Chris Fleming (comedian)


Chris Fleming is an American comedian best known for his YouTube series Gayle, in which he stars as the titular character of Gayle Waters-Waters. In June 2019, Fleming was named one of Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2019.

Early life and education

Fleming grew up in Stow, Massachusetts, attended Nashoba Regional High School, when he first began to do stand-up comedy. He received a degree in theater from Skidmore College in 2009, and one credit short of receiving a minor in dance.

''Gayle''

GAYLE is a 40-episode, absurdist comedy series on YouTube that was launched in 2012. The series follows high-strung, eccentric suburban mother Gayle Waters-Waters and her ruthless journey to uphold social status in her small suburban community of Northbread, Massachusetts. Fleming developed the idea for Gayle through stand-up. GAYLE is written by Fleming and directed by Melissa Strype, who also plays Gayle's daughter, Terry Gross Waters-Waters. Fleming's mother co-stars as Bonnie, Gayle's best friend and biggest rival, and his father's legs play the role of Dave, Gayle's very submissive husband. The music is by Brian Heveron-Smith, Tom Lowery, and Chris Hartford. Comedian Margaret Cho grew an interest in the show and guest starred in an episode. The series is filmed in Chris Fleming's hometown in Massachusetts. In 2014 the Gayle team went on a US tour with the show titled Gayle Live.

YouTube channel

Fleming runs a YouTube channel under his own name; the channel has gained over 392,000 subscribers as of April 2020. In addition to Gayle, Fleming has a variety of other content that ranges from music videos to car rants. His 2015 video "COMPANY IS COMING", starring his Gayle character, went viral, accruing over 10 million views as of April 2019.

Stand-up comedy

Chris Fleming began doing stand-up comedy in 2005, and in 2016 and 2017 he toured the United States with his stand-up comedy show titled Showpig.