There are few YouTube videos, aside from those by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, perhaps, that have racked up the numbers that celebrity speaker Rick Mercer's trademark rants have. Thus far, the comedian and television host has earned over 25 million views to his channel—and that's only counting the ones on his official account. Delivered
each week on his Gemini-winning show The Rick Mercer Report and then published online shortly thereafter, his rants are always on his mind, he says in a recent interview. “I guess I’m always thinking about the rant in the back of my head because in many ways I consider that the most important part of my job,” Mercer tells TV Guide Canada. Mercer, who just released a book of his rants called A Nation Worth Ranting About, says he comes into his office to finish his rant for the week every Thursday at about 5 p.m., sometimes finishing them in a few hours and sometimes working late into the night.
While he admits he never set out to make his show family-friendly—and sometimes tackles some hot-topic political and social issues—the show has transformed into something that is accessible and appropriate for all audiences and he's happy with that. “In TV, the thing everyone hopes to do is kind of create a show that a family can watch together,” he says. “And people have kind of given that up because people don’t watch TV that way anymore.” He also says he includes a strong current affairs focus and tries to avoid profanity to ensure that a wider section of the country can indulge in the content.
As the host of one of the nation's most popular television shows, Mercer delivers his own unique brand of humour and intelligence to the small screen and the stage. His keynotes as as highly-regarded as his show, and he is arguably the most requested speaker in the country. He has also written several bestselling books and recently picked up an executive producer credit for a short film called Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival last year.
each week on his Gemini-winning show The Rick Mercer Report and then published online shortly thereafter, his rants are always on his mind, he says in a recent interview. “I guess I’m always thinking about the rant in the back of my head because in many ways I consider that the most important part of my job,” Mercer tells TV Guide Canada. Mercer, who just released a book of his rants called A Nation Worth Ranting About, says he comes into his office to finish his rant for the week every Thursday at about 5 p.m., sometimes finishing them in a few hours and sometimes working late into the night.
While he admits he never set out to make his show family-friendly—and sometimes tackles some hot-topic political and social issues—the show has transformed into something that is accessible and appropriate for all audiences and he's happy with that. “In TV, the thing everyone hopes to do is kind of create a show that a family can watch together,” he says. “And people have kind of given that up because people don’t watch TV that way anymore.” He also says he includes a strong current affairs focus and tries to avoid profanity to ensure that a wider section of the country can indulge in the content.
As the host of one of the nation's most popular television shows, Mercer delivers his own unique brand of humour and intelligence to the small screen and the stage. His keynotes as as highly-regarded as his show, and he is arguably the most requested speaker in the country. He has also written several bestselling books and recently picked up an executive producer credit for a short film called Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival last year.
