Last April, Quebec’s Tai TL managed the feat of filling the Casino de Paris four times and selling a total of 8,000 tickets. And all this despite the fact that he hadn’t even done ten shows in his life! How did the 21-year-old comedian from Montreal North become a real phenomenon who pushes boundaries? The newspaper spoke to the guy who will be appearing on Just for Laughs for three nights.
Tailaire Laguerre is followed by more than two million people on social media and is not as well known to the general public in Quebec. Still, the young Montrealer sells tickets at lightning speed and was a hit when he visited Paris in the spring.
“The owners of the Casino de Paris told me that all the comedians who had been there never had that energy,” he tells the Journal. You felt like you were in a football stadium. For me it was like being in the Stanley Cup final. It was sick!”
Tai TL received an enthusiastic reception at the Casino de Paris last April. Photo courtesy of Just for Laughs
“We are witnessing a phenomenon,” confirms Just for Laughs programmer Junior Girardeau, who was present at the Casino de Paris for the first three of the four Tai TL shows. Tai, he’s in the right place, with the right people, at the right time. […] I compare him a little with Mathieu Dufour. He has an audience that follows him and is very engaged.”
crew hood
But how did this boy from North Montreal come to have such overwhelming success on both sides of the ocean? It all actually started in spring 2021. Although he already had a good subscriber base on social media with his comedic videos that he had been releasing for four years, Tai TL experienced an explosion in popularity thanks to his idea Hood.
Every Sunday night, live from Montreal North, he made a live appearance on his Instagram account where he attempted to play cupids with individual netizens. Within a few weeks, no fewer than 100,000 people were watching him live! This success led to an Occupation Hood show at Just for Laughs on July 24, 2021.
Courtesy only for laughs
Tai had never filmed a scene in his life and was performing at the Olympia in Montreal at the age of 19! After the success of that evening, Junior Girardeau invited him to play at the Terminal Comédie Club. “He had never done a stand-up before,” explains the programmer.
The aspiring comedian continues to hone his craft and regularly posts videos on his platforms. His popularity abroad was now undeniable, so he performed in both the South of France and the West Indies.
Last March, Trends Talent, his agency specializing in content creation and marketing, told him he had to try Paris. In less than 24 hours, the 8,000 available tickets for four performances at the Casino de Paris were sold out. “I was shocked when I saw that,” admits the Quebecer.
Jean Robert
In less than three weeks, the Tai TL phenomenon will take over Monument National. The comedian will present his show Madame Rekilé with his character of Jean-Robert, revealed on social networks, a man wearing a suit that is much too big and glasses perched on the tip of his nose.
“It’s a show where I tell the anecdotes of the character, all of his travels, all of his stories,” says Tai, who writes all of his lyrics. I also talk about situations that happened to me in my life. I have so many funny stories. […] This is my first time playing this character on stage in Montreal. For me it is a pleasure.”
Having grown up with Martin Matte, Mike Ward and Rachid Badouri, Tai TL is still not very close to Quebec comedians. But it’s starting to make connections virtually. “I see that there are people who like my stuff [sur les réseaux sociaux]. I saw Mariana Mazza and Arnaud Soly following me. It’s nice to see these people see my work.”
“I learn a lot from him”
There is something inspiring about Tai TL’s success for Eddy King. “I haven’t had a chance to see his show, but I’ve only heard good things about it,” he told the Journal […] I’ve always told myself that the secret to longevity is not being afraid to learn from younger people. I learn a lot from watching Tai. What I like is the way it renews itself. He did his sketches, then Occupation Hood, and then his character. He is very strong and very intelligent.
Junior Girardeau believes the success of Tai TL will bring more content creators to the web. “I’m sure we’ll see more cases like this in the next two years, like a man nobody knows from Rouyn-Noranda, who creates a character, lands in Montreal and enters the great halls.”
Once the show series at Monument-National is over, Just for Laughs will sit down with Tai and his team to discuss what’s next. “We are in a transition year with them,” says Junior Girardeau. We wanted to do very well this summer to maybe announce another project at some point.
Tai TL already dreams of touring the whole province. “One of my goals would be to bring joy to everyone in Quebec, but also everywhere in Francophonie.”
The Tai TL Show, Madame Rekilé tourtakes place on 21.-22.-23. July at Monument National. For info: hahaha.com.
WHO IS TAI TL?
- His real name is Tailaire Laguerre.
- He was born on February 6, 2002 in Montreal.
- He has Haitian roots.
- After living in the Saint-Michel neighborhood of Montreal and in Laval, he settled with his family in Montreal North, where he still resides today.
- In 2017 he started posting videos on Facebook and Instagram.
- In the spring of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, he started a weekly series on his Instagram called “Occupation Hood.”
- A few months later, he was invited to perform on the stage at the Olympia in Montreal as part of Just for Laughs.
- In April 2023 he performed four times at the Casino de Paris in front of 8,000 spectators. All tickets were sold out in less than 24 hours.
- Next month he will play three times at Monument National. The performances are almost all sold out.
- He now has 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 595,000 followers on Instagram.