Eli is one of the most prolific comedians in the country, and is currently seen weekly on the show Paddy Gower Has Issues where he is the Senior Comedy Producer. He's a regular panelist on 7 Days, was in the first same-sex couple on Dancing With The Stars NZ and has featured on five NZ Comedy Galas. In 2021 his show Daddy Short-Legs was the winner of the Fred Award for the best local show in the NZ International Comedy Festival, and it went on to sold out shows and four and five star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Eli's writing credits include being Head Writer on Have You Been Paying Attention, Jono and Ben and Funny Girls, as well as co-creating the sit-com Golden Boy. His podcast The Male Gayz, which he co-hosts with Chris Parker, has amassed thousands of listeners since it began in 2016 and lead to two web series with TVNZ and The Spinoff. He is a co-founder of the improv show Snort which wraps up its ten year run of weekly shows in 2023.

AWARDS

Eli Matthewson is a Christchurch raised, Auckland based stand-up comedian who regularly performs around the country and internationally.

He’s the Head Writer of Have You Been Paying Attention, and has been seen on shows such as 7 Days, Seven Sharp and Citizen's Handbook. He's a former Head Writer and cast member of Jono and Ben and has also written for Funny Girls and co-created the sit-com Golden Boy. He has appeared in Rhys Darby’s Netflix series Short Poppies and was also a presenter for TVNZ youth music show U-Live.

His recent Edinburgh Festival debut earned him five star reviews and several sell-out shows. He has been twice nominated for the Billy T Award (2013, 2015) and in 2017 was a nominee for the prestigious Fred Award, after which he headlined the nation-wide "Best Comedy Show On Earth" tour.

Eli got his start in improv with the Court Jesters, and continues improvising with his best friends in the weekly show Snort at The Basement Theatre.

Reviews:
"He’d mop the floor with most of the recent Live At The Apollo box tickers and panel show space blockers." ★★★★ - Chortle (UK)

"topical humour, hilarious anecdotes and huge laughs [...] an absolute breath of fresh air." ★★★★★ - FRESH FRINGE (UK)

 "a wholly modern comic, leveraging millennial woes and millennial sensibilities to deliver a set that leaves a lot of other comedians wallowing in the past by comparison […] a simply outstanding stand-up set that deserves to be massive" ★★★★★ - SHORT COM (UK)

"Nails every punchline" - NZ Herald

"Undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most promising young comedians." - Newshub

Follow Eli on Twitter: @elimatthewson

AWARDS

Winner Director's Award, NZ Comedy Fest 2019

Nominee The Fred Award for Best Show in the NZ Comedy Fest 2017
Nominee Billy T James Award 2015
Nominee Billy T James Award 2013