Comedian and TV host Nicole Byer came to the Reitz Union Wednesday night ready to ruin Disney movies for her audience.
Byer, known for hosting the Netflix baking show “Nailed It!” and her podcast “Why Won’t You Date Me?,” had the crowd roaring when she stepped on stage.
Though the stand-up event was changed from its original date of Aug. 21, the performance at the Reitz Grand Ballroom, was a full house with about 450 audience members. She was paid $15,000 from student activities fees.
Byer introduced herself with her usual flare, commenting on her day in Gainesville.
“What is there to do here?” she told the audience. “I’ve already seen eight people drive on the median. You guys are f*****g wild.”
Byer, 33, performed an hour-long set sharing stories about traveling and hosting “Nailed It!” The Netflix host and comedian didn’t shy away from dropping a couple of f-bombs. The raunchier the jokes, the louder the laughs.
Byer’s story topics ranged from unfortunate hookups to absurd pop culture references.
“Stay with me here,” Byer said before equating the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the Ku Klux Klan, where she compared “muggleborns” to black people and endearingly referred to the author as “J.K.K.K.K. Rowling.”
Later she began a segment where she invited the crowd to share bad dating stories.
After listening to another audience member recount a bad Tinder experience, where the date had Trump stickers covering his wall, Katie Usrey, an 18-year-old UF classical studies freshman, realized she had gone on a date with the same person.
“I had so much fun,” Usrey said after the show. “I was not expecting to have audience participation, but that story [I shared] was too good.”
The Reitz Programming Board wanted Byer to perform because students are interested in hearing from her, said Tori Chin, the board’s vice president of external affairs.
Chin said the performance seemed to be a hit among the audience.
“People were laughing really hard,” Chin said. “It’s nice to see people enjoying themselves, and that’s why we do what we do.”
Nicole Byer, star of Netflix's "Nailed It!", had a full turnout despite its previous rescheduling.
