Rick Mercer Biography Quotes 26 Report mistakes

Early Life and Beginnings
Richard Vincent Rick Mercer was born on October 17, 1969, in St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Growing up in a province renowned for its storytelling traditions, he gravitated early toward performance and satire. He left high school before graduating, choosing to pursue theatre full time, a decision that shaped his professional identity as a writer-performer with a sharp ear for politics and a deep affection for everyday Canadians. In St. Johns he connected with a vibrant community of artists who valued ensemble comedy and acerbic commentary, influences that would echo throughout his later television work.

Stage to Television Breakthrough
Mercer first garnered attention with a series of one-man stage shows that mixed monologue, political critique, and observational humor. His breakout, Show Me the Button, Ill Push It (or, Charles Lynch Must Die), toured widely and established his signature ranting style: rapid-fire, tightly written, and aimed squarely at the contradictions of public life. These stage successes brought him into the orbit of Newfoundland comedy stalwarts who had helped open national doors for Atlantic Canadian satire, preparing him for an audacious leap to network television.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Talking to Americans
In the early 1990s Mercer became one of the founding performers and writers of the CBC series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a weekly news-parody that quickly became a Canadian institution. Alongside Mary Walsh, Cathy Jones, and Greg Thomey, he helped forge a format that paired sketches with field pieces and satirical headlines, crafting a uniquely Canadian voice that treated politics as both theater and civic duty. During this period Mercer began producing his Talking to Americans segments, in which he quizzed U.S. citizens about fictional Canadian policies and places; their earnest responses revealed cultural blind spots while showcasing Mercers gift for playful provocation without cruelty. The concept culminated in a prime-time special that drew massive audiences and underscored his talent for turning spontaneous encounters into enduring comedy.

Made in Canada
While still a central figure in 22 Minutes, Mercer co-created and starred in the sitcom Made in Canada, a satire of the television industry that skewered corporate culture and the mythmaking machinery of show business. Produced in Halifax, the series broadened his range beyond the news-parody format, with an ensemble that included performers such as Peter Keleghan and Leah Pinsent. Made in Canada demonstrated Mercers ability to anchor character-driven comedy while still delivering the pointed social observation that defined his reputation. The show earned critical praise and awards recognition, reinforcing his status as one of the countrys most versatile comedic voices.

Rick Mercer Report
Mercers most defining platform arrived with the launch of his own CBC series, originally titled Rick Mercers Monday Report and soon retitled Rick Mercer Report. Running for 15 seasons, the program blended cross-country travelogues, sketches, and the now-iconic alleyway Rants. Each week Mercer visited communities large and small, rappelling down bridges with search-and-rescue teams, herding livestock with ranchers, learning trades from apprentices, or shadowing scientists in remote labs. He regularly appeared alongside public figures across the political spectrum, including prime ministers and party leaders, and he treated them as foils rather than targets, revealing their human foibles through humor. A recurring creative constant behind the scenes was executive producer Gerald Lunz, Mercers longtime partner and closest collaborator, whose instincts for format and pacing helped shape the programs accessible, national feel.

Books and Writing
Mercer extended his television voice to print with best-selling collections of essays and rants. Titles such as A Nation Worth Ranting About and later compilations from the series distilled his television work into prose that balanced indignation with optimism. His books, like his broadcasts, highlighted ordinary Canadians and local ingenuity, arguing that national identity is forged in classrooms, volunteer halls, workshops, and kitchen tables as much as in legislatures.

Advocacy and Public Engagement
Beyond comedy, Mercer embraced advocacy with a focus on youth engagement and public health. Alongside business leader and parliamentarian Belinda Stronach, he co-founded the Spread the Net campaign in partnership with UNICEF Canada, mobilizing schools and communities to fund anti-malaria bed nets for children abroad. He leveraged his platform to encourage voter participation, especially among first-time voters, and he addressed bullying and homophobia in a widely shared on-air message urging adults to create safer schools rather than placing the burden on kids. He also filmed segments with members of the Canadian Armed Forces, including trips overseas, bringing national attention to service members while maintaining his shows mix of respect and levity.

Honours and Recognition
Mercer received numerous industry accolades, including multiple Gemini Awards and, after the awards were restructured, Canadian Screen Awards for both performance and program achievement. His contributions to the arts and public life were recognized with national honours, among them appointment to the Order of Canada and the Governor Generals Performing Arts Award. Universities across the country have conferred honorary degrees, acknowledging his role as a cultural ambassador who made complex issues approachable without sacrificing rigor.

Personal Life and Legacy
A private person by instinct, Mercer has nonetheless been open about aspects of his life when it could help others, including members of the LGBTQ+ community who saw in his success and forthrightness a model of visibility. His partnership with Gerald Lunz, central to his professional output, also stands as a testament to creative collaboration built on trust and shared standards. Among friends and colleagues he is known for meticulous preparation: lines memorized, facts checked, and logistics set so that spontaneity can flourish on camera.

Mercers legacy rests on a rare balance. He is a satirist who believes institutions matter, a critic who trusts audiences to grapple with nuance, and a traveler who made a very large country feel a little smaller by showing it to itself. In the process he helped launch and sustain ensembles that included Mary Walsh, Cathy Jones, Greg Thomey, and many others, while nurturing new producers and crews who learned to treat comedy as a public service. Although the Rick Mercer Report concluded after a long run, he has continued to write, tour, and appear at events that celebrate Canadian arts and civic life. His body of work affirms that political comedy can be generous, that laughter can lower a viewers guard just enough to let facts in, and that attention paid to local stories can amount to a portrait of a nation.

Our collection contains 26 quotes who is written by Rick, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Justice - Freedom - Health - Equality.