A Comedian, Community Champion and Acting Superintendent of Victoria Police walk into the JOY Studios. This could be the start of a bad joke or make for an great episode of JOY Breakfast with Dee Mason. Thankfully for us it is the latter!

Jenna Davey Burns chats with Dee about the incredibly generous and vital community work Refugee Sponsorship does around Australia. Acting Superintendent at Victoria Police Mark Zervaas explain the Department of Transports new STOPIT Campaign and how it benefits every Victorian. Lou Wall stops by to have some laughs and talk about her hilarious new show Breaking the Fifth Wall as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025. 

Lou Wall and Dee Mason (feat: Barkly the Dog having trust issues)

Little known fact: Dee and (newsreader) Chris Eales text each other every thursday morning at 6am to coordinate outfits.

The post Breaking the Fifth Wall, supporting refugees and and the STOPIT campaign appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Mary Coustas sits down to talk with Dee Mason about her new show ‘This is Personal’. In this interview Mary is candid about who she is outside of ‘Effie’, but don’t you worry, Mary promises ‘Effie’ hasn’t had her last show. Catch Mary Coustas’ hilarious and poignant new show This is Personal at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025

This Is Personal – you gotta find the funny

 Laced with Mary Coustas’ comedic flair, This Is Personal is a kaleidoscopic exploration of love, loss, laughter and fear – and how all four come to define us.

Blurb:

After launching at the Sydney Opera House and a subsequent successful tour, Mary Coustas brings her critically acclaimed masterclass in storytelling This Is Personal to Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This candid and intimate one woman show combines the coarse tapestry of Mary’s migrant upbringing in Melbourne’s suburbs and her recent experience of motherhood.

Directed by Blazey Best (Well Behaved Women, Sensitive Guys, Kings for Pigs), Mary addresses questions from her inquisitive daughter, her answers forcing her to reflect on what she can offer from her own life experience… and more importantly what she can’t. To help, the audience meets the characters from Mary’s family who have shaped her life – including Mary’s younger self who created the suit of armour we’ve come to know as ‘Effie’.

Laced with Mary’s comedic flair, This Is Personal is a kaleidoscopic exploration of love, loss, laughter and fear, and how all four come to define us.

The post Mary Coustas Gets Personal (P.S Effie is not Dead) appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Warning: this episode may cause sudden urges to don sequins, belt out a ballad, or run away with the circus…

Tamzyn and CJ throw open the velvet curtain and welcome the queen of Weimar punk kabarett herself — Bernie Dieter!

With her smoky voice, razor-sharp wit, and an army of aerialists, fire-breathers, and mischief-makers in tow, Bernie is here to seduce Melbourne with Club Kabarett — a wild celebration of freedom, difference, and glorious debauchery.

In this laugh-out-loud, goosebump-inducing chat, we dive into:

✨ The inspiration behind her no-holds-barred kabarett style
Why Melbourne audiences are in for an unforgettable ride
And the number one thing not to do at Club Kabarett…

Whether you’re a kabarett virgin or a seasoned show pony, this episode is your backstage pass to the hottest club east of Berlin.

Direct from sell-out seasons in London, Japan, Perth and Auckland, Bernie brings her riotous, gin-soaked variety show to the Meat Market, transforming it into a den of delicious danger from April 3 to May 11.

https://berniedieter.com/club-kabarett

The post Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett: No Rules. No Seats Safe. appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Tuesday Morning on JOY Breakfast, Tamzyn and CJ welcomed comedian and accidental heartthrob Chris Demos—yes, the man behind the new Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Actually Kinda Hot.

Ever been told you’re “actually kinda hot”? Chris has… and he’s unpacking all the awkwardness, charm, and chaos that comes with it. From flooded car engines and plane food mishaps to Judge Judy obsessions and the struggle of removing a too-tight boot in public—this interview is a wild ride through the mind of one of Melbourne’s sharpest comedic storytellers.

We talk disastrous decisions, weird compliments, and why The Butterfly Club is the perfect stage for this gloriously relatable show. If you like your mornings funny, slightly unhinged, and filled with unexpected wisdom—you’re in the right place.

