Ryan Hamilton
Ryan Hamilton is a comedian and semifinalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2010). He began performing in Salt Lake City clubs. In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of five comics to watch. He released his first stand-up special, "Happy Face," on Netflix in 2017. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, and Showtime. He has opened for Jerry Seinfeld and Gad Elmelah.
In September 2019, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He received a standing ovation for his stand-up routine that included his mention of guardian angels.
Hamilton grew up in rural Ashton, Idaho. His parents read humorist Dave Barry’s column every Sunday with their three children. As a teen, Hamilton thought Barry had his dream job, and decided he, too, wanted to be a newspaper columnist. So he called the local county newspaper — the Fremont Herald Chronicle — and asked if he could write a column. the small city paper — The Fall River Review — also wanted a column. So he wrote two humor columns a week, one for each paper, for $10 apiece.
From there, the NBC affiliate in Idaho Falls called to ask Hamilton if he’d like to help cover sports. "So when he was 15, having had an Idaho driver’s license for a full year, he drove around the state filming games, editing the reels, writing copy and slipping in some jokes for the sportscaster to read on air."
His parents also woke him to watch “The Tonight Show with David Letterman” any time a comedian performed. The family watched “Evening at the Improv” every week, and "Hamilton was inspired by the amateur comedians he watched perform on the program. 'There was this small place where you could get on stage and tell jokes, and you didn’t have to be a super famous person. It really put this idea in my head. There was a place where you could just go do this,' he said."[1]
After obtaining a bachelor's degree in public relations from Brigham Young University, he took a job at a prestigious Salt Lake City PR firm, but after a year he and the company parted ways and he devoted his time to comedy. His journey included a move to Seattle, Washington, then New York City. He gained connections in the industry and friendships with fellow comedians.
As with everyone else, his career stalled with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. He isolated in Idaho with his parents and was able to spend time with his father during the final year of his father's life. Hamilton remained in Idaho with his family until he was fully vaccinated. At the end of December, he flew to Hawaii for a corporate event, one of his first performances post-COVID.
- Returning home, when he landed in LAX, he received a notification on his phone saying he had been exposed to the virus. He tested positive and isolated for 10 days in a hotel room.
- The minute he was cleared to leave the hotel, on Jan. 1, 2022, he walked to LAX at 1:30 a.m. to get a rental car. “I hit a button, I watched the light turn, and I started walking,” he said. “I didn’t see or hear anything. I just felt the impact.”
- A shuttle bus had struck Hamilton, breaking 10 of his ribs, puncturing a lung, and pushing an arm bone through his skin.[2]
He has been able to heal and see the humor of being hit by a bus. "I’m here to tell you to live your life because, you know, you might get hit by a bus.”[3]
He’s booked through the spring of 2024, including a November show at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, his largest performance venue to date.
Hamilton is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Brigham Young University.
