Meet Isabel Kanaan, 22 Minutes' new feature player who loves doing it all

A new year sees another fresh talent to the team at This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as Isabel Kanaan joins this week as the show's newest feature player.

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Originally from Manila, Philippines and now based in Toronto, Kanaan is a Second City graduate and has worked on a variety of TV and theatre projects.

After graduating from the Acting for Camera and Voice program at Seneca College, Kanaan started writing about her experience as a Filipino woman with a local theatre company.

"From there, I went into Second City because I just love comedy. And one of the notes that my teachers always told me in Seneca was like 'you can find a comedy in anything'," she says.

"I really felt like I connected with comedy and writing. And that's what Second City gave me. And I've just been doing that ever since."

Bringing a unique voice and energy 

But politics haven't always been Kanaan's specialty when it comes to her comedy style.

"In my sketch comedy, very topical political things aren't necessarily what I write."

She says being on 22 Minutes forces her to write about political issues — from her point of view and in her own voice.

I feel like I do bring a different energy. I've also been told to bring on a different energy.​​​​​- Isabel Kanaan

At first, Kanaan says she was hesitant to write about the topics in her personal perspective, but the team was totally encouraging.

"[My energy] is welcomed with open arms and I feel like I can just pitch anything I want... it's very collaborative and I feel very safe and protected," she says.

"Adding my voice and their style, that's really cool as a writer to do."

Like many of us, Kanaan says there are times where she doesn't want to turn on the TV because the news is just too depressing. 

"How do you stay updated, yet not spiral into anxiety and depression?"

Political comedy and shows like 22 Minutes might just help balancing between the need to stay informed and a mental burnout.

"It's news but it's comedic news. So you still understand what's happening, but at the end of it all, you're almost lifted by 'okay I can laugh at these as well'."

Staying connected through Zoom and TikTok

Since the pandemic changed the way people live and work, Kanaan says it has been easier to find more time and create her own schedule to work on creative projects.

"But it's also harder because I love being with people, that's where a lot of my comedy comes from. I'm also an extrovert so I bounced off people's energies [and] ideas," she says.

Thank goodness for technology and Zoom and all that, because, in a weird way, I have felt connected with the world in a way that I didn't before the pandemic.- Isabel Kanaan

Kanaan has also been actively involved in the TikTok community.

"I posted on there and people are like, 'You're going to be on [22 Minutes]? I'm gonna watch!'... and these are kids who don't usually watch this show."

When asked about her career plans for the future, Kanaan says she wants to do it all.

"I'm a big fan of doing everything. I love comedy, but I also love drama. And I love writing, so I'm not going to stop doing all these."

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