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No secrets for Josh Thomas

Coming Out for Josh Thomas was so low key that there are still girls who are surprised by the news. But he tells TV Tonight he doesn't even think it's that interesting.

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For the second block of the this year’s season of Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation the production has grown says comedian Josh Thomas.

“The set’s bigger and I think there’s a bigger crowd and this half-season they’ve got bigger games,” he says.

“But I don’t know what else I can tell you. They’re really secretive about it and I don’t know why they care. I don’t think people are not going to watch because they find out what games there are. I don’t think that’s why people watch.”

The Gen-Y captain is doing a round of publicity for what he admits is one of the cushiest jobs in the world. After all, he is part of a hit show filmed once a week, that doesn’t even require him to rehearse.

He told TV Tonight that Producers are extremely protective of the show’s gameplay in order to elicit genuine reactions on camera.

“Before we film they are like crazy… they won’t tell me or Charlie and Amanda anything. We’re not allowed in the studio, and they blindfold us and stuff. I don’t think it’s necessary,” he says.

“There were two games in the car park that I drove past and I saw them. And the Producer said “No, that’s for a film” so I said “If it’s for a film then I’ll just go out and have a look around.”

“Why would you want a maze to be a secret? I just don’t think it’s that big a deal to make it into the headlines.”

Much has changed for Thomas since he first appeared on the TEN show, giving him a bigger industry profile than the spots he had done on Rove and Good News Week. But for a while there he wasn’t sure if Your Gen was going to succeed.

“I didn’t think it was going to be popular,” he admits. “I remember watching the first episode and being so scared reading all the Twitter comments and logging onto your website the next day to find out how many people watched.”

1.6m tuned in for the 2009 premiere. It quickly established itself as a viewer favourite with strong word of mouth, thanks to the chemistry of host Shaun Micallef and teammates Amanda Keller and Charlie Pickering.

Thomas now has more comedy circuit bookings, which in turn requires more writing, and for a comedian who draws upon incidents in his personal life, he says his decision to come out as gay last December ended up becoming part of his comedy routine.

“I do a new show every year so it’s got to be about what happened that year, so it was something to talk about more than anything. So it was about me having a serious relationship, but I try not to focus on the fact that it was a boy too much,” he says.

Thomas came out after Your Gen had finished its first season on TEN, at the age of 22.

“I had to wait for any jokes that I’d made about girls go to air,” he laughs.

Now he is in the relaxed position of his sexuality being neither what he is known for, nor a secret that is never acknowledged. It’s just another part of who he is.

“If it comes up I’m happy to talk about it but I don’t think it’s particularly interesting,” he says.

“A lot of people still don’t know. On my Facebook page I get girls everyday asking ‘Oh my god are you really gay?’

“Anyone who has heard my Podcasts, or seen my live show or watched Good News Week would know about it. But it’s never been in the paper or anything.”

Thomas confirmed his sexuality to family, friends and media all at once, as a result of a relationship with comedian Tom Ballard.

“Two birds with one stone!” he laughs.

“We weren’t really sure when I came out how big a deal it was going to be in the media or if people were going to report on it. We weren’t sure if Channel TEN were going to care. But they don’t care. Nobody cares.”

These days Thomas is single, happily juggling his work commitments to television and live comedy and even chipping away at a script project that has some script development with ABC.

“It’s in the very early stages so I would be surprised if it gets made. I’m worried that people will think I’m writing a sitcom, but I’m writing a Treatment and a Script.

“Sitcoms are kind of the Holy Grail,” he says.

Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation airs 7:30pm Sunday on TEN.

24 Responses

  1. I’m surprised by how many Josh haters are out there. I think he’s brilliant. He’s witty and his delivery is impeccable. He’s hilarious. It baffles me that people would dislike him for seemingly no reason.

  3. league freak. Australia is going like America. Were people with no apparent history in the entertainment industry. pop up and they are all of a ‘sudden “supposed to be famous. But that said. I like tbyg. I find Thomas way more entertaining than the other “instant” celebrity charlie.

  4. What does he actually do? I mean, has he got some sort of hidden talent we don’t know of? he seems to be like most young people on Australian TV. They are sort of just there….and don’t do much.

  5. When I first saw him on TaYG (not Next Gen) I thought that he was pretty goofy and non-threatening to young girls, he’ll be a sex symbol for the teens set. The proof that even goofy, geeky guys can get girls. And then he reveals his true orientation, and I go “Noooooo!!!!” (Not because he is gay, mind you, but that we still haven’t got a goofy, geeky sex symbol 🙂

  8. Josh is a very funny and quirky guy, i think its pretty cool how low key he was about coming out. His sexuality is not a big deal and is only one aspect of who he is, just like any other gay or straight person.

  9. @john, perhaps it’s because I technically fall into the Gen X category, but I really don’t mind Charlie Pickering in fact, I kinda think he’s ace on YourGen, although he really shines well on 7pm Project.

    Re: Josh Thomas coming out; as a gay man as well I think it’s rather great that his coming out is so low key. Australia has a very strong international rep as being gay-friendly yet it’s rather odd that we have so few out celebrities compared to countries comparable (Canada) or smaller (New Zealand) in population.

  13. Josh & Amanda come across as warm,funny & intelligent.As for Mr Pickering…will you please get over yourself already,geez the chip on the shoulder act gets boring quickly.

  14. girlygal says:

    “He just got lucky with TBYG – lucky that no other comedian in that age brackett who got offered the role before him would accept it.”

    Hahaha yeah young comedians are constantly knocking back prime time TV shows with Shaun Micallef.

  16. I went to a TBYG filming last year and it was bloody hilarious. All the team are really lovely and friendly, it was just a shame how much of the funny stuff didn’t make it into the final cut that aired a few months later!

    Good on ya Josh for coming out, it’s true, nobody really cares. Haha.

  18. A friend made mention that he was gay the other day and I was like O’Rly didn’t really know but good on him; he is my favourite of TAYG very funy man; I’d like to see him live actually.

  19. Thanks for the interview. Did anyone notice that TBYG is now filmed at the Central City Studios at Melbourne Docklands? (Shaun Micallef said in another interview that he noticed a film was being shot next door) Only the car park had enough space to set up the maze for last Sunday’s episode.

  20. I don’t like him, i think his performances are lack-lustre and his stand-up comedy is bland at best. He just got lucky with TBYG – lucky that no other comedian in that age brackett who got offered the role before him would accept it. He doesn’t seem to care about the success or failure of his ventures – and that’s exactly the attitude that won’t see him get his own show…who would hire such a young nit?

  21. For me, Josh is the least interesting of the players in Your Gen. But admittedly i am on the cusp of Baby Boom and Gen x. But as a gay man, I am always happy to have representations on screen. Josh is quirky, non stereotypic and sort of charming in a dishevelled, hapless kind of way! I just wish he was a bit smarter!
    Doesn’t help the cause of his generation to have a somewhat clueless captain.
    Amanda I have had the pleasure of meeting and briefly working with – a quick and funny and warm person; The first ep on Sunday felt a bit shambolic to me – a bir forced – i hope it has not already peaked.

  22. No offence intended, but is it just me or does it seem to me that Gen Y are never really known for their wits on “Talking About Your Generation”? I know I’m not really one to judge considering I basically live for the internet, but it seems to me that sometimes even the really easy questions that are designed to be suitable for the Gen Y guests sometimes mainly get answered by Gen X and the Baby Boomers. That’s just my observation, feel free to correct me if you think otherwise.

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