Ian Bernardo (comedian)

Ian Bernardo (born November 29, 1980) is an Israeli-American comedian, singer, dancer, actor and media personality.[1] Bernardo gained international attention for various bizarre acts on television-based talent shows, including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance?, where he behaved very rudely, acting like a narcissist with a distinctive New York accent while wearing a women's chinchilla fur stole and making anti-immigration comments.[2] These acts gained notoriety due to the contentious mystery surrounding Bernardo; many have argued that Bernardo is playing a satirical comedy character that is not in any way his true personality, while others believe that Bernardo really is the way he behaved at the talent shows. Bernardo himself has often indicated in interviews that his bad behaviour on talent shows was a comedy act intended for fame and shock value.

Ian Bernardo
Born (1980-11-29) November 29, 1980
Bronx, New York
Occupation
  • actor
  • comedian
  • media personality
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1987–present

Bernardo holds both American and Israeli citizenship. He is Jewish, identifies as gay, and was a soldier in the Israeli Army.[3]

Early life

Little is known of Bernardo's early life. Bernardo was born in The Bronx, New York, and initially gained attention as a child actor, known for appearing in the 1987 slasher film Street Trash.

Talent acts

Ian Bernardo began appearing as a contestant on various publicized television talent shows in the early 2000s, first in So You Think You Can Dance? (where he swivelled his hips, attempted to take his jogging pants off, and angered the judges), and later on American Idol, where he sang a nasal-voiced monotone cover of the song Gloria by Laura Branigan and was told his act was a "very hammy, bad audition".[4] Bernardo openly mocked judge Simon Cowell for his British accent, and demanded to see the man's visa papers.[5][6] In a Podcast interview, Bernardo discussed his appearance on the reality television show Millionaire Matchmaker, adding that he was hoping to find a romantic partner; his interviewer, Fausto Fernós, described Bernardo as a "hilarious prankster" who uses his alter-ego character to make his way onto television shows.[7][8]

Comedy acts

Bernardo is a well-known comedian, appearing in stand-up acts where he makes rude comments and mocks himself. It is generally believed that the Ian Bernardo appearing on television was a satirical comedy character similar to the comedy characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen, and that Bernardo presented himself this way for fame and attention. Bernardo has since also released a comedy musical album, which contains his "Gloria" cover from American Idol, as well as an original song, "I'm Better Than You".[9][10]

Lawsuits

Bernardo has filed a number of lawsuits against the producers of So You Think You Can Dance? and American Idol, claiming that he was mocked for his sexual orientation, ordered to "gay it up" on the shows for media attention, and also claimed that an unnamed producer of American Idol made a homophobic rape comment at him saying to Bernardo that he wanted to, "shove this mic up your ass but you would like it." Little is known about these lawsuits, as they were mostly civil in nature and not widely publicized.[11][12][13]

Filmography
Year Title Role
1987Street TrashObnoxious Kid
2006So You Think You Can Dance?Self - Audition Contestant #8
2007American Idol: UnauthorizedSelf
2007Larry King Live: The Greatest InterviewsSelf
2010American Idol: The Search for a SuperstarSelf
2014The Millionaire MatchmakerSelf

References
  1. "Ian Bernardo (II)". www.imdb.com. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  2. DeMeglio, Catherine. "The Funniest 'American Idol' Auditions of All Time, Where Are They Now?". talentrecap.com. Talent Recap. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. "Benardo to 'Idol' -- I Survived Two Suicide Bombings". www.tmz.com. TMZ. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  4. Raw, Its. "Best (Worst) of Ian Benardo". www.youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  5. Agate, Samantha. "WATCH Contestant Curse Simon Cowell For Being British And Ask For His Employment Papers". talentrecap.com. Talent Recap. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  6. [unknown], Seanbaby. "8 Douchebags Who Found This Article By Googling Themselves". www.cracked.com. Cracked. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  7. Fernós, Fausto. "Feast of Fun Search for: Login Create Account Post Plus+ Featured Podcast Videos Images Hot Store FOF #1946 – Can Anybody Find Ian Bernardo Somebody to Love?". feastoffun.com. Feast of Fun. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  8. Redone, Reality. "The Millionaire Matchmaker Recap, Episode 11 - "The Trust Fund Brat & The Cliffdiver"". www.realityredone.com. Reality Redone. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. Bernardo, Ian. "Ian Benardo". music.apple.com. Apple Music. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  10. Bernardo, Ian. "Better Than You - Radio Edit". open.spotify.com. Spotify. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  11. Kaufman, Gil. "'American Idol' Reject Ian Benardo Files $300 Million Lawsuit". www.mtv.com. MTV News. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  12. White, Dave. "American Idol's Most Famous Lawsuit-Filer Ian Benardo Kicked Out Federal Court". www.queerty.com. Queerty*. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. [unknown], Ryant. "This Time Ian Benardo Only Wants American Idol To Pay Him $5 Million For Forcing Him To 'Gay It Up'". www.queerty.com. Queerty*. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
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