Ryan Hamilton is a North American stand-up comedian who uses observational, sarcastic, and self-deprecating humor. He is known as a clean comedian and his material focuses on his own experiences, including his single life, skydiving, hot air balloons, and his huge smile. He was named one of Rolling Stone's Five Comics to Watch in 2012,[1] and also has made standout appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, and Showtime.[2][3][4][5]
Hamilton was born in 1976 in Ashton, Idaho, a small potato farming community.[6][7] He attended BYU-Idaho, receiving an associate degree in journalism and public relations.[6][8] He then transferred to Brigham Young University and earned a bachelor's degree in public relations.[9]
Ryan started performing in Salt Lake City, Utah clubs. He also lived and performed in Seattle and performed often in Boston, all of which he considers his "comedy homes".[10] He has appeared in several festivals and competitions including winning the Sierra Mist "America's Next Great Comic" search in 2005 and joining their national tour.[3][4] In 2011 he won The Great American Comedy Festival.[11] He has been a regular performer at the Just for Laughs Comedy festivals, including Montreal and Sydney, and was a two-time semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing.[12][13] He has also performed stand-up on Conan, Comedy Central, and Showtime.[14] Recently he opened for Jerry Seinfeld on his 2019 Live tour.
His one-hour special, Happy Face, became available on Netflix on August 29, 2017.[15]
Hamilton resides in New York City.[10]
In January of 2022, he was hit by a shuttle bus as a pedestrian in Los Angeles at LAX airport, and suffered ten broken ribs, a compound fractured arm that required delayed emergency surgery, and a punctured collapsed lung.[16] He recovered at his family home in Idaho.