On Tuesday, a copy editor from CBC News found himself part of an unanticipated comedy duo in a video that circulated on social media.
Josh Johnson, an American standup comedian and occasional host of The Daily Show, was making jokes about CBC’s reporting on a bodega cat being removed due to health issues during his performance at Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre last month.
“I really want to meet the editor,” Johnson joked.
From the audience, someone shouted: “He’s here!”
A confused Johnson responded: “The cat’s here?”
Not quite.
“The editor’s here!” the audience yelled.
That’s when Jon Azpiri made his entrance.
Dressed in a dark grey hoodie, which amusingly resembled Johnson’s signature light grey hoodie, Azpiri took the stage for a 10-minute exchange filled with humor about cats, vanishing islands, and journalism.
Johnson began to inquire about the bodega cat incident, but Azpiri interjected.
“We cover many stories about cats, so I need to know which specific cat you’re talking about.”
As a copy editor and reporter, Azpiri addressed Johnson’s questions regarding how a newsroom decides on its topics.
“We’re a public broadcaster,” Azpiri explained. “So we adhere to something called Journalistic Standards and Practices.”
“There’s really no need to boast,” Johnson responded.
By 2 p.m. PT, Johnson’s video had garnered over 2.4 million views on Instagram and more than 860,000 views on TikTok.
The conversation concluded with a handshake between the two.
As Azpiri departed, he reminded Johnson about the upcoming election scheduled for the next day.
“That’s a true editor right there,” Johnson remarked. “Even as he walks away, he’s like, ‘We have an election tomorrow.'”
Johnson shared with CBC’s Hanomansing Live that he had prepared an entire routine centered on the cat story, noting how the coverage felt very local and charming. He ultimately opted to ask Azpiri about it since he was directly involved.
“The whole situation felt like a stroke of luck,” he explained, referring to his inquiries with the copy editor about various CBC stories as a fortunate occurrence.
“When you’re open to the idea that spontaneous moments can be gifts, they happen more frequently,” he remarked. “And we tend to receive more of the things we seek.”
In discussing what stands out to him about Canada as an American comedian, Johnson noted a general sense of neighborliness among the people.
‘My eyes kind of bugged out’
Azpiri expressed that he was surprised by the viral nature of Johnson’s video, stating he hadn’t even realized the show had been recorded.
He told CBC’s BC Today that he had just finished a copy editing shift before heading to the performance.
While walking to the theatre with his wife, he mentioned hoping they wouldn’t be seated too near the stage.
“Sometimes comedians engage with audience members,” Azpiri noted. “And I said, ‘I don’t want to be one of those people.’
His wife informed him that their tickets were for the lower deck.
As the show commenced, when Johnson expressed his desire to speak to a CBC editor, Azpiri reacted.
“My eyes kind of bugged out,” Azpiri recalled.
“My wife couldn’t contain herself and yelled, ‘Oh, he’s here.’
Azpiri noted that everything transpired so swiftly that he had no time to feel stage fright.
“As I approached the stage, I did think, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’
He estimated that about 1,000 people were in attendance, but he was unaware that cameras were recording.
“That felt wild to me… I thought it would make for a nice story to share with my kids. Then this happened this morning.”
Although he has become a sensation in social media comments, Azpiri has no intention of trying to outshine Johnson in the comedy world.
“[I’m] definitely playing second fiddle to Josh.”