NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Eli Matthewson and Brynley Stent take home Fred, Billy T awards at NZICF's Last Laughs

By Ethan Sills
NZ Herald·
23 May, 2021 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

2021 Fred and Billy T Award winners Eli Matthewson and Brynley Stent. Photo / NZ Herald

2021 Fred and Billy T Award winners Eli Matthewson and Brynley Stent. Photo / NZ Herald

Two former partners took home the top honours on the final night of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, in a further sign of the changing face of local comedy.

At the Last Laughs showcase in Auckland last night, Eli Matthewson won the Fred Award for the best overall show,
while Brynley Stent took home the Billy T Award for rising talent.

While the two comedians were ecstatic in their victories, there were pleased to have won together, having dated as teenagers prior to their comedy careers and before Matthewson came out as gay.

Speaking after their wins, Stent said this spoke of the journey they have both gone on together.

"I would love to go back in time and tell 18-year-old Eli and Brynley who had just started dating what a crazy ride was coming," Matthewson added.

"It's been so pretty cool how awesome our lives have intertwined."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
2021 Fred Award winner Eli Matthewson. Photo / Supplied
2021 Fred Award winner Eli Matthewson. Photo / Supplied

Matthewson has become one of the only LGBT comedians to win the Fred Award, which is named after John Clarke's iconic character Fred Dagg.

He won for his show, Daddy Short-legs, where he spoke about being a queer comedian and coming to terms with a revelation from his father. Matthewson said he loves seeing the growth of LGBT comedy in the country.

"I started doing stand-up 10 years ago, and when I started there was Urzila [Carlson] and me, and that was all the queer people doing comedy in the country at the time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's really evolved since then. Now all the gay people are selling out and killing it."

In one part of his show, Matthewson referenced one internet troll who disparagingly compared him to John Clarke, and said it "rocks" to have won an award named after him.

2021 Billy T Award winner Brynley Stent. Photo / Supplied
2021 Billy T Award winner Brynley Stent. Photo / Supplied

Stent, who won for her sketch comedy show Soft Carnage where she embraced her dark sense of humour, said it was great to see another sketch comic win an award named after Billy T James.

"It feels like that's what he did best."

Discover more

Entertainment

New NZME podcast Billy T' Billy spotlights NZ's rising comedy stars

13 May 06:00 PM
Entertainment

Comedy Fest review: Twins lets two distinct comedians shine

08 May 03:36 AM
Entertainment

Comedy Fest review: Emotional 'Bunny' finds the funny in clubbing

07 May 02:11 AM
Entertainment

Comedy Fest review: Two Hearts finally have the budget to match their ambition

21 May 01:05 AM

She is the fourth woman in a row to win the Billy T Award, the first time that has ever happened. The award has historically been dominated by men, with just eight women amongst the 32 people to have won the prize.

She said it was "about time" and hoped more female comics would take home the prize in the future. "I feel very grateful to be part of a long legacy of female winners."

Comedy Festival general manager Lauren Whitney said she has watched the two comedians start out and they have "grown and grown and grown" since then and was overjoyed with both winners.

Last Laughs marks the final night of the International Comedy Festival, which has been made up almost entirely of domestic comedians this year due to border closures.

Whitney said that while they look forward to inviting international comedians back, the Kiwi comedians have put on a fantastic show this year.

"I think people can have a great knowledge that we have some wonderful talent writing amazing shows and reflecting what's happening in the world, right here in New Zealand."

Other awards handed out last night included Best Newcomer, which went to Maria Williams for Anxiety…The Musical!? and Tess Sullivan as Bobby Wood for If You Met My Mum, You'd Understand, and the Director's Choice was shared by Abby Howells for HarleQueen and Jadwiga Green for Cardigan Faget.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Previous Fred and Billy winners include Rose Matafeo, Dai Henwood, Ben Hurley and Rhys Matthewson.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Scrap it or show it? The nightmare of Gregg Wallace’s last MasterChef

Entertainment

Magic returns to screens: Harry Potter TV series filming kicks off

Entertainment

'Horrendous': Paul Henry sails to Fiji and compares voyage to childbirth


Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Scrap it or show it? The nightmare of Gregg Wallace’s last MasterChef
Entertainment

Scrap it or show it? The nightmare of Gregg Wallace’s last MasterChef

The BBC delayed airing the series due to complaints against the long-time star judge.

15 Jul 06:00 AM
Magic returns to screens: Harry Potter TV series filming kicks off
Entertainment

Magic returns to screens: Harry Potter TV series filming kicks off

15 Jul 12:18 AM
'Horrendous': Paul Henry sails to Fiji and compares voyage to childbirth
Entertainment

'Horrendous': Paul Henry sails to Fiji and compares voyage to childbirth

15 Jul 12:09 AM


Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP