// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Ava Val a good singer? Ava-lable to perform
Ava Val is the stage name of Ava Valiulis, a Canadian stand-up comedian best known for her appearances in The New Wave of Standup,[1] Roast Battle Canada, and the fourth season of Canada's Got Talent.
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, she began her comedy career in the 2000s. Known at the time as Al Val, she presented in the persona of a frat boy with dreadlocks, performing comedy strongly influenced by Dane Cook.[2] Another significant influence on her comedy, Eddie/Suzy Izzard, later inspired her to open up about her own struggles with her gender identity,[3] and after coming out as genderfluid in the late 2010s, she characterized her early persona as essentially a deflection, designed to keep audiences from actually knowing anything about her as a person.[4]
She began her full gender transition in the early 2020s, but continued to perform as Al until officially changing her name to Ava in 2024.[3] In the same year, Val and Robert Watson headlined Gay AF, a national comedy tour highlighting LGBTQ comedians.[5] She also appeared against Hunter Collins in the fourth season of Roast Battle Canada, and her comedy special So Brave was released on YouTube by 800 Pound Gorilla Media.[6]
In 2025, after Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14168, Val was forced to cancel her scheduled comedy tour in the United States due to the risk of being detained or imprisoned at the border,[7] although she continued with her Canadian tour dates.[3] In the same year she competed on Canada's Got Talent.[3]
She has also been a writer for Roast Battle Canada and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Tom Zillich, "‘That night was so much fun’: Surrey-raised comedian in ‘New Wave of Standup’ series". Surrey Now-Leader, July 8, 2020.
- ↑ Amber Garratt, "Campus comedian Al Val makes a name for himself". UWO Gazette, October 28, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Martin Bauman, "Trump threatened this trans comic’s visa—now she’s coming to Halifax". The Coast, March 13, 2025.
- ↑ Stephan Petar, "Al Val On Bringing Her Trans Journey To The Stage And On Tour". In Magazine, March 7, 2024.
- ↑ Peter Knegt, "Comedians Robert Watson and Al Val are taking their Gay AF Comedy show on the road". CBC Arts, March 28, 2024.
- ↑ Jen Zoratti, "Toronto comedian Ava Val headlines Gay AF tour". Winnipeg Free Press, April 25, 2025.
- ↑ Liam O'Connor, "Transgender comedian cancels U.S. tour stops because of new gender policies". CBC News Saskatoon, April 25, 2025.
- ↑ Paul Bellini, "So Brave Ava Val under the neon palms". My Gay Toronto, June 14, 2026.
External links
[edit]- 21st-century Canadian comedians
- 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
- Canadian stand-up comedians
- Canadian women comedians
- Canadian transgender comedians
- Canadian LGBTQ screenwriters
- Canadian television writers
- Canadian transgender women
- Canadian transgender writers
- Canadian people of Lithuanian descent
- Comedians from Ontario
- Screenwriters from Ontario
- Transgender women comedians
- University of Western Ontario alumni
- Living people
- Canada's Got Talent contestants
- Canadian comedian stubs