Xander De Rycke

Xander De Rycke
De Rycke in 2018
Born (1987-12-19) December 19, 1987
Ghent, Belgium
Notable workMosselen om half twee, Houdt het voor bekeken
Comedy career
Years active2006–present
MediumStand-up comedy
Subjectsmedia, youth, everyday life, trends
WebsiteOfficial website

Xander De Rycke (born 19 December 1987) is a Belgian (Flemish) stand-up comedian. He is known for his stage shows, the podcast Mosselen om half twee, and the year-end media review show Houdt het voor bekeken.[1]

Biography

Early life

De Rycke spent his early childhood in Zelzate. At the age of eight he moved to Eeklo, returning to Zelzate in his mid-teens. In a 2011 interview with Humo, he said he never knew his father and was raised by his mother.[2] In later interviews, he has said his mother struggled with alcoholism.[3][4] According to the same 2011 interview, he left school at 18 intending to pursue stand-up comedy professionally and subsequently moved out of the family home, living for a time with an acquaintance in Eede (in the Dutch province of Zeeland), just across the border.[2]

Early career

De Rycke began performing stand-up comedy in 2006. He won the talent competition Homo Cabarectus and later that year reached the final of the Lunatic Comedy Award organised by The Lunatic Comedy Club.[5][6][7]

He gained wider recognition after winning the Comedy Casino Cup on Canvas in 2007.[8] That year, he also appeared at the newly introduced Comedy Stage at Pukkelpop.[9][10]

Stand-up comedy

De Rycke's first full-length show, Uw Zoete 666, premiered in 2008 and toured until 2010.[4] His second show, Mijn Zwarte Parade, premiered in 2011 and toured through 2012.[11] His third show, Zijn Derde Show, premiered in 2013.[12]

To mark ten years on stage, De Rycke toured in 2015 and 2016 with the anniversary show 10 jaar bezig, 2 uur grappig ("10 years at it, 2 hours funny"), concluding with a three-day 10 jaar Xander De Rycke Ego-Festival (31 March–2 April 2016).[13]

In 2017 he premiered Quarter-Life Crisis.[4] In March 2020 he premiered Bekend & Bescheiden ("Famous & modest"). The planned tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he created an alternative pandemic-era show, Uitgerust & Immuun, focused on the coronavirus and lockdown measures.[4] Bekend & Bescheiden returned to the stage in 2022.[4]

On 27 November 2021 he performed the best-of show XDR15 at the Lotto Arena.[5] In the final week of 2022 he presented Een avond met Xander De Rycke ("An evening with Xander De Rycke"); a recording was uploaded to his YouTube channel on 23 January 2023 under the title Dit Terzijde.[14] The show later received a television broadcast on Canvas.[15]

Year-end show

In 2016 De Rycke launched the year-end show (eindejaarsconference) Houdt het voor bekeken, a satirical review of the Flemish television and media landscape.[1] Recordings of editions have been published online, including the 2016–2017 show.[16]

A planned 2020 edition (HHVB Endgame) was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] In late 2023 De Rycke returned with arena editions of Houdt het voor bekeken, which continued in 2024.[18] In 2025 the show moved to the Sportpaleis for the first time.[19]

Television and radio

In 2011 De Rycke appeared in the third season of Mag ik u kussen? on Canvas and later appeared as a panellist in the follow-up Een Laatste Groet.[2] In 2013 he presented the seventh season of Comedy Casino on Canvas.[4]

From 2022 to 2025 he worked at Studio Brussel as co-presenter with Eva De Roo on De Roo en De Rycke.[20]

In 2024 he competed on De Slimste Mens ter Wereld.[21] He also appeared in a 2024 special of the VRT 1 programme Ik vraag het aan.[22]

Other projects

In 2011 De Rycke published an autobiography, Het leven is kak, en dan wordt het grappig ("Life is crap, and then it gets funny").[4] In 2020 he published a second book, Bekend & Bescheiden, described as a reworked edition with additional material.[4]

In 2019 De Rycke presented five live talk-show-style evenings at the Minard Theatre in Ghent, titled Vanavond Live met Xander De Rycke, combining interviews, stand-up, and live music and modelled on American late-night television formats.[23]

Podcasts

De Rycke launched the podcast Mosselen om half twee in 2011; De Morgen credited the programme with helping sustain the Flemish podcast scene during the mid-2010s.[24]

Stage shows

  • 2008–2010: Uw Zoete 666[4]
  • 2011–2012: Mijn Zwarte Parade[11]
  • 2014–2015: Zijn Derde Show[12]
  • 2015–2016: 10 jaar bezig, 2 uur grappig[13]
  • 2016–present: Houdt het voor bekeken[1]
  • 2017–2019: Quarter-Life Crisis[4]
  • 2020–2022: Bekend & Bescheiden[4]
  • 2020–2021: Uitgerust & Immuun[4]
  • 2021: XDR15[5]
  • 2022: Dit Terzijde[14]

