Ryan Hamilton is a North American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

who uses observational,

sarcastic Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflectio ...

, and

self-deprecating Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be ...

humor. He is known as a clean comedian and his material focuses on his own experiences, including his single life,

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

s, and his huge smile. He was named one of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s Five Comics to Watch in 2012, and also has made standout appearances on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'', ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'', ''

Conan Conan may refer to: People * Saint Conan (died 684), bishop of the Isle of Man * Conan of Cornwall (c. 930 – c. 950), bishop of Cornwall * Conan I of Rennes (died 992), duke of Brythonic Brittany * Conan II, Duke of Brittany (died 1066), duke ...

'', '' The Late Late Show'', ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

'',

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, and

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

Early life

Hamilton was born in 1976 in

Ashton, Idaho Ashton is a city in Fremont County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and it is part of the Rexburg micropolitan area, Rexburg Micropolitan Statistical Area. The district is noted for s ...

, a small potato farming community. He attended BYU-Idaho, receiving an associate degree in journalism and public relations. He then transferred to

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in public relations.

Stand-up comedy career

Ryan started performing in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

clubs. He also lived and performed in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and performed often in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, all of which he considers his "comedy homes". He has appeared in several festivals and competitions including winning the

Sierra Mist Sierra Mist was a lemon-lime flavored soft drink line introduced by PepsiCo in 1999. By 2003, it was available in all US markets. The name is a play on Mountain Dew: "sierra" is the Spanish word for "mountain range" and both mist and dew are c ...

"America's Next Great Comic" search in 2005 and joining their national tour. In 2011 he won The Great American Comedy Festival. He has been a regular performer at the Just for Laughs Comedy festivals, including Montreal and Sydney, and was a two-time semi-finalist on ''

''. He has also performed stand-up on ''Conan'',

, and

. Recently he opened for

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...

on his 2019 Live tour. His one-hour special, ''Happy Face'', became available on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on August 29, 2017.

Filmography

Personal life

Hamilton resides in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In January of 2022, he was hit by a shuttle bus as a pedestrian in Los Angeles at LAX airport, and suffered ten broken ribs, a compound fractured arm that required delayed emergency surgery, and a punctured collapsed lung. He recovered at his family home in Idaho.

References

External links

Ryan Hamilton's official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Ryan American stand-up comedians Living people Brigham Young University–Idaho alumni People from Fremont County, Idaho 1976 births 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Idaho American male comedians