Talking with Brittlestar: How the internet's favourite dad found humour in tragedy
As Canada enters the fourth wave of the pandemic, it’s hard not to focus on what was lost. For many, the last year and a half can only be described as a tragedy.
But for others, a little bit of comedy helped them get through those hard times.
Cue Stewart Reynolds—a.k.a. Brittlestar or “social media darling” as he describes himself—who is known for his comedic and family-friendly social media videos.
With more than 380,000 followers and subscribers across his social media channels, the topics for Reynolds’ videos vary greatly—one day he will post something political while another day he will focus on fatherhood or an ode to Zellers.
Over the last 17 months, Reynolds has pivoted slightly, offering videos with serious messages about mask wearing and lockdowns, while still maintaining the satirical comedy he is known for. He even did a short video calling for an end to the lockdown in Toronto specifically so that Mayor John Tory could get a haircut.
And people tuned in.
His video entitled “reasons to not wear a face mask,” posted on July 10 has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
On Episode 7 of Life Unmasked, Reynolds speaks with the team about how his comedy transformed during the pandemic, how he became “arm's-length chummy” with Ryan Reynolds, and what’s next for him.
Life Unmasked airs first on the iHeart app every Thursday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email lifeunmasked@bellmedia.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.