// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Rhys Mathewson bring a ladder? He wanted to take his name to new heights, or a Rhys-ing star.
Rhys Mathewson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rhys Alexander Mathewson 1990 or 1991 (age 35–36) |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Awards | Billy T Award (2010) Fred Award (2016) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Medium |
|
Rhys Mathewson is a New Zealand comedian, writer, and actor. He won the Billy T Award in 2010 and the Fred Award in 2016.
Early life
[edit]Mathewson was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He has a brother.[1] He studied tap dance from the age of 5 until 15 and attended Westlake Boys High School.[2] While a teenager, he participated in the New Zealand International Comedy Festival's Class Comedians program and decided to pursue comedy as a career.[1][3][4]
After winning the Billy T Award in 2010, Mathewson dropped out of the University of Auckland (but continued to write a column, "Rhys's Pieces", for the student magazine Craccum).[4][5]
Career
[edit]Mathewson was awarded Best Newcomer at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival for his first solo show in 2009, The Best $18 You'll Ever Spend.[3] He performed at Edinburgh Fringe in 2009 and 2013.[3][6]
Mathewson won the Billy T Award in 2010 for his show Rhyspect — becoming the award's youngest-ever winner at 19 — and the Fred Award in 2016 for Nouveau Rhys.[7]
Mathewson has acted on the programmes Wanna-Ben, Hounds, The Fucket List, and New Zealand Spy, and appeared as himself on 7 Days, AotearoHa, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Best Bits, Campbell Live, Seven Sharp, Close Up, and The Jono Project.[8][6][7] He competed on series 9 of Dancing with the Stars in 2022, partnered with Phoebe Robb; they were forced to leave the competition early due to a COVID-19 infection.[9]
He was also a fill-in host on and wrote for The Project, and is a writer on Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee.[2] In 2026, Mathewson appeared on series 7 of Taskmaster New Zealand.[10]
As of 2026[update] he is represented by Gail Cowan Management.[10]
Stand-up shows
[edit]- The Best $18 You'll Ever Spend (2009)[3]
- Rhyspect (2010)
- Rhys Mathewson Is Fun (2011)[11]
- Rhys Mathewson Versus The World (2012)[5]
- Hombre Lobo (2014)[12][13]
- Nouveau Rhys (2016)
- Rhys Classic (2017)[2]
- The Future Quiz (2017)[7]
- The Clumsy Tango (2018)[14]
- Heartless Joke Machine (2021)[15]
- The Mathewson & Matthewson Comedy Night (2022; with Eli Matthewson)[16]
- Heating Up (2023)[17]
- 10th Rodeo (2024)[18]
- Surblibor (2024)[19]
- Time Trial (2025)[20]
- Big Mistake (2026)[21]
Personal life
[edit]Mathewson lived in the United Kingdom in 2014.[9][7] He is vegetarian.
After years of dating, Mathewson married Chelsea McEwan-Millar — actor, writer, and managing director of skincare company Go Native New Zealand — in 2022 outside of Tauranga.[1] They live in the Grey Lynn–Posonby area of Auckland with their dog, Gus.[9][22]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Brooks, Sam (18 October 2024). "Comedy legend Rhys Mathewson on why his latest show makes him cry". The Post. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Collins, Hugh (26 April 2017). "Comedian Rhys Mathewson ready for new show after taking prestigious Fred Award". Stuff. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Rhys Mathewson". New Zealand Comedy Trust. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 Nealon, Sarah (3 April 2018). "How The Project's Rhys Mathewson messed up on live TV". Stuff. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 Hill, Rebecca Berry (15 April 2012). "Why making it as a comedian goes beyond a joke". The New Zealand Herald.
- 1 2 "Steve Wrigley Returns with Guy Williams and Rhys Mathewson". Under the Radar. October 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Alexander, Mike (21 January 2017). "The Questionnaire: Rhys Mathewson". Sunday Star Times. Stuff. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Millennial 'sex in the city' TV series for theatre student". Massey University. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Dashing Dancing With The Stars star Rhys Mathewson reveals how laughs turned to true love". Woman's Day. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Rhys Mathewson". GCM. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Comedy Festival 2011". Auckland Council Libraries.
- ↑ "NZ Comedy Festival: Rhys Mathewson". The New Zealand Herald. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ Pope, Will (9 August 2014). "Rhys Mathewson - Hombre Loco". Broadway Baby. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Comedy Festival 2018". Auckland Council Libraries. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
- ↑ "Heartless Joke Machine, Rhys Mathewson, Q Theatre, Auckland, 2021". Auckland Council Libraries. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Mathewson and Matthewson Comedy Night, Rhys Mathewson and Eli Mathewson, Q Theatre, Auckland, 2022". Auckland Council Libraries. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
- ↑ "Rhys Mathewson : Heating Up". EvendFinda. 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
- ↑ Culture 101 (19 May 2024). "Fast Favourites: Rhys Mathewson's 10th rodeo". RNZ. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "GCM talent at 2024's NZ INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL". GCM. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
- ↑ Brom, Ash (31 March 2025). "Comedy reviews: Rhys Mathewson: Time Trial and Science Friction: Fandom Wars, MICF 2025". Arts Hub. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Rhys Mathewson - Big Mistake". Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ Daly, Lara (27 August 2022). "Rhys Mathewson: 'I think that perfectly sums up my comedy, dirty and efficient'". Stuff. Retrieved 14 September 2026.