Hello lovely humans,
Cult deconstruction can start with a good laugh — and it's a powerful way to face the past and kick off 2026.
We're excited to share that Doomsday Comedy is coming to New Zealand — and some incredible local comedians are joining us for our very first New Zealand tour. After highly praised shows in London, UK in 2025, the show is hitting the road in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch this summer.
What's it all about?
Doomsday Comedy is a stand-up show featuring comedians with lived experience of religious fundamentalism. These performers turn stories from high-control upbringings into sharp, absurd and cathartic comedy — connecting with both survivors and anyone curious about belief, power and laughter.
Goat farmer and former Jehovah's Witness Jonas Skogstroll from Norway arrives in Auckland soon — a funny man on a serious mission. He was interviewed by Cult Chat last month, and the Sunday Star-Times recently ran a full-page feature on his stand-up and activism.
This coming weekend, Jonas will join other cult survivors in a peaceful protest outside the International Jehovah's Witness Convention at Eden Park. Around 20,000 people attend this annual event, most of them born into a high-control religious group. If you're in Tāmaki Makaurau and would like to stand alongside former JWs and support human rights in coercive groups, all details can be found on the Facebook event page.
After the protest, Jonas and Mark Darbyshire take Doomsday Comedy on the road for a month. The tour kicks off this Sunday at Whammy Bar in Auckland, withTim Batt as MC. Tim is a Billy T nominee, TV regular, international performer, and co-host of New Zealand's most successful comedy podcast.
The Auckland premiere will be followed by shows in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, featuring MC Snap and other performers who have left fundamentalist groups — from Destiny Church to Mormonism. The show was a big hit in Europe, so don't miss this uniquely culty comedy with a strong local flavour when it comes to a city near you.
Tickets, tour dates and Facebook events:
www.doomsdaycomedy.com
If you can help the team with booking additional shows along the way — or would like to join them on stage — contact Mark at hello@markd.nz.
Creative expression that transforms religious trauma into humour takes courage, and it comes with real personal cost. Jonas cleans windows for a living when he's not on stage. If you'd like to support his New Zealand visit and activism, you could shout him a beer, offer a couch to crash on, or simply help spread the word about the shows.
Kind regards,
Doomsday Comedy crew
PS: Thanks to one of our biggest supporters Anke Richter and www.decult.net for mentioning us in their newsletter.
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