| Chas Licciardello | |
|---|---|
Chas Licciardello |
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| Birth name | Chas John Licciardello |
| Born | 10 May 1977 |
| Medium | Print, Television, Radio & Stage |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Genres | Satirical Comedy |
| Spouse | Jocelyn Laurence |
| Notable works and roles | The Chaser The Chaser Decides (2001, 2004, 2007) CNNNN (2002-2003) The Chaser's War On Everything (2006-2009) The Chaser's Age Of Terror Variety Hour (2008) Yes We Canberra! (2010) |
| Website | www.chaser.com.au |
Chas John Licciardello (born 10 May 1977) is a comedian from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. A former student of Sydney Grammar School[1] and a law graduate of The University of Sydney,[2] Licciardello has appeared as a regular in the two series of CNNNN, as well as on The Chaser's War on Everything.
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In July 2006, Licciardello faced charges of "offensive conduct" by the New South Wales Police Force, after turning up at a National Rugby League football match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the St George Illawarra Dragons on 14 July 2006, dressed up as a Bulldogs fan and attempting to sell fake knives, knuckledusters and balaclavas (all coloured blue and white, the Bulldogs' club colours) in a stunt for The War, satirising the then-recent violent action of Bulldogs fans.[3][4] Licciardello explained that the skit "poked fun at the misbehaviour of Bulldogs fans" knowing that "a lot of people thought it was funny."[5]
Licciardello was quick to dispute his charges on the show. The following Friday, he appeared on The War in a cage before referring to the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma's own joke regarding residents of crime-riddled suburbs wearing balaclavas.[6]
On 29 August 2006, in Kogarah Local Court, Licciardello pleaded not guilty to the charge. The matter was adjourned until 12 October.[7] On 22 January 2007, magistrate Joanne Keogh said she would view an unedited video of the incident, totalling 50 minutes, to decide Licciardello's fate. Licciardello gave no evidence in the matter, letting The Chaser team's film speak for him.[8] He was subsequently found not guilty of offensive behaviour.[9]
The decision was hailed a "victory for free speech". Licciardello was in the best of humour after the decision, reported as saying he would "appeal to the Supreme Court, the High Court, to the UN, the Jedi High Council and the Snickometer".[10]
One of the most controversial stunts Licciardello was involved in was the APEC stunt in 2007. Fellow Chaser Julian Morrow claimed that he and Licciardello aimed to get a majority of their members arrested amidst the high security surrounding the APEC Australia 2007 summit in Sydney, adding jokingly that they also aimed to get Licciardello shot.[11]
Footage aired on The Chaser's War on Everything on 12 September 2007 showed the fake "motorcade" consisted of two SUVs, a black Holden limousine flying a Canadian flag on the bonnet, four "runners" (one of which was Morrow) carrying hand-held video cameras and two motorcycles. They passed through two security checkpoints without being stopped by police or asked for identification; at one point, the footage showed Morrow offering to present identification to a police officer, however he was waved through without this occurring. The motorcade reached a point 10 metres outside the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush was staying. Police only realised that the motorcade was a hoax when Licciardello, dressed as Osama bin Laden, voluntarily stepped out of the limousine.
Following the incident, Licciardello and Morrow were detained and questioned by NSW Police on 6 September 2007 outside the InterContinental Hotel,[12][13] and were charged under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007.[14] The charges were dropped in April 2008. They were dropped because his lawyers stated that he was waved through the blockades and he had to do what the police said.
During the Chaser recess, Licciardello appeared on the panel of My Favourite Album an ABC TV special, showcasing Australia's top ten albums as voted by the public. He also filled in on Triple M's drive time slot during the summer of 2007 with fellow Chaser colleague Dominic Knight with their show Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser'.
On 25 May 2008 Licciardello and Craig Reucassel were guests on channel Ten's Rove. Their interview concluded with the '20 Bucks in 20 Seconds' segment. When Rove McManus asked the only question that is asked to every guest, "Who would you turn gay for?", Chas responded in annoyance that everyone answered "I'd turn gay for you, Rove" but that nobody ever followed up on it. He then leapt on Rove and French kissed him, before licking Rove on the face.[15]
In 2009, for a stunt featured in the series finale of The Chaser's War on Everything, he received heavy dosages of botox, lip injections and spray tanning on the left side of his body so as to bear a similarity to Daniel Craig.[16] The amount of botox was so heavy that it lasted when he made his appearance on The 7pm Project, over 3 months after the botox was injected into the right side of his face. Chas is currently the Script Comedy Consultant for the ABC topical news show, Hungry Beast.
He is married to Jocelyn Laurence, formerly a research analyst at Foster Stockbroking.[17]
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