Des Bishop Biography
Des Bishop is an Irish-American comedian. Bishop has been working as a comedian in Ireland since the late 1990s. He began hosting events and polishing his act at the International Comedy Cellar, a venue founded by Irish comedians Ardal O’Hanlon, Kevin Gildea, and Barry Murphy.
Age
Des was born Desmond Bishop on 12 November 1975, in London, United Kingdom. He is 48 years old as of November 2023.
Education
Bishop attended St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens’ Fresh Meadows neighborhood. At the age of 16, he started school at St Peter’s College in Wexford, Ireland. He later re-sat his Leaving Certificate at Blackrock College in Dublin. He holds a degree in English and History from University College Cork.
Family- Parents
Des was born and raised in London, the son of Eileen Bishop and Michael Bishop, both diseased. His father died from lung cancer in February 2011, and on 19 March 2019, his mother Eileen died at the age of 77, after a long illness. He has a brother, Aidan who works as a comedian in Ireland.
Wife- Spouse
Bishop got engaged to Hannah Berner, a prominent cast member of the reality TV show Summer House, in February 2021. On May 13, 2022, they were married in Bishop’s house in The Hamptons, New York State.
Career
Since the late 1990s, Bishop has performed as a comic throughout Ireland. Irish comedians Ardal O’Hanlon, Kevin Gildea, and Barry Murphy established the International Comedy Cellar, where he started hosting events and perfecting his act. Bishop portrayed a high-ranking stockbroker who was rapping in the back of a New York taxi cab in the 2002 movie In America. His TV program The Des Bishop Work Experience, which aired on RTÉ Two in 2004, helped him gain further exposure. In the show, he tried to make ends meet for a month by taking minimum wage jobs in Ireland. He held jobs at the Central Hotel in Dublin, The Aqua-dome in Tralee, Superquinn in Dundalk, and Abrakebabra in Waterford throughout the series.
He mentored locals in stand-up comedy while touring impoverished regions of Ireland’s major towns for the Joy in the Hood TV show in 2006. Bishop faced harsh condemnation for his ableist remarks made to an audience member with an intellectual handicap who was in a wheelchair during a 2006 performance. Bishop later expressed regret for his deeds. In addition to working in China, where he took on the stage name Bi Hansheng (毕瀚画), Bishop is a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker and has made appearances in a few Chinese dating shows. Bishop participated in the inaugural season of Dancing with the Stars: Ireland in 2017. Giulia Dotta, an Italian dancer, was paired with him.
In 2008, Bishop’s television series In the Name of the Fada debuted. It details Bishop’s quest to master Irish to the point that he could do a stand-up routine in the language. It was during this time that he became fluent in the language. Later, he sang Léim Thart, the Gaeilge rendition of “Jump Around,” using his Irish language proficiency. On November 14, 2008, the DVDs of his live show Tongues and the television series In the Name of the Fada were made available.
Net Worth
Des has an estimated net worth of 1 million dollars.