Kurtis Matthew Kenneth Conner (born May 4, 1994) is a Canadian comedian, YouTuber, and podcaster. As of August 2024[update], his YouTube channel has accumulated over 5.07 million subscribers.
Conner began social media on Vine,[2] a now-defunct app that hosted only short-form videos.[3] He amassed around 350 thousand followers on the platform, but he later decided to attempt to create long-form content on YouTube.[2]
Conner uploaded the first video on his channel in 2014.[P 1] He originally made videos for fun after his full-time office job and uploaded around every week. His channel began to gain momentum in 2017 when one of his videos gained 600 thousand views in two days, leading him to increase his video output. Conner then decided to quit his office job to become a full-time YouTuber.[2]
His channel has become known for criticizing content perceived as problematic on YouTube and for making fun of those who wish to marginalize groups of people.[4] In 2019, Conner and his friend and fellow comedian Jacob Sharpe criticized TikToker Sebastian Bails and Bails's girlfriend Lauren Godwin for making light of domestic abuse on their YouTube channel. Conner and Sharpe were both disturbed by the content, frequently commenting in the video that they found it difficult to make light of such a serious subject. Conner later said he would raise $10,000 for the domestic abuse charity loveisrespect and then match it with his own donation, with over $16,000 being raised and Conner making a donation of $26,000 overall.[5]
Conner also criticized a "female Viagra" trend on YouTube, which involved YouTubers administering a claimed aphrodisiac for women by spiking their girlfriend's drink without their consent. His video was later removed from YouTube as it showed the controversial behavior, although other "female Viagra" videos were still available on the platform at the time.[6]
Conner has made more lighthearted videos and said his favorite content is film criticism.[2] He has created content about the TikTok Hype House, manipulative tactics used by Justin Bieber's team to promote his song "Yummy", the 22 Convention (a "convention for women" run by anti-feministmen's rights activists),[2] and pick-up artist Russell Hartley (whom Conner dubbed "misogynist of the year").[7]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Conner posted a video detailing how to become famous online.[8] In April 2021, he and Danny Gonzalez produced the song "In Love with a Creeper", which features them competing for the affections of (and eventually having a threesome with) a creeper from the video game Minecraft.[9]
Conner also hosts a podcast entitled Very Really Good.[10]
Kurtis Conner was described by Lindsay Dodgson of Insider as "one of YouTube's most popular commentators". Like YouTubers Drew Gooden and Danny Gonzalez, he took a more lighthearted and comedic approach to the commentary genre and used a deadpan delivery.[2][11]
Conner began performing stand-up shows all over Canada in 2013.[12] He self-released his debut comedy album Cuppla Jokes in 2016, which reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts and No. 6 on the Billboard comedy charts.[12] In 2019, he was a special guest and opening act for his friends and fellow YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden during their We Are Two Different People Tour.[2][13][14][15] Conner self-released the comedy special Kurtis Conner:Keep Busy in 2023. In 2024 he also self-released the comedy special Kurtis Conner:PYTHON on his YouTube channel.[P 2]
Conner started dating Jenna Allard on December 11, 2014.[P 11] They were married in Tuscany on October 19, 2022.[P 12][P 13] The two have a dog named Kiwi,[P 14] and they live together in Ontario, Canada.[P 15] Conner has stated in a video that he identifies as agnostic.[P 16]
Conner expressed solidarity with Palestine during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. In May 2024, Conner and many other Internet personalities participated in a campaign to raise money for Palestinian relief.[P 17][P 18][P 19]
^Very Really Good (Comedy), Podbean, January 27, 2018, retrieved March 18, 2024
^Rosenblatt, Kalhan (December 25, 2019). "How social media has changed in the past decade, according to its influencers". NBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2023. Kurtis Conner, 25, another content reviewer who takes a more lighthearted and comedic approach to his videos. Haylock, Zoe (March 2, 2021). "Welcome to the Circus". Vulture. Retrieved April 27, 2023. Fellow former Viners Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, and more instilled comedy into commentary while calling out everyone from kids creators to life hacks to pick-up artists.
^Conner, Kurtis Matthew Kenneth (April 14, 2019). Country Memes. Event occurs at 9:54. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via YouTube. I'm a real fucking Redneck, okay? Kurtis Matthew Kenneth Conner!
^Conner, Kurtis Matthew Kenneth (June 28, 2021). Fact-Checking Insane Articles Written About Me. Kurtis Conner. Event occurs at 13:25. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via YouTube. I was born at North York General.
^Connor, Kurtis Matthew Kenneth (March 25, 2017). WE DID A SHOW IN MY HOMETOWN. Kurtis Conner. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2022 – via YouTube.