Catch Actually Kinda Hot from April 7–20 at The Butterfly Club. And if nothing else, come for the legal advice. Sort of.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/actually-kinda-hot/

The post Actually Kinda Hot with Chris Demos: Comedy, Chaos & Too-Tight Boots appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

[L-R: Chrissy, Joss, Stevie]

Joss and Wayne talk with make-up artist and creator Chrissy De Saini and trans model Stevie the Mother-trucker about the fabulous photographic coffee table book featuring stunning photos of older trans people, taken at Pride of Our Footscray.

They tell us about the inspiration for the project, how it felt to take part and give us the scoop on the official launch happening on Trans Day of Visibility this year. There’s even a bit of a spicy discussion about balls!

This project is trans allyship at its best.

The post Transpired Chrissy and Stevie the Mothertrucker appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Get ready to feel the soul! On this week’s JOY Breakfast with Tamzyn & CJ, we’re joined by the incredible Ifedayo Gatling from the Grammy-nominated Harlem Gospel Travelers!

What’s in store? We chat about:
✅ Their powerhouse tour with Eli Paperboy Reed and The Meltdown
✅ The magic of mixing gospel, soul, and blues for Aussie audiences
✅ Their Grammy-nominated album Rhapsody — and the stories behind it
✅ Ifedayo’s journey into gospel music and the energy they bring to the stage

Don’t miss this fun, uplifting chat — perfect for your morning vibes! ☕

book tickets now!!

https://harlemgospeltravelers.com/#Tour

#JOYBreakfast #HarlemGospelTravelers #Rhapsody #SoulMusic #TripleYourSoulTour

The post Raising the Roof with Ifedayo Gatling from The Harlem Gospel Travelers! appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Get ready to giggle as Tuesday Breakfast with Tamzyn & CJ welcomes comedian Alayne Dick all the way from Wellington, NZ!

In this fun-filled chat, we cover:

Don’t miss out! Alayne’s show runs from March 26 to April 6 at Tasma Terrace – grab your tickets now! ️

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/purple-is-the-gayest-colour/

#ComedyGold #PurpleIsTheGayestColour #JOY949 #TamzynAndCJ

The post Purple, Puns & Punchlines with Alayne Dick! appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

This week JOY Breakfast Host Dee Mason caught up with Geoff Paine (you remember Dr. Clive from Neighbours, right?) to talk about The Laughter Lab coming for ONE NIGHT ONLY to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2025. April 7

pictured: A couple of comedy/science nerds. Geoff Paine and Dee Mason

Join us for a one-off opportunity to witness live laughter experiments on stage, and discover some of the quirky science behind the fascinating — and sometimes odd — human behaviour that is laughter. Host Geoff Paine and real-life scientists will explore what makes us laugh, how it’s both contagious and good for us, and how it can open the door to the taboo.

This show is for the thinkers and the laughers, with every question met with strict scientific rigour* (*sort of). Among gags and giggles, we’ll attempt to clarify humour’s more murky depths through real-time research: Can we violate social norms just for laughs? Why aren’t mother-in-law jokes a thing anymore? Did mirror neurons just make you laugh, or was it really funny? Can we “punch down” and crack up at the same time?

Science tells us we’re comfortable laughing in groups; the feedback loop helps us bond with those around us. So expect an evening of comedic unity as you laugh, learn and connect with the rest of the room — endorphins no extra charge.

The post Comedy and Science: together at last with The Laughter Lab appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Chances are that if you are a person you have been touched by breast cancer in some way. 

Maybe you are living with a diagnosis currently – perhaps you are a survivor – but almost certainly in Australia today, you know somebody who has been diagnosed or lost a loved one.

Rita Butera (CEO BreastScreen Victoria) with JOY Brekky Host Dee Mason

head to www.breastscreen.org.au

The post Breast Screening in the LGBTQIA+ Community: Get yourself a bosom buddy!! appeared first on JOY Breakfast.

Wake up to a dynamic mix of culture, creativity, and conversation on this episode of Joy Breakfast. Join us as comedian Jessica Budin unveils the quirky magic of her debut show “Girt By Sea,” dive into the vibrant vision of Victorian Pride Centre with CEO Paul Horwell, and explore innovative film ideas with David Martin Harris from the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. It’s a morning blend of laughter, LGBTQIA+ pride, and creative sparks to kick-start your day!

The post Brekky Buzz: Girt, Pride & Pitch Please appeared first on JOY Breakfast.