Comedian Katherine Ryan did first paid gig with daughter strapped to her chest

The comedian spoke candidly about the struggles of being a single parent.

Comedian Katherine Ryan says she had to perform her first paid stand-up gig with her newborn daughter as she needed the money. Katherine told the story of how she brought her daughter Violet on stage with her for a performance at Latitude Festival eight years ago when her little one was just 21 days old. Speaking to fellow comedian John Bishop on In Conversation, Katherine recalled how she managed to do stand-up on the side while working an office job to support her family and shared the story on her first paid gig.

“It was perfect because that’s another confidence thing,” Katherine said. “If you walk into a comedy club wearing a baby… who’s going to tell you to take it off?”

Juggling a new born baby with a stand-up comedy gig... @Kathbum is pretty much superwoman.@JohnBishop100: #InConversationWith continues tomorrow at 10pm! pic.twitter.com/pcrKespDIx

— W (@wchannel) July 25, 2018

The 35-year-old comic said she booked the gig before her daughter, who is now eight, was born and said she didn’t have any material about being a mother just yet.

“I did my first gig with Violet, wearing Violet, when she was 21 days old. And people hadn’t seen a baby that young. “People were like, ‘I think there’s something wrong with your baby’. It’s like, no she’s just… born. “She’s a newborn. “It was all so new, I didn’t have any material about having a baby so I just didn’t mention it.”

Katherine moved to the UK from Canada ten years ago with her partner, however, the relationship broke down two years after their daughter was born. The comedian has never revealed his identity and chooses to blur out her daughter’s face in all images.