When it comes to the world of comedy, Hans Kim is a name fans of the Kill Tony podcast have come to know and love (or at least, debate about passionately).
For years, Hans held the coveted spot as a regular on the podcast, delivering a brand-new one-minute comedy set each week. But if you’ve been keeping up, you’ll know his relationship with the show took a dramatic turn over the last year.
What went down between Kill Tony Hans Kim?
Let’s rewind to New Year’s Eve 2023, when Hans faced a major challenge that forever shifted his career trajectory. The Kill Tony New Year’s special included a highly anticipated showdown between Hans and up-and-comer Ric Diez, a golden ticket holder and four-time performer on the podcast. The stakes? Hans’s spot as a regular.
Fans were buzzing with excitement leading up to the event, but when the showdown finally happened, it left viewers with mixed feelings. Ric’s set was solid, but Hans’s performance was widely considered one of his weakest. Despite this, the crowd voted Hans the winner. However, some fans cried foul, accusing the contest of being rigged in Hans’s favor. To make matters worse, the judges openly preferred Ric, which seemed to upset Hans visibly.
Since that tumultuous period, Hans has taken a noticeable step back from the podcast, allowing Casey Rocket to fill the regular slot. The aftermath of the battle was anything but smooth. Hans appeared in an interview with fellow comedian David Lucas shortly after, and instead of quelling the controversy, he managed to stir up even more drama. To many, his demeanor came off as arrogant, and viewers labeled him a “sore winner.”
Addressing his set, Kim shared that “everyone’s saying that it sucked,” but still believed he did a decent job. This didn’t sit well with fans, and a petition to remove Hans from the show’s regular lineup began circulating in Feb. 2024. Though it only garnered a few hundred signatures, it symbolized a growing frustration with his presence on the show.
A temporary exit from Kill Tony
Fast forward to April 2024, and speculation about Hans’s absence from Kill Tony was rampant. Reddit users claimed he was taking time off to prepare for a rematch with Ric, which was set for May. During this time, Casey Rocket stepped in as a temporary regular and quickly became a fan favorite. When May 10, 2024, rolled around, Hans and Ric faced off once more. This time, Hans emerged victorious in what would be their final battle.
But while Hans’s time on Kill Tony has been on pause, Hans has been anything but idle. He’s been touring, performing extended sets, and building his fanbase beyond the podcast. Fans who’ve caught his two-hour shows rave about his talent, suggesting that perhaps the one-minute format of Kill Tony had started to limit his potential. These days, it’s not hard to imagine that Hans has simply outgrown the podcast and is now focused on lifting his career to new heights. Hans Kim’s absence from Kill Tony is noticeable, but it’s clear he’s not fading away. Instead, he’s carving out his own path, one laugh at a time.