Talented 22 Minutes cast refreshed and inclusive

By Jordan Parker

The longest-running Canadian television show has some new blood aboard for its 29th season.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes brings new cast members – including Aba Amuquandoh and Stacey McGunnigle – into the fold for unique perspectives on politics in the country.

“I'm feeling great about this opportunity. When I first started this, I was nervous. But there were definitely some nerves involved with the new cast,” said Amuquandoh.

“I'm still getting used to this and getting to know everyone, but I'm really happy to be aboard.”

The actress, writer and stand-up comedian performed at the University of Toronto, and also trained at Second City. She is the youngest-ever cast member of 22 Minutes.

“I always watched the show when I was little, especially because my parents would always watch,” she said, though she wasn't as aware of the politics involved in the sketches at a young age.

“Once I got to be a teenager and get into university, I started to understand it more. My dad watched it every night after the news, and it was really great.”

She was initially asked to audition, and really didn't think much of it, under the assumption she'd never land the gig.

“I just felt like the competition for this one would be so strong. When I went to audition I knew I'd be against peers and friends who have been working longer. But I figured I'd see where it goes,” she said.

“I figured there was no way I would get a callback, but I did. It felt surreal. I became a feature player in the first block of 2020, and now I'm in the full cast.”

But she was chosen, and the rest is history. She joined Trent McClellan, Mark Critch, and writer-comedians Brandon Ash-Mohammed and Leonard Chan.

It's a diverse, inclusive cast that bring new perspectives to the Halifax-shot series.

“It's interesting to see how many things are changing and being done that weren't three years ago. To see feature players and writers from different backgrounds is so important. Different voices are being prioritized, and we need to move with the times,” she said.

“It's always a blessing to have different perspectives on a show running this long. I'm so honoured to work with all those people, and it's the type of show where you work with a revolving door of just incredible people every year.”

She has seen many big moments since joining – including some since season 29 started in September 2021 — but there is one that especially stands out for her.

“I'm a big fan of something I wrote last year with Aisha Brown, who is one of my favourite people. We did a parody of Alanis Morissette's Ironic about the pandemic,” she said. (see video below)

“It was for Jagged Little Pill's 25th anniversary. We got to geek out and do a parody about the pandemic, and it's one of my favourite things I've done here so far.”

New addition Stacey McGuinnigle is a festival favourite and award-winning comedian and writer who has just joined the cast.

“This show is a Canadian staple, and it's hard to ever outrun something like this with so much influence. My dad was a huge comedy and Canadiana buff,” she said. “I was really lucky and I got exposed to comedy coming up. I was happy to see everything.”

With a background in live performance and comedy, as well as a decade in the business, she loves the performance and satirical material she can now do.

“I know what's going on in the world and when a position opened, I knew this could be an incredible thing. I submitted as a writer earlier in the year, but soon realized there were murmurs of a host position,” she said.

“It came to my agent's desk and I submitted a tape. I did characters and jokes and I was selected from that. It has been an absolute dream.”

She has hit the ground running with the creative team and crew, and has seen strong relationships grow with Aba, Trent, Mark and everyone else.

“After the pandemic, it's been incredible to see people excited to come to work and make people laugh again,” she said.

“I love putting myself out there as authentically as I can, and I know people love to see themselves in jokes. I recently did a sketch about being 35 and not having kids, and it was so much fun. To see it resonate with so many made me just so proud.”

For McGunnigle, it's about time that the writer's room and those in front of the cameras become more diverse in gender, race, and many other ways.

“We have this amazing connection to people and audiences love the show. But now we have people who are in different places and from different walks of life,” she said. “It's a wonderful collaboration and we have new perspectives we can celebrate. This is just amazing to be a part of, and I love this incredibly creative cast and crew.”

This Hour Has 22 Minutes airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. and you can also watch it on CBC Gem.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today