Free Up! Emancipation Day gives comics centre stage

FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes is a fresh take on marking Emancipation Day in Canada—an eight-episode comedy series for CBC Gem that centres truth, joy and resistance. Each digital short features one of Canada's sharpest comics, including Chris Robinson, Lisa Berry, Daniel Woodrow, Ngozi Paul, Keesha Brownie, Alan Shane Lewis, Hoodo Hersi, and Tamara Shevon taking the mic to share stories, observations and moments only they could deliver.

This is freedom experienced live and unfiltered through humour, honesty and the immediacy of stand-up comedy. From family dynamics and historical absurdities to everyday truths, FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 is an open invitation to laugh, think and genuinely connect. Because sometimes the most radical thing we have is laughter.

Here's just a small sample of the stand up sets from FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes:

'Men should be allowed to share their feelings. I don’t want to hear it'

1 day ago

Duration 0:55

Comedian Hoodo Hersi on cancel culture and men’s feelings. Watch FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes on CBC Gem.

'Let’s go to the bank and see who gets the loan'

1 day ago

Duration 0:23

Comedian and Great Canadian Baking Show co-host Alan Shane Lewis has his suburban Blackness challenged. Watch FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes on CBC Gem.

'I didn’t know you had to dribble'

1 day ago

Duration 0:57

Being a 6’2” Black man who is bad at basketball is a trauma that comedian Daniel Woodrow carries with him daily. Watch FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes on CBC Gem.

You can watch FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes on CBC Gem and Youtube.