More Local And International Comedy Stars Join Best Foods Comedy Gala Line-up

The New Zealand Comedy Trust & Best Foods Mayo present
Best Foods Comedy Gala
Hosted by Hayley Sproull

The laughs just get bigger, as the New Zealand Comedy Trust announces five more acts set to hit the stage for this year’s Best Foods Comedy Gala, hosted by Hayley Sproull. Opening the annual 2025 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo, this unforgettable showcase of world-class comedy talent takes place on Friday 2 May in Auckland and Saturday 3 May in Wellington.

Joining the already announced line-up of Felicity Ward, Tape Face, and Eli Matthewson are local and international acts that promise to deliver side-splitting performances.
From over the Tasman comes New Zealand’s favourite Australian, Heath Franklin’s Chopper. With two ARIA nominations, a Logie, a Comic’s Choice Award from the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and more than half a million tickets sold worldwide, Chopper has cemented his place as a true comedy icon.

Also returning from across the ditch is He Huang, ready to build on her stellar performance at last year’s Gala. Winner of Best Newcomer at the 2023 Sydney Comedy Festival and sold out NZICF seasons, He Huang has been rapidly rising through the comedy ranks. She went viral for her stand-up routine on Australia’s Got Talent in 2022, amassing over 60 million views and counting.

Local comedy and acting heavyweight Josh Thomson joins this year’s roster. Known for the likes of Young Rock, Wellington Paranormal, The New Legends of Monkey, 7 Days, Educators, Taskmaster NZ, and most recently The Office Australia. Josh is even starring in Disney/Pixar’s first original animated TV series Win or Lose launching in February!

2023 Billy T Award and 2021 Director’s Choice Award winner Abby Howells is back, with her signature charm and wit. Abby has become beloved for her appearances on the likes of Taskmaster NZ, Shortland Street, 7 Days, and Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee. She can also be heard on RNZ’s podcast Did Titanic Sink?

Rounding out this announcement is one of Aotearoa’s rising comedy stars, Joe Daymond. No stranger to selling out performances, Joe has built an online audience of over 350k and racked up millions of views. He’s appeared on Celebrity Treasure Island and 7 Days, and created, wrote, directed, and starred BOUNCERS for Comedy Central UK.

Even more names are still to be announced for this already star-studded line-up. Plus, comedy lovers beyond Auckland and Wellington won’t miss out either, with the Best Foods Comedy Gala in Auckland filmed exclusively for THREE.

The 2025 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo runs from 2 – 25 May, with the full programme to be announced in March 2025.

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