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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.