Eric Johnston never set out to become, as he describes it, “the poster boy” of men’s mental health in the Canadian comedy landscape.
But with the debut of his “Run With the Bull” docuseries earlier this year, the comedian’s story, and his candour, have become a focal point in the evolving conversation around issues of addiction, trauma and self-care taking place today.
Now, the comedian is taking the bull by the horns yet again.
He’s currently on his “Son of a Bull” comedy tour, visiting several parts of Canada this year, and he’s set to make a stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake this Thursday, Aug. 20.
Johnston will be performing an hour-long set at the Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate’s amphitheatre, with a set he says marries nostalgia with gallows humour.
“By the end of it, you’re going to learn everything you need to know about me,” he said, describing the crux of the show.
Johnston covers his story of growing up in Hamilton with a professional wrestler for a father, Daniel “Bullwhip” Johnson: his career spanned two decades and saw him enter the ring for wrestling promotions like Lutte International, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.
However, Johnson’s life would come to an end at the age of 49, a week after Johnston turned 13 — his untimely death from kidney failure was a result of a years-long battle with alcoholism.
He connects that with his journey toward better physical and mental health, spurred by his entrance into fatherhood himself, and some of the challenges that have come with trying to start a family.
While those are heavy topics for many, Johnston said he’s all about creating levity.
“I talk openly about the fact that my dad passed away, and I find a way to make it funny,” he said. “Taking these themes like death, alcoholism and infertility and flipping them on their head and presenting it in a way that, ‘It’s fine, it’s OK, I’m laughing — you guys laugh, too.’”
As a comedian, Johnston said he feels he’s begun to find his voice. In many ways, he approaches every set like a professional wrestler: high energy with nuance, luring the audience in with quiet, intimate beats before ramping up to big, explosive moments where he’s “kicking and yelling.”
“These high-flying wrestling matches, they need what’s called a rest hold,” he said. “That’s when they put someone in the headlock and they pretend like they’re going to sleep and then they fight out of it. That’s just an opportunity for the wrestlers to catch their breath. And I’m doing the same thing in my show.”
His set material, which is explored in the “Run With the Bull” docuseries and his 2024 book of the same name, goes to difficult places: he talks about how he grew up with parents who were drinkers and the trauma he experienced losing his father shortly after he became a teenager.
But, he says, his goal in addressing these parts of his life wasn’t to lean on men’s mental health as a “hot-ticket item” to draw in viewers — he says he was focused on telling the truth about his life.
“I had a father who was a superstar, my hero, who was on top of the world and just like this amazing character of a guy, amazing example of a man, of a tough guy,” he said. “And then his career ended and he drank himself to death.”
Nevertheless, when “Run With the Bull” premiered on Bell’s Fibe TV in the spring, he had several people who came up to him and told him he had made “a men’s mental health TV show.”
“One friend of mine just walked up to me and said, ‘You are going to help so many people,’” he said.
“I went out and told the truth, and in that, the truth set me free to be the man I was supposed to be.”
Doors open for Johnston’s show at Jackson-Triggs’ amphitheatre on Thursday at 7 p.m. The show kicks off at 8 p.m. with openers Jason Allen and Barry Vincent. To buy tickets, visit ericjohnstonwho.com/standup-comedy. Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate is located at 2145 Niagara Stone Rd.
