Gary Owen will play Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney in June 2026
Gary Owen will tour Australia for the first time in June 2026, with his No Hard Feelings show heading to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney after an opening date in Auckland.
The tour begins in New Zealand on 11th June 2026 at Skycity Theatre in Auckland. Owen will then perform at Fortitude Valley Music Hall in Brisbane on 12th June 2026 and the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on 13th June 2026.
The second half of the Australian run includes Perth’s Octagon Theatre on 19th June 2026, Norwood Concert Hall in Adelaide on 20th June 2026 and Sydney’s State Theatre on 21st June 2026.
The dates follow a run of sold-out performances across the United States, where Owen has drawn strong ticket sales for a show built around family, culture and everyday life. The Australian and New Zealand dates also follow the announcement of his first major North American theatre tour.
Owen first broke through in 1997 on BET’s Comic View and later became the only white man to host the show. He also headlined Shaquille O’Neal’s All-Star Comedy Jam, strengthening his place within the Black comedy circuit.
Known as “Black America’s favourite white comedian”, Owen has built much of his career around his ability to speak openly about race, family and personal life without softening the edges. His stand-up often draws on his former marriage to Kenya Duke, their divorce and his life as a father.
He married Brianna Owen in March and has toddler twins, adding new family material to a career already shaped by personal stories.
From Comic View to Black Famous
Owen’s Black Famous material has become one of his best-known routines. In it, he talks about being instantly recognised by Black audiences while remaining less familiar to parts of the mainstream white public.
The routine looks at the everyday perks that can come with that recognition, including flight upgrades, hotel treatment and free meals. Owen often frames it through the idea of being embraced as “their boy” by audiences who have followed him for years.
That online profile has also grown sharply. Owen has 14 million followers across social platforms, while a recent Black Famous sketch has passed 20 million views.
His screen credits include Back on the Strip with Tiffany Haddish and Wesley Snipes, Meet the Blacks, The House Next Door, Think Like a Man, Think Like a Man Too, Ride Along, Little Man and Daddy Day Care. He is also recognised for playing Bearcat in the MGM film College.
On television, Owen starred in The Gary Owen Show on BET and co-hosted Upload with Shaquille O’Neal on TruTV. He later appeared as Zach the barber in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.
His comedy specials include Black Famous, #Doin’ What I Do, I Got My Associates, I Agree With Myself, True Story, Urban Legend and Breakin’ Out The Park. More recently, he released Broken Family and Gary Owen…No S on YouTube.
Gary Owen: No Hard Feelings tour dates:
Auckland: Skycity Theatre, 11th June 2026
Brisbane: Fortitude Valley Music Hall, 12th June 2026
Melbourne: Palais Theatre, 13th June 2026
Perth: Octagon Theatre, 19th June 2026
Adelaide: Norwood Concert Hall, 20th June 2026
Sydney: State Theatre, 21st June 2026