Trivia

De Rycke has said that Henk Rijckaert (who taught him biology in secondary school) influenced his decision to start doing comedy.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Decroubele, Peter (21 October 2018). "De staat van de Vlaamse comedy: daar zijn de "specialisten"" [The state of Flemish comedy: the “specialists” are here]. VRT NWS (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Van den Abeele, Diederik (15 March 2011). "Interview met Xander De Rycke" [Interview with Xander De Rycke]. Humo (in Dutch). No. 3680. pp. 122–129.
  3. ^ a b Jooris, Ann; Van Damme, Fernand (12 August 2018). "De mama van Xander De Rycke was een alcoholiste: "Ze heeft een gat in mijn hart nagelaten dat nooit meer op te vullen is"" [Xander De Rycke’s mother was an alcoholic: “She left a hole in my heart that can never be filled”]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ceulemans, Ewoud (29 November 2020). "Xander De Rycke: 'Ik wil niet dwepen met 'mijn afschuwelijke jeugd'. Maar ze is wel part of my life'" [Xander De Rycke: ‘I don’t want to romanticise “my terrible youth”, but it is part of my life’]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Bral, Sander (7 June 2021). "Xander De Rycke blikt terug op 15-jarige carrière in exclusieve show in Lotto Arena" [Xander De Rycke looks back on 15-year career in exclusive show at Lotto Arena]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Comedy Award". The Lunatics. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Joost Van Hyfte & Xander De Rycke – 5 November 2009". AB Concerts. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ^ Theerlynck, Sarah (17 March 2007). "Natuurlijk loop ik constant ambetant rond. Ik ben negentien" [Of course I'm constantly irritated. I'm nineteen]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Pukkelpop pakt voor het eerst uit met Comedy Stage" [Pukkelpop presents a Comedy Stage for the first time]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 27 July 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ^ "2007". Pukkelpop. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b Michiels, Karel (17 January 2011). "Mijn zwarte parade – Xander De Rycke" [My Black Parade – Xander De Rycke]. De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  12. ^ a b Michiels, Karel (10 January 2015). "En toen werd Xander De Rycke volwassen" [And then Xander De Rycke grew up]. De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Xander De Rycke viert tiende jubileum in Gent" [Xander De Rycke celebrates tenth anniversary in Ghent]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 23 October 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Dit Terzijde". YouTube. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  15. ^ Van Loy, Jasper (1 September 2023). "Vanavond op Canvas: 'Dit terzijde' van Xander De Rycke is een krachttoer, een tackle met het gestrekte been op dood en depressie" [Tonight on Canvas: ‘Dit terzijde’ by Xander De Rycke is a tour de force, a studs-up tackle on death and depression]. Humo (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Bekijk hier de volledige zaalshow van Xander De Rycke" [Watch the full stage show of Xander De Rycke here]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 6 December 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ^ "HHVB Endgame". xanderderycke.be. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Xander De Rycke vult een vijfde keer de Lotto Arena met 'Houdt het voor bekeken'" [Xander De Rycke fills the Lotto Arena for a fifth time with ‘Houdt het voor bekeken’]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 9 October 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Xander De Rycke houdt het in 2025 voor bekeken in het Sportpaleis (en dat al minstens twee keer)" [Xander De Rycke will ‘call it quits’ in 2025 at the Sportpaleis (and at least twice)]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 6 January 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Eva De Roo krijgt nieuwe sidekick: komiek Xander De Rycke gaat mee presenteren op Studio Brussel" [Eva De Roo gets a new sidekick: comedian Xander De Rycke will co-host on Studio Brussel]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 15 April 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  21. ^ Van Loy, Jasper (12 October 2024). "Xander De Rycke maakt opwachting in 'De slimste mens': 'Ik had iets goed te maken met Erik Van Looy'" [Xander De Rycke appears in ‘De Slimste Mens’: ‘I had something to make up for with Erik Van Looy’]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  22. ^ Raes, Tom (10 December 2024). "In de special van 'Ik vraag het aan' op VRT 1 zorgde Xander De Rycke – misschien onbedoeld – voor het mooiste moment" [In the ‘Ik vraag het aan’ special on VRT 1, Xander De Rycke—perhaps unintentionally—delivered the finest moment]. Humo (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  23. ^ Van der Veken, Regis (9 April 2018). "Xander De Rycke wordt talkshowhost: 'De scherpe kantjes mogen er niet afgevijld worden'" [Xander De Rycke becomes a talk-show host: ‘The sharp edges must not be filed down’]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  24. ^ Debackere, Jan (30 January 2015). ""Ik wilde mijn rare vrienden delen met de wereld"" ["I wanted to share my weird friends with the world"]. De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
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