Is Hans Kim Back After a Controversial 'Kill Tony' Battle? The "Regular" Has Been MIA

Everything changed on New Year's Eve 2023, and we’re not just talking about the calendar date. Comedian Hans Kim fought for his career as a regular on the Kill Tony podcast with a one-minute joke battle against up-and-comer Ric Diez. Although Hans won the battle, it forever changed the trajectory of his comedy career and now, he hasn’t been on Killy Tony in months.

Hosted by the one and only Tony Hinchcliffe, Kill Tony gives new comics and random people a shot at one minute of comedy in front of a live and eager audience, broadcast throughout all the show’s followers, and even feedback from the judges. Some comics become regulars on the show, such as Hans Kim. But he hasn’t been on in months, so what happened to him?

Hans has been part of the Kill Tony introduction for a couple of years, bringing his brand new minutes of comedy every week to wow the audiences. But about a year ago, fans started noticing a drop in his material’s quality. As these opinions circulated, Tony began putting Hans up to “battle” other comedians to keep his position as a regular.

While Hans has his own fanbase now, thanks to Kill Tony, he still cares deeply about fans’ opinions of him. Even still, he hasn’t been on Kill Tony in a few months, when he used to perform every single week, so fans have definitely noticed his absence.

In April 2024, a Redditor explained, “He’s having a break until he battles Ric Diez in May. Wasn’t fair that Ric had all that time to prepare, but Hans had to keep coming up with a new minute every week. Casey temporary fill in.” The commenter is referring to Casey Rocket, who has snuck in as Kill Tony’s newest regular, and the crowd is loving him. But he’s supposedly only there because of what happened between Hans and Ric.

A battle between Hans and Ric was hyped up ahead of the New Year's Eve Kill Tony special. A Kill Tony golden ticket holder and four-time performer, Ric, decided to challenge Hans for his job as a regular. Ric’s minute was fine but Hans’s wasn't his best. Fans agree in YouTube comments that Hans completely bombed and although the crowd voted for him to win, many felt the competition was rigged in his favor.

Also, the judges preferred Ric, which visibly seemed to upset Hans. After the controversial show and win for Hans, he sat down for an interview with David Lucas to discuss what happened. In the interview, he came off as arrogant and unapologetic and commenters called him a “sore winner.” He quickly lost popularity with fans, which led to further match-ups against Ric. The final showdown was on May 10, 2024, which Hans won.

According to the Redditor, Hans took time off of Kill Tony to prepare for his battle, but we think it’s more likely that Hans has just been busy. While this incident has garnered a lot of negative attention for him, it still garnered attention, so he’s taking advantage of that and touring. Several fans have said that his two-hour shows are fantastic, so perhaps he’s simply grown out of the one-minute Kill Tony format and is ready to lift up his career beyond the podcast.