Gerry Dee

Comedian Returns to Thunder Bay

By Kris Ketonen

February is a big month for Gerry Dee. The comedian is not only embarking on a new, cross-Canada stand-up tour—which includes a stop in Thunder Bay—but he’s also returning to the sitcom world. In recent months, Dee has been flying back and forth to Vancouver to film a part in the new show Animal Control, which is set to premiere on Fox on February 16. Dee called the show a “big opportunity.”“You hope to break into the U.S. market,” Dee says. “Step one is to get on a show, and that’s what we’re doing. [...] Step two is the show’s gotta do well. [...] If the show does well, things generally fall into place and can lead to other things. But I really have learned in my time in this business to not count on anything, and just take it for what it is, enjoy it, and if it leads to something, great.”Just a few days before the Animal Control premiere, however, Dee will be taking the stage at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, part of his Best Medicine tour. “I think people are missing comedy,” Dee says, adding tickets are “selling really well.” “I think people are ready to get out and laugh and socialize, as we’re seeing, and hopefully that doesn’t change.”And Dee is excited to get back to Thunder Bay. “I haven’t been there in a while,” he says of the city. “I always enjoyed going there, so it’s nice to get it back in the routing.”“It’s going to be a very different show, if anyone saw me last time,” Dee says. “I don’t think I’ve been there in four or five years.”The tour and Animal Control aren’t the only projects in the works for Dee: the comedian is also working on a new book, which he says should hit shelves sometime around Christmas 2023.“It’s a busy time, and I’m excited about everything,” Dee says.Gerry Dee performs at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on February 12. For more information, visit gerrydee.com.