Mike Bullard

Television Bullard's stand-up career led to regular television appearances beginning in 1993 on Friday Night! with Ralph Benmergui, which was produced by Mark Breslin. His work on the programme helped lead to his being selected as host of Open Mike with Mike Bullard, which premiered in 1997 on The Comedy Network.

Initially taped in a room behind Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in downtown Toronto, Open Mike later moved to the Masonic Temple and began airing on the CTV Television Network as well as the Comedy Network. It ran for six seasons and produced nearly 1,000 episodes. The programme won two Gemini Awards during its run.

When Bullard's CTV contract approached expiry in 2003, the network offered him a one-year agreement. According to Brioux, Bullard had also been told at one point that the programme would be cancelled.

After leaving CTV, Bullard publicly criticized the network's management and lack of support for his programme. CTV executives responded that he had left the company on poor terms. CTV scheduled The Daily Show against Bullard's new programme and promoted it as the successor to Open Mike.

Bullard returned to television as host of HouseCapades, a reality series featuring homeowners presenting properties they hoped to sell. Approximately 250 episodes were produced between 2005 and 2007.

In 2007, Bullard was reportedly being considered by CBC Television to host a revival of an unidentified game show. The proposed programme was not publicly confirmed and apparently did not proceed. The programme ended after approximately five months.

In August 2009, Bullard became host of an evening talk programme, The Mike Bullard Show, on Hamilton station Talk 820 (CHAM). The programme ended in July 2010 when CHAM abandoned its talk format and returned to country music.

Later in 2010, Bullard joined Toronto station Newstalk 1010 (CFRB) as host of Beyond the Mic with Mike Bullard, which aired weekdays from noon to 1p.m. The programme combined discussion of current affairs and other topics with interviews and listener calls. Bullard remained with the station until October 2016, when Bell Media ended its relationship with him following his arrest on charges involving a former romantic partner.

Bullard returned to talk radio in October 2018 as co-host, with writer and comedian Lawrence Morgenstern, of the weekday afternoon-drive programme The Getaway on Mississauga station Sauga 960 AM. The programme was short-lived.

From 2019 to 2020, Bullard hosted the interview podcast You Too with Mike Bullard.

Humanitarian work in Ukraine In November 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bullard travelled to Ukraine to volunteer with local and international humanitarian organizations. He remained in the country until February 2023 and worked in Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kherson and areas near Bakhmut.

Bullard initially volunteered at a round-the-clock kitchen in Kharkiv, helping deliver as many as 1,000 meals a day to civilians and military personnel. He later joined volunteers delivering food, wood-burning stoves and other supplies to communities close to active fighting. He also participated in civilian evacuation missions, including helping move an older woman from her home in Kherson to a care facility approximately 120 kilometres away.

On October 30, 2018, the Toronto Star published a correction retracting an earlier report that Bullard had been spotted at Mulligan's home in violation of a court order that he stay away from her. The newspaper's correction stated "In fact... the charges do not state that he was at her home and those allegations were not raised in any subsequent court proceedings. The criminal harassment charge against Bullard was dismissed at the preliminary inquiry on June 1, 2018."

On June 8, 2018, Bullard pleaded guilty to one count of harassing communication for making harassing phone calls to Mulligan and two counts of violating his bail conditions by contacting her through a third party. He was given a conditional discharge, put on six months of probation and was required to attend a domestic violence program. His criminal harassment and obstruction of justice charges had been dropped earlier in the month after the judge ruled there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.

Bullard launched a legal action for defamation in August 2018 against Chatelaine magazine, one of its writers, and its publisher, Rogers Media, asking for $6 million in damages after it published an interview with Cynthia Mulligan. The suit alleged the article incorrectly claimed that Bullard had been found guilty of "stalking / criminal harassment" and had resulted in Bullard being subjected "to ridicule, hatred, and contempt" and caused damage to his professional and personal reputations by implying that he is "unfit for employment and/or intimate relationships".

On May 20, 2020, Bullard's lawsuit was dismissed by the court following a motion by the defence that the lawsuit violated Ontario's anti-SLAPP legislation. Ontario Superior Court Justice Michael McKelvey ruled: "What is clear in this case is that the damage to Mr. Bullard's career and reputation occurred well prior to and independent of the publication of the Chatelaine article. What is also clear is that the comments of his victim are views one could honestly hold based on the proven facts, and form part of a public dialogue on a matter of significant public interest."

In 2022, Mitch Dubros, a private investigator who had been retained by Bullard's lawyer, was found guilty of obstruction of justice for trying to threaten and intimidate witnesses and Mulligan in person and over the phone in what Superior Court Justice Kenneth Campbell said was "a clear attempt to effectively blackmail Ms. Mulligan into staying silent in relation to the misconduct of Mr. Bullard." Dubros was sentenced to a jail term of 18 months. Bullard and Dubros both stated they didn't know each other and had never met.

According to a 2023 Toronto Star profile, Bullard was unrepentant when talking about the case, speaking in a tense and stern tone "sometimes drifting into anger", with Bullard asserting he was treated unfairly by the media, public and the prosecutors. Bullard said the case affected his career causing him to slide from public view, though he still worked regularly as a stand-up comic at Yuk Yuk's.

Awards Mike Bullard won two Gemini Awards for Open Mike With Mike Bullard, Best Talk Information Series in 1999 and Best Music Variety Program Series in 2001. The show also won the 2000 Hugo Award (Gold Medal) for Best Talk Show at the Chicago International Television Festival. Bullard was voted one of the top 10 Funniest Canadians in a nationwide poll by TV Guide in 2002.

In 2013, he received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work, including supporting charities such as the Trillium Health Foundation and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and emceeing many charitable fundraisers.