Nurse Blake Has Seen It All (And Wants to Make You Laugh About It)
With his boyish smile and sweet looks, Nurse Blake may cause your blood pressure to rise a point or two. No worries, though, the 33-year-old Orlando native is there to do what nurses do best: Put you at ease and show you care. Except not in the confines of a medical establishment, but on a stage where this viral (no pun intended) phenomenon plans on making you laugh as well on his "The Shock Advised Tour," which kicks off on September 28 and runs through December 5. (For a complete list of dates, follow this link.
But there is more to Nurse Blake (a.k.a. Blake Lynch) than making you laugh. As the New York Times puts it, "Nurse Blake's boyish smile and peppy spirit hide a bulky chip on his shoulder, one his comedy wields like a weapon against the medical establishment." While according to Gallup, nursing is the most respected profession in the country, Blake feels they don't get the respect they deserve; and in his humor, he is their biggest advocate.
He came from a family of medical professionals. Upon graduating high school, when his peers were making trips to Europe, he enrolled in pre-requisite courses for nursing school. He became one in 2014, and has worked in all aspects of his profession, but when he began having panic attacks, he knew something was amiss. He began posting videos about his life and career, which caught on with many of his fellow nurses, as well as the public at large, and led to speaking engagements in medical circles. Next came his own act in which, he points out, he can say the word "fuck," and an edgier act was born. Blake quit being a nurse full time in 2019 to focus on performing; but he keeps close contact with those in the profession, and incorporates their observations, some forbidden by their employers, to be heard.
He continued through the pandemic, but told the Times his videos became rawer and edgier during the crisis.
Blake says "nurses have the darkest sense of humor," and they use it as a defense mechanism to get through long 18-hour shifts and deal with the constant awareness of crisis and death. "We need humor to get through it," he notes. In his upcoming show, he tells his life story, from his early dedication to become a nurse, through three years of conversion therapy when his parents learned he was gay as a teenager. He touches on his nursing school experiences, and his years working in the medical trenches, as well as being married and recently divorced.
EDGE spoke to Blake about finding comedy in health care, what to expect from his show, and which hot TV doctor he would like to work with.
Introduction by Robert Nesti
EDGE: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Nurse Blake: I'm a gay nurse from Orlando. I went into nursing ten years ago, and never thought I'd do comedy. It just happened over the past few years. You don't have comedy classes when you're in nursing school. For me, it's happened naturally and organically.
EDGE: From your passion for people came the inspiration to become a nurse.
Nurse Blake: It did. I never considered any other profession. My mom is in medical device sales, and my dad is a respiratory therapist. He has worked the night shift for as long as I have been alive. I remember in the mornings when I would get up and go to school, he'd be coming home from work in his lab coat and stethoscope, and he'd tell me these crazy patient stories about what happened, or how he was able to save someone's life. That experience, and his stories, inspired me, so I joined the health academy in high school. The summer after high school, I didn't go to Europe to find myself; I started my prerequisites for nursing school.
EDGE: How did the transition from nurse to comedian happen?
Nurse Blake: Nurses are probably some of the funniest people out there. We're also some of the most dark-humored individuals, because we experience life and death daily. Our shifts are sometimes between 12 and 16 hours per day, and we have to use humor to get through it.
For me, it was a pretty natural progression. I started in 2017 by making funny videos that would go viral. They helped me get through a hard time in nursing, when I was experiencing some anxiety and a little bit of depression. Then I realized my videos were assisting other nurses and nursing students. After gaining a little notoriety, I would get invited to speak and present at hospitals or nursing schools, which was great fun, but I couldn't say "fuck." I couldn't tell the jokes that I performed during my videos. That is when I decided to do my own show. It was going to be raw and unfiltered.
In 2019, I rented out five small theaters around the country and sold tickets on Eventbrite for 15 bucks. The shows sold out! So, last year, I did over a hundred shows. Seeing nurses of all ages and backgrounds attend the show has been amazing. A lot of people think it's just younger nurses, but it is nursing students to retired nurses in their eighties attending. It is so wonderful to see the diversity in the crowd. It has definitely become more than a comedy show.
EDGE: Tell us about your current tour, "The Shock Advised?"
