An ex in the front row, and a comeback about who likes comedy, for Phil Hanley
His crowd-work Short "The 'Ex' Con" overtook "Believe in Dog" within half a day, and the comments keep asking why people bring their exes to his shows.
Phil Hanley
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 360,733 views a day, 6.3 times a normal first day on this channel (57,715).
The “Ex” Con
The title borrows the old word for a former prisoner, but the ex in Phil Hanley's newest Short is the other kind. Viewers gather that someone in the front row came to the show with an ex, and that a phone was in view. What follows is crowd work, the part of stand-up Hanley has leaned on since his first open mics in Vancouver, when he was filling the gaps between band sets.
The line viewers single out most is a short comeback about who, exactly, likes comedy. Close behind is Hanley's remark that someone seems smart enough to be trusted with his money. The top comment answers with an import-export joke, and others extend the gag by counting how many people in the scene love comedy, ex-boyfriend included.
Thirteen hours after it went up, "The 'Ex' Con" had about 260,000 views. That already puts it ahead of "Believe in Dog", the pun-titled Short that took off two days earlier. The comments arrived nearly four times faster than on a usual first day for his Shorts. A good share of them ask the same question: why do so many people bring former partners to his shows? Viewers say it happens a lot.
The channel as a whole is running below its usual daily pace. Its biggest recent clip is still "Let's Step Outside" from late September, another night when Hanley built the act out of the people in the room.
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
"Guess who likes comedy" was the perfect comeback.
@kentix417See it on YouTubeHold on… what a coincidence. All three of us love Comedy. Four if you count the ex-boy friend
@NightMovesMusicSee it on YouTubeHe’s in the export import business
@charlesa578See it on YouTube
7 more comments
What's with all these people bringing their ex-wives and ex-girlfriends to the show? This seems to happen a LOT.
@verslalchimie5824See it on YouTubeThe you seem smart enough for me to give you my money took me out 😂😂😂
@leaveorlibertyfishing7670See it on YouTubeMergers and acquisitions
@noeldown1952See it on YouTubeWhy do so many men take their exes to his show?
@alan30189See it on YouTubeThis fricking guy 😂😂😂 top tier banter 😂
@TheyCallMeMrWilliamsSee it on YouTubeHe never fails 😂
@henrikg7661See it on YouTubeHe’s funny as hell!!!! 😂😂😂😂
@vegamedina289See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- Phil Hanley
- Subscribers
- 729,000 ▲ 2,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 7,220,153
- Channel views, pace per day
- 793,799 (on a normal day: 1,386,889)
- Video published
- October 7, 2026
- Video views so far
- 259,181 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 360,733
The numbers
A short clip from a comic whose Shorts usually start more modestly, already past his previous upload after half a day.
💡 Test your knowledge
Phil Hanley's Comedy Central special "The Half Hour" premiered in which year?
His Comedy Central "The Half Hour" premiered on November 14, 2015.
