The Minister of Entertainment: Kevin Fraser

I managed to secure some time with Kevin Fraser during his busy schedule of prepping for his Minister of Entertainment national tour in the motherland. We hopped on a zoom call to chat about all things comedy, and let’s say it was an entertaining conversation, to say the least. If you’re a fan of the content he shares on social media, you’ll understand why I thought it was fitting for Kevin to take the call in the comfort of his parked car,somewhere in the middle of Johannesburg. “Yeah, I just did the Minister of Entertainment thing and put my hazards on”, he joked.

Kevin Fraser is one of South Africa’s most viewed and enjoyed Comedians & Content Creators on the global stage. His Impossible Tour concluded in Calgary, Canada and Kevin excitedly began working on his new show–the Minister of Entertainment. “I always get excited to plan a new show. The inspiration I have found for this one is quite special because I have found an ability to show South Africa a positive spin on everything that we go through.It’s almost like I’m giving my audience ideas for the future. I think it’s important to acknowledge what everyone has been through in the world, and then add that extra element within comedy–call it action / motivational comedy, if you will. But finding the balance with those elements tied in with me just being myself has turned out to be a really special show”, he explains, “especially my show on home ground in Durban”

Kevin explained that his manager has been poking all the political jokes at him and that Minister of Entertainment isn’t a political show but has nuances of politics in the narrative. “The one day he said to me: “well if you are going to be a classical Minister of Entertainment then just let me know what time I have to wake you up backstage toperform” “, he joked. “Classic minister style, leaving us on the edge of our seats”, I teased back.

The start of the festive season is typically the beginning of his new tour which he trials in South Africa and then will run into the following year and will move on to touring internationally. “It feels so good to be back touring and without any restrictions”, he explains. “It makes me think back to 2020. My partner and I spent a couple of months in Australia and then all of sudden, bam-COVID, and Australia shut their doors, then so did South Africa and before I knew it, I was back in Cape Town watering my fern. I was confused”, he says in one of his classic typical South African accents. A lot of Kevin’s family is based in Australia and although he is a permanent resident of Australia, he explains how he could never let a tie go from South Africa, “there is no place like it!” he says fondly. He spends most of the year splitting his time between Sydney, South Africa and touring. “But you know I’m a classic Gemini, so I thought that I could have one of me in SA and one in Sydney”, he says.

Speaking of Australia, Kevin shared some hilarious anecdotes with me about his last tour in Australia. “We did a regional tour in Australia earlier this year, and of course, it’s such a big country and there are so many places to go. We skipped all the main cities and people were like ‘What about Sydney? Why are you not coming to Melbourne?’Well, we did that on purpose because you know–any publicity is good publicity”, he joked. But fear not Ozzies and Kiwis, Kevin has a massive tour lined up for you all next year where he will be visiting the main cities to entertain you! “I’m excited to go back to that side of the world and do these shows because they’re big and ballsy!” he explains.

If you know me, you may be well aware that I’m a massive fan of Kevin’s work and if anything you’re like me who watches his videos religiously, it’s likely that you’ll catch this joke. I nervously asked Kevin if he had encountered any criminalised sandwiches lately,and he burst into laughter. (This is the life, I thought, Kevin laughed at one of my jokes!)“It’s either that…”, he says referring to the classic typo error of criminalised instead of caramelised onions, “or it’s a perfectly labelled sandwich saying no, no, this is cheese,ham, lettuce and tomato, then when you open the sandwich, all of the ingredients have been pushed to the front of the cut and I’m like, what is happening with the rest of the sandwich Sasko Sam?” he jokes. “I call it ‘shrink-flation’, it’s a real issue”, he concludes.Man, South Africa–I love your sense of humour, I thought to myself.

As you may have noticed, Kevin draws most of his inspiration from his daily observations which are demonstrated in his videos. You’ll often find him poking fun at everyday situations that we encounter in South Africa, like the funny interactions with Checkers employees or dodging potholes on main roads, regardless of what the joke is about, South Africans don’t struggle to relate to his scenarios. His videos have gained incredible popularity on the internet and have repeatedly broken the 1 million view benchmark with these hilarious satires.

The comedy he shares on social media versus the comedy he does in his live shows isa true demonstration of the versatility of his talent. His hysterical videos online are just a teaser into his brilliant comedic mind, if you want to get the full Kevin Fraser experience,then you’re just going to have to nab a ticket to his next show!

Side note: When Kevin isn’t travelling the world touring and making people laugh and dance, he loves to enjoy spending his downtime in Durban with his family and friends, hitting the gym (or Gin) and of course, exploring our beautiful coastline.