Nurse Blake: This is my second run. I'm super excited. I'm hitting markets I didn't hit last year. I'll do a show anywhere there is a hospital, and that's basically in every zip code. It's a one-man show that runs for about an hour and 45 minutes. I take you through my life from before I was born to growing up and attending nursing school and beyond. I talk about my life as a gay man from Orlando who went through gay conversion therapy as a teen, to my recent divorce. I am recently out of a 12-year relationship. I talk about crazy stories about patients in hospitals and coworkers. It is my whole life story, but it is not just strictly about Nurse Blake. I will also be talking about the patient in room seven who shit on me, and much more.
EDGE: How do you use your comedy for advocacy?
Nurse Blake: I am fortunate to use comedy to grow my audience. I have been able to reach a broad range of people and demographics. I honestly think I love advocacy a little more than comedy. I got started in advocacy when I was in nursing school. I was turned away from donating blood because of the gay blood ban at the time. So, I started a little grassroots movement called Banned4Life. Some friends from nursing school and I fought the FDA, and we got them to end the lifetime ban. They voted to lift it in December of 2015. That was my first taste of advocacy. At that time, I couldn't believe I, a gay nursing student from Orlando, Florida, got the FDA to listen to me and change a policy that had been outdated since the early eighties. That is when I realized I had a voice and power and needed to use it for good. So, whenever I can, I try to inspire other nurses to find their voice and use it for good.
EDGE: Talk about caring for your mental health and how you were able to learn to love yourself as a gay man.
Nurse Blake: I went through gay conversion therapy from ages 15 to 18. I attended the Exodus International Program. Alan Chambers, who used to be the CEO right here in Orlando, Florida, counseled it. I didn't realize I was still living with some trauma from it until recently. I checked into Beachway Therapy Center in West Palm Beach a few months ago. I was there for about 30 days with no phone and no work. A lot of that trauma from gay conversion therapy did come up, and it has impacted my life over the years.
Knowing that this therapy is still legal in most states is beyond me. Advocating for those therapies to be banned is essential to me. Nurses and healthcare workers spend so much time caring for others that we forget about ourselves. Those 30 days away were what I needed to do to care for myself. I was able to reconnect with myself and find myself. I go from event to event, tour to tour, and make videos; I don't get a lot of downtime when I'm on tour. I don't get to see my family or my friends. Last year, I was on the road for five and a half months. I was doing six shows a week, which I love. They're so much fun, but I forget to care for myself when I'm off the road.
More than ever, I am comfortable being in my own skin. I've always talked about my sexuality, but now I am not ashamed of my sexuality, which allows me to be so honest, open, and raw during my comedy.
EDGE: Which hot TV doctor would you love to work with?
Nurse Blake: I'm so basic, but my type is Dr. McDreamy. He is my man. He's been my man ever since I was younger. Many people probably can relate to that, but he's so hot. He could be my future husband. I don't know if you know Dr. Mike, but he is a real doctor. He makes videos and stuff. He is hot, too. I was just on his podcast.
But you know what? I'm not dating a doctor because they're crazy. Doctors have their issues, just like nurses do. I wouldn't have a serious relationship with another nurse, healthcare worker, or doctor. So, McDreamy, stop sliding into my DMs.
EDGE: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Nurse Blake: Ooh, so here are some fun facts. I have two Highland cows. They don't do anything but look cute. They don't even produce milk. I do live in Orlando. My brother has a little farm north of town, and whenever I am off, I like to ride my mountain bike out there. I love hanging out with my cows. They have bangs, so they're adorable. I'm not a real city boy; I love to be out in nature.
EDGE: What has been your favorite moment of your comedy career so far?
Nurse Blake: The biggest highlight would be I got to do a show at the Sydney Opera House in February. That was super special. Being able to perform in such an iconic venue recognized worldwide, and with so many incredible artists who have performed there, is wild. Being on that stage was a huge pinch-me moment.
I also think it's so cool that you could be a nurse from Australia and still understand and get my jokes. It makes us feel less alone. Any nurse who's going through a hard time, whether it's depression or anxiety, knows we're not alone because everyone laughs at my jokes, no matter if you're a nurse in the Philippines, Canada, Europe, or Australia. My favorite moments of each show are behind the curtain backstage, looking out into the crowd, and hearing how loud they are. I'm proudest to know that they took the time off to give themselves some reprieve from such a demanding job, and I know it takes a toll on you.
Nurse Blake is bringing his "The Shock Advised Tour" to cities throughout the United States from September 28 through December 5. For more information about Nurse Blake and the tour, visit his website.