Icon of Absurdist Comedy: Chris Fleming

Article sample — February 2024

Chris Fleming, 36, is a comedian and actor with a cult following online who makes his mark with inane bits and musicality. He was born and raised in Stow, Massachusetts, and continues to release short sketches and plan nationwide tours from his hometown.

He began his career in stand-up, and originally grew in popularity due to his Youtube series, ‘Gayle,’ in which the actor starred, and debuted his unique character comedy. Chris has since released multiple comedic songs on Spotify, including ’Polyamorous,’ and ‘I’m Afraid to Talk to Men.’ This bizarre genre of comedy music, often released with eccentric dance music videos to match, is on the rise with Gen Z, and, as Chris put it in ‘My Boba Manifesto,’ “women who own lizards.” 

His comedy is unique due to its commentary on social norms and gender, as well as its occasional musical accompaniment. He throws the odd song-and-dance number into his comedy specials too, of which he has two: ‘Showpig,’ and ‘Hell.’ ‘Showpig’ is one of his three nationwide stand-up comedy tours, shown in 2016 and 2017, followed by his 2021 show ‘Boba Everyday,’ and 2021 tour ‘Tricky Tricky.’ 

Chris sports a distinctive curly mullet, one which, when adjoined by their silly, bright wardrobe, clearly projects their queer gender identity. When asked for preferred pronouns, Chris says, “anything works for me.” And in his 2016 video, “Am I A Man?” (A response to audience questions about his gender), his response was, 

“Can I consider myself a man if, in a pinch, I can dry myself off with a hand towel?” 

In addition to comedy, Chris has been featured in multiple children’s animated T.V. shows, such as ‘Adventure Time: Distant Lands,’ where he voiced New Death, and ‘Summer Camp Island,’ voicing Professor Q. These whimsical cartoons in particular are very reflective of Chris’ overall style and sense of humor. 

While Chris has had great success with his stand-up, Youtube and music careers, we’ve far from heard the last of him. In fact he’s actively performing comedy across North America, from February to April of 2024. And if this new material is anything like what he’s produced in the past, his audience is in for a wild ride.