Somewhere between impersonating robots and dodging AI spam, Rhys Darby started having doubts about humanity's game plan.
Most Aussies met Darby as the hopeless but endearing band manager, Murray, in 'Flight Of The Conchords'. We grew to love him through his equally endearing stand-up (complete with his signature robot impersonations), appearances in films like 'Yes Man' and 'Hunt For The Wilderpeople', and shows like 'What We Do In The Shadows'. More recently, he and long-time buddy Taika Waititi warmed even the most cynical souls as an adorable pirate duo in HBO’s 'Our Flag Means Death'.
The comedian has now hit a surreal point in his life where the robots he built a career doing impressions of are threatening to impersonate him. So, he’s on a mission to prove that nothing beats the magic of human creativity. And he’s kicking off this mission with a brand-new comedy show.
Darby says the show covers "the future of technology, where we're heading, and what it’s like to be going through all this as a 50-year-old guy who's still wearing skinny jeans”.
The big underlying question: “Am I relevant, or am I going to be replaced by AI?"
This tech-centred identity crisis leads into a larger narrative about humanity's future, with an appropriate villain at its core. "It's basically an hour of stand-up wrapped inside a narrative about me trying to save the world from Elon Musk's robot empire,” Rhys says.
Known for challenging world leaders to cage fights and impulse-buying billion-dollar tech companies, Musk makes the perfect foil for Darby's blend of comedy and concern.
Though he has his reservations about AI, the comedian is certainly not a doomer. “I try to look back in time, look at history and think, when we got the TV and even the radio, people were like ‘it’s the end of the world! No one’s ever gonna talk to each other again!’ And that wasn’t a thing. We ended up just adopting it and adapting to it, and it became part of our lives. That’s what we’re gonna have to do with AI. But it does feel so super-intelligent that it’s gonna get beyond us. With TVs, we could always throw them out the window of a hotel room, but I don’t know if we’re gonna be doing that with the robots because they’ll fight back.”
Rhys briefly slips into his best robot impression—“DO. NOT. THROW. ME. OUT. HERE.”—before lamenting that such impressions will soon be obsolete.
“They won’t even have robot voices,” he says with a sigh. “Just boring human voices.”
Here, it’s worth noting that no written article can fully capture a Rhys Darby interview – there really should be a special font collection for journalists to convey his array of voices and sound effects. But perhaps that's exactly his point about the irreplaceable nature of live human performance.
It's this love of personal connection that led Darby to celebrate the 100th episode of his cryptozoology podcast, 'The Cryptid Factor', with a special live show. While the action-packed live episode was a blast, the show has been getting a little trickier lately, again because of AI. These days, their biggest challenge isn't detecting cryptids – it's telling real footage from the flood of AI-generated fakes.
"As a cryptozoologist, I'm getting sent videos all the time where I have to say 'that's not real, that's not real'. But they're getting harder to tell because people are even doing shaky videos and zooming in, and it looks so authentic. It's going to make Bigfoot hunting much harder.”
Whether tracking mysterious creatures, filming shows with his friends, or performing on stage, one thing that always shines through with absolute clarity is Darby’s sincere and earnest charm.
Fans adore him for his endearing blend of whimsy, warmth, and surprising sound effects. Comments like, "I would listen to Rhys read the phone book" and "I could listen to him narrate ingredients on a shampoo bottle" litter his YouTube videos.
His approach to comedy comes from a place of genuine warmth, and this gentler style of humour has struck a chord with audiences seeking an antidote to the harder edges of comedy (and life). "I'm a sucker for kindness because it's refreshing to see and so lacking in most Western content, where cruelty is a lazy go-to for humour", one fan noted. Others describe him as "such a geeky sweetheart" and an "honest to god ray of sunshine".
It's this geeky, kind, and very human touch that shapes his perspective on our future and the show he’s bringing to Australia in 2025.
"It felt like the right time because the world needs a good laugh. One of the things we're starting to lose is that connection of humanity – really being with each other, putting our devices down. That's why in these troubled times, theatre and comedy are so important."
Fans will be stoked to learn that Darby is, for the first time, bringing his famous improv skills into his stand-up. "I usually script these shows quite severely, but recently I've been enjoying just bouncing off the audience's energy and going off on tangents. . . I love tangents. I love thinking of three or four things at the same time and then having to find my way back to where I was actually supposed to be heading. And the audiences have been so lovely, they’ve been up for it."
If you’ve loved watching Darby riff with fellow comedians like Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement, and Taika Waititi, this is your chance to be part of the energy that fuels the magic. These unplanned moments of connection pretty much sum up his whole mission: "Human interaction is what's going to save us,” he says. “We've got to keep going to live shows and watching each other and enjoying what humans can do to create."
Darby's voice dances between human and robot as he caps off our conversation with some sage advice for our AI-filled future: “Don't kick the robots. They're going to look back at these videos one day. [In adorable robot voice] 'Hey, you guys used to kick us when we were just being created!' [Back to normal voice] I understand they've got to do it, but maybe just don't video it and put it on the internet. They're going to have the internet!"
Robot etiquette sorted, Darby adds that “AI is supposed to be a tool, and it really can be a very good tool. But I think the tool could be overtaking us, and in about five years, we’re gonna be the tools for letting it happen.”
Rhys Darby Australia 2025 Tour Dates
8-13 April – Athenaeum Theatre (Melbourne)15 April – Norwood Concert Hall (Adelaide)
17 April – Odeon Theatre (Hobart)
19 April – Canberra Theatre
22 April – Newcastle City Hall
23 April – Anita’s Theatre (Thirroul)
24 April – Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
27 April – Regal Theatre (Perth)
30 April – Princess Theatre (Brisbane)
