Loyiso Gola (born 16 May 1983) is a South African stand-up and TV comedian. He is the co-creator and anchor of the late-night satirical news television series Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola on e.tv and eNCA, launched in 2010, and has performed internationally.
Gola is Xhosaand was born on 16 May 1983 in the Cape Town township of Gugulethu.He moved away from Gugulethu at the age of 14, and attended Zonnebloem Nest Senior School in Woodstock.
Gola describes himself as “very reserved and shy” before his exposure to comedy. After performing a stand-up opening act for comedian Marc Lottering at his high school, his drama teacher introduced him to the Cape Comedy Collective at the age of 17. He subsequently job shadowed stand-up comedians from the comedy troupe for a school work experience programme and began performing on stage regularly with the group.
In December 2002, Gola won the Sprite Soul Comedy Tour and made his television debut with an appearance on the SABC1 Phat Joe Live talk show. In 2003, he also appeared on the SABC1 sketch comedy series Pure Monate Show.
He has performed many standup comedies in many one-man-shows in the country since 2006. He has also graced international comedy festivals.
Gola joined the SABC 2 Dinner with the President talk show in 2007, created by Pieter-Dirk Uys. He portrayed the black grandson of the satirist’s alter ego Evita Bezuidenhout.
Gola began hosting the Late Nite News satirical series on etv and eNCA in 2010.
His one-man show, Loyiso Gola for President, won him the Best Breakthrough Comedy Act South African Comedy Award in 2007. Mail and Guardian named him on their list of 200 Young South Africans in the Media and Film category in 2012.
His show Late Nite News was nominated as Best Comedy Series at the 2013 International Emmy Award. He bagged the Comic of the Year Award at The Savanna SA Comic’s Choice Award in 2014.
In November 2013, Loyiso was in Cape Town to promote his standup comedy show, Catch Gola Live, at the city’s Baxter Theatre. He was a nominee for the 2013 International Emmy Awards ceremony in New York in the comedy category.
Gola has performed across South Africa and other countries, including New York, London, and Switzerland.
In January 2022, Gola appeared in an episode of the BBC1 program Would I Lie To You? He has appreciated former President Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema for providing ample material for his Catch Gola Live show.
