2017/18)
PICK OF THE FRINGE AWARD WINNER (Winnipeg Fringe, 2011)
CRITICS PICK OF THE FRINGE AWARD WINNER (San Diego Fringe, 2014)
PICK OF THE FRINGE AWARD WINNER (Calgary Fringe, 2015)
“Hilarious. ★★★★★" – Edmonton Sun (CAN)
“The funniest show at the fringe. Don’t miss it. ★★★★½” - Calgary Herald
"Fantastic comedic storytelling. ★★★★½” - Channel 44
PICK OF THE FRINGE AWARD WINNER (Boulder Fringe, 2015)
BEST PERFORMANCE WINNER (Victoria Fringe, 2016)
CRITICS CHOICE AWARD WINNER (Orlando Fringe, 2015)
Jon Bennett is a world renowned comedic storyteller and 7 X JUST FOR LAUGHS AWARD nominee.
Jon’s comedy career began in his homeland Australia, and after 20 years in the business he is now known as one of the most prolific storyteller-comedians touring the world.
With a total of 9 one-hour-long individual comedy shows (Pretending Things are a Cock, Fire in the Meth Lab, My Dad's Deaths, How I Learned to Hug, IT'S RABBIT NIGHT!!!, Playing With Men, Jon Bennett VS Jason Donovan, Jon Bennett: Jonbenet, Ameri-can’t) and appearing in over 135 festivals, Jon is constantly performing across the globe making people laugh through exceptional comedic storytelling.
He has received countless 5 star reviews in reputable publications worldwide and won awards such as Funniest Show Award in the London Fringe, Critics Choice Award for Best Solo Show at the Orlando Fringe and a Golden Gibbo Award nomination at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
He has performed at a number of prestigious festivals such as the Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs and multiple times for the illustrious Moth Main Stage Storytelling in the USA, as well as having his work published in print and distributed world-wide, including being listed twice on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2019 for Occasional Magic and again in 2022 for How to Tell a Story.
Consistently noted as one of the hardest working comedians around, Jon lives by the do every gig motto. He has performed at such prestigious venues such as Paramount Theatre in Austin, The Palace Theatre in LA, Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, The Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York and made his Off Broadway debut at Soho Theatre in 2020 (stages that he has shared with hugely famous bands and comedians to Presidents Lincoln and Obama). He has also entertained audiences in comedy clubs, on cruise ships, in jails, bars, swimming pools, rehab centres, parks, churches, schools and nursing homes.
After touring the world for the past 10 years, Jon now calls Portland, Oregon home.
Before he became better known for pretending things were his cock, Jon Bennett began his comedy career doing regular stand up shows at the age of 19.
After a brief foray into TV and radio, which included writing and acting in Channel 31 comedy shows such as the award-winning The Ugly Stick, Bennett decided to change to a more storytelling style of comedy.
In 2007, he began performing in storytelling nights around Melbourne, including Northcote’s popular Willow Tales, which he now hosts.
In 2009, Bennett realised his talent for placing his groin next to inanimate objects and created the hugely popular internet photographic phenomenon Pretending Things Are a Cock. What started as a joke between friends has now spawned a successful book, exhibition and countless critically-acclaimed live performances.
The PTAAC live show has wowed audiences the world over, with Bennett bringing his phallus-laden performances to comedy festivals in Melbourne, Vancouver, Just For Laughs in Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg and the Edinburgh Fringe. PTAAC was also nominated for Montreal’s Just for Laughs Best Comedy award in 2010.
Aside from his prolific cock-making tendencies, Bennett continues to perform and tell stories around the globe. He hosts several storytelling nights around Melbourne, and has brought his stories to Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Montreal, London, Edinburgh and New York, where he has performed at several of the famous The Moth storytelling nights where in 2013 he won The Moth Story Slam.
In 2012, Bennett introduced his show My Dad’s Deaths at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and also toured extensively throughout Europe and North America earning him a 2nd Just For Laughs Award Best Comedy Award nomination. ‘My Dad’s Deaths’ performed to sell out crowds and glowing 5 star reviews in the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe.
In 2013, Jon presented his newest show, Fire in the Meth Lab, the unbelievable story of Bennett’s wayward older brother. The show has received glowing reviews from it’s debut performances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth Fringe (Best Comedy Nominee), and the Montreal Fringe Festival where he was nominated for a 3rd time for the Just For Laughs Award for Best Comedy and the Centaur Award for Best Production.
Since 2014 Bennett has been touring worldwide with his 8 one man shows. PTAAC was awarded the converted ‘Critic’s Choice Award’ in the San Diego Fringe and the latest show ‘Story Whore’ received great reviews and a 4th nomination for the Just for Laughs Award in Montreal. Jon took an impressive 3 separate shows to the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe: Pretending Things are a Cock, Fire in the Meth Lab and his first foray into a family friendly show called AAA Batteries which sold out the entire run of 26 shows!
The beginning of 2015 opened with Jon being nominated for not one but TWO Perth Fringe World Awards for best comedy, the coveted Golden Gibbo Award nomination at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and 5th nomination for the Just For Laughs Award for Best Comedy in Montreal. Bennett went on to be awarded the Critics Choice Award for Best Solo show at the Orlando Fringe and Funniest Show Award in the London Fringe. Jon performed in an impressive 24 festivals over 4 continents.
Jon continues to tour with shows and festivals all over the globe.
Click here to see Jon's current touring schedule.