Josh Thomas

Joshua Michael Thomas is an Australian comedian, actor, and writer. In 2005, he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy Competition. He has since appeared on television numerous times, including as a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network 10's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation. In 2013, Thomas created the award-winning ABC2 and Pivot television series Please Like Me, which he also co-wrote and starred in.

Early life and education Joshua Michael Thomas was born in Blackwater, Queensland, the son of Rebecca and Mike Thomas.

He lived in Chapel Hill and Westlake in Brisbane's western suburbs and attended Kenmore State High School, from which he matriculated in 2004. He studied for a Bachelor of Creative Industries, majoring in television, at the Queensland University of Technology, but dropped out after one year.

Career In 2005, he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's RAW Comedy Award. He made the finals of So You Think You're Funny at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The following year, he was selected to perform in The Comedy Zone, a showcase of Australia's most promising up-and-coming comedians presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

In 2007, Thomas' first solo show, "Please Like Me" debuted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it received the Melbourne Airport Award for Best Newcomer. His live shows have toured both nationally and internationally, appearing in both Edinburgh and Montreal's comedy festivals. In 2010, Thomas toured his coming-out themed stand-up show "Surprise", taking it to the Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

2011 saw him touring Everything Ever at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, among other locations.

In 2024, Thomas performed his first ever Edinburgh Festival Fringe show entitled Let's Tidy Up, having already toured the show in North America, Australia and New Zealand and performed warmup shows at the Soho Theatre, London and the Lowry, Salford. He was also a contestant on the second season of Taskmaster Australia.

Podcast Thomas has a podcast called Josh Thomas and Friend, available from iTunes, which features Thomas and his comedian friends Mel Buttle and Tom Ward. In November 2009 a second series of the podcast was released on iTunes, and the first series was deleted. The third series was released in 2011, and the second series was deleted as well.

Television In 2009, Thomas became a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network 10's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation. He also competed in Celebrity MasterChef Australia, but lost in the first heat to Kirk Pengilly of INXS.

Please Like Me In February 2013, the television series Please Like Me, written by Thomas, debuted on ABC2. Participant Media's television network Pivot acquired the series for the US and premiered all six episodes as a binge marathon on 1 August 2013 to celebrate the channel's launch after premiering the first episode online. The initial six-part series is based on his stand-up comedy shows and stars Thomas as himself. For his work on the series, Thomas has won various accolades, including an AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay in 2015. It was also short-listed for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay In 2018, Thomas created Everything's Gonna Be Okay, a television comedy about a single man in his twenties (played by himself) who stays in the United States after his father dies to take care of his teenage half-sisters. The show was given a pilot order by Freeform, and was picked up to series. The show premiered in January 2020, with Thomas starring, writing, and serving as the showrunner in the series. Everything's Gonna Be Okay was cancelled in 2021 after two seasons.

Personal life Thomas is openly gay. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 28. In 2021, he revealed that he is also autistic.

Awards and nominations AACTA Awards 2014 Josh Thomas Best Comedy Performance

Please Like Me – Season 2 Best Comedy Series

Australian Writers Guild Awards

Please Like Me – Series 1, Episode 3: 'Portuguese Custard Tarts '

Please Like Me – Series 1, Episode 5: 'Spanish Eggs ' 2015 Please Like Me – Series 2, Episode 7: 'Scroggin '

Please Like Me – Season 3, Episode 2: 'Simple Carbohydrates ' Please Like Me – Season 3, Episode 5: 'Coq au Vin ' Please Like Me – Season 3, Episode 6: 'Pancakes with Faces ' 2017 Please Like Me – Season 4, Episode 5: 'Burrito Bowl '

GLAAD Media Awards 2014

2015 2016 2021 Everything's Gonna Be Okay

Logie Awards 2014 Please Like Me Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program

Josh Thomas Most Popular Actor

Please Like Me Most Outstanding Comedy Program

Josh Thomas Best Actor

2017

Other Awards Year Award Category Nominee Result -won 2011 ARIA Music Awards Best Comedy Release Josh Thomas Surprise Warehouse Comedy Festival

International Emmy Awards Best Comedy Series

Rose d'Or Sitcom

LGBTQ TV Show of the Year Unsung TV Show of the Year 2021 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Cable Series, Comedy Everything's Gonna Be Okay