Skip to main content
  • Sales offices
  • Advertise with us
  • Producer guidelines
  • Diversity in production
  • Closed captioning
  • Careers
  • Legal

  • Bellmedia

  • The Lede

  • Bell Media website terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
Loading...
  • © Bell Media, 2026. All rights reserved.
Original Stand-Up Special ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA Premieres January 16 on HBO Canada - Bell Media

Original Stand-Up Special ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA Premieres January 16 on HBO Canada

HBO

– Hosted by Ellie Kemper and featuring some of the hottest names in comedy including, Margaret Cho, Chris Hardwick, Thomas Middleditch, and Pete Holmes – – Filmed earlier this year at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal –

“…this is going to be one memorable soirée…What a blast!” – Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette

TORONTO (December 18, 2015) – HBO Canada keeps the New Year’s party going with the premiere of ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA, a new original stand-up special hosted by Ellie Kemper (UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT), one of Hollywood’s funniest and fastest rising stars. Taped last July in front of a live audience at Montréal’s Just For Laughs Festival, the 74-minute special premieres Saturday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/MT, exclusively on HBO Canada.

ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA features hilarious, gut-busting performances by some of the funniest talents on stage including SILICON VALLEY star and Canada’s own Thomas Middleditch; raunchy and raw Margaret Cho (DROP DEAD DIVA); THE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN band leader Reggie Watts; comedy star on the rise Michael Che (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE); comedian and podcaster Pete Holmes (THE PETE HOLMES SHOW); political tour-de-force Wyatt Cenac (THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART); The Nerdist himself, comedian, actor, TV host, and podcaster Chris Hardwick (@MIDNIGHT); and everybody’s BFF, the fabulous Canadian comic Debra DiGiovanni.

ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA is produced by Just For Laughs Television in partnership with Bell Media’s The Movie Network. Executive producers are Bruce Hills and Gilbert Rozon. For Bell Media, production executives are Sarah Fowlie and Bill Lundy. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

In Eastern Canada, the special will be available on TMN GO and HBO Canada OnDemand.

HBO Canada is a multiplex channel of Bell Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada).

About HBO Canada HBO Canada brings Canadians HBO’s current slate of signature dramatic and comedic programs, together with new and never-before-seen programming including comedy series, live specials, sporting events, behind-the-scenes content and titles from HBO’s extensive library – all in an uncut and commercial-free environment. HBO Canada is available in high definition on HBO Canada HD. In Eastern Canada HBO Canada programming is accessible on TMN GO, on demand and online where available by service provider. In Western Canada HBO Canada programming is accessible on Shaw Go Movie Central app, Bell TV app, Telus Optik on the go, on HBO Canada On Demand and online where available by service provider. For more information, please visit www.hbocanada.com. In Eastern Canada, HBO Canada is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. In Western Canada, HBO Canada is offered by Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada). About Bell Media Independent Production Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada’s most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA. CTV recently announced its first-ever serialized drama CARDINAL. Among the original scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the smash-hit thriller BITTEN, Space’s most-watched original series KILLJOYS, Bravo’s most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, upcoming cult comedy LETTERKENNY, and the new original drama FRONTIER. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, among others.

Contact

Nicolle Stranges

Manager, Publicity - Specialty channels and Streaming

Get the latest announcements from Bell Media

Subscribe to our media lists to receive official press releases and alerts from Bell Media PR.

Related releases

Provocative Canadian Documentary CHAMELEON Premieres January 11 on HBO Canada

This January on HBO Canada: Comedy Rules with Original Stand-Up Special ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA, Plus HBO’s WHITNEY CUMMINGS: I’M YOUR GIRLFRIEND; Documentaries CHAMELEON and HEROIN: CAPE COD, USA; and A New Season of REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER.