Comedian Jimmy Rees will be poking fun at Wagga at his comedy show in June. Photo: Jimmy Rees Facebook.
Donald Trump is coming to Wagga soon to declare it the 51st state of America.
Well, not really – but comedian Jimmy Rees will be dressed as the US President for a parody at the Comedy Fest 2026 over the June long weekend.
“The first part of the show is an address to the city of Wagga Wagga from the President of the United States,” Mr Rees told Region.
“He thinks the city must be great, because they had to name it twice. There are also a few people there he might want to deport.”
Jimmy Rees, a comedian, actor, and content creator, is best known for his work on the ABC children’s program Giggle and Hoot as Jimmy Giggle.
Most recently, he has gained a large adult following for his comedic sketches and videos on social media, where he pokes fun at politicians, celebrities, and Australian cities.
Last Wednesday (1 April), he even beat Anthony Albanese to the screens for his own “address to the nation”, a skit viewed more than half a million times on Facebook.
“I saw in the morning that the PM was going to address the nation at 7 pm and thought, ‘what if I got in first?’” he said.
“I didn’t realise it would end up being the same length and so similar.”
The 38-year-old said he’d wanted to be part of the Wagga Comedy Fest ever since hearing about Will Anderson’s airport arrest during his festival tour in 2017.
“That really put this event on the map,” he said.
Riverina audiences can expect plenty of Wagga jokes and local references at his Civic Theatre show.
“I’ve recently learned Wagga has the best Tibetan food in the nation. My mission is to find out a lot more about what happens there,” he said.
“Country audiences want to laugh at themselves and they’re appreciative when you know something about them. They love local references and are often shocked when you know details about their town.”
Few topics are off-limits for the funnyman, who is well aware of the realities of rural life.
“I’ve previously done a skit on Dezi Freeman when he was still on the run. The joke was that you should call triple 0 if you have information, and the next character is someone from Optus telling you the lines are flat,” he said.
Audiences can expect the unexpected in June.
“The show is all over the place – there are skits, character-based bits; it’s like scrolling through my Instagram feed, but live, and you get to interact.
“I have another character called Robert Urban, who is Robert Irwin’s long-lost twin. He grew up in the bush but moved to the city and has found that the ‘animals’ he deals with there are more difficult than the ones in the country.”
With its mix of local jokes, political parody, and wacky characters, the Wagga Comedy Fest promises to be a long weekend of unpredictable laughs for all.
Jimmy Rees will perform at the Wagga Comedy Fest at 6 and 8 pm on Thursday 4 June. Tickets for his performances and all others can be purchased from the Civic Theatre box office or online. The event will run until Sunday 7 June.
