Comedian Ben Bankas Criticizes Minnesota Venue for Cancellations

Comedian Ben Bankas has expressed his frustration with a Minnesota venue that canceled six sold-out shows. The cancellations followed a controversial joke he made about 37-year-old Lenny Goode, an ICE agitator. “They were freaking out because they received strange voicemails from liberals,” Bankas remarked, clearly upset.

During a recent performance at a comedy club, he informed the audience, “I just found out that my show has been canceled in Minnesota.” He had planned to perform in St. Paul over the weekend. “Six shows in Minnesota were sold out,” he added, before noting, “And they canceled it because…I honestly don’t know why.” His pause drew laughter from the crowd.

As a fan shouted, “Fuck you!” in response, Bankas replied, “Well, yeah, fuck it, of course,” reinforcing his indignation. He mentioned that he expected payment from the venue for the canceled shows. Bankas elaborated, saying the venue was receiving unsettling messages asking, “Are you really going to put a guy on stage who makes jokes about Renee Good?”

He later posted a video of his skit on Instagram, inviting new venues and dates for his fans in Minnesota. The Rough Camp Comedy Club in St. Paul abruptly canceled the shows after a video of Bankas’ skit gained traction online. In the skit, he jokingly referred to the shooting of Lenny Goode, who was killed after running over a federal agent.

In one part of the routine, he quipped about Good’s last name, saying, “That’s what I said after they shot her.” The video quickly went viral, accumulating millions of views. In it, he also made personal remarks about Good’s wife and used derogatory terms regarding ICE agitators.

Bill Collins, the club owner, stated, “Based on threats and feedback, we all realized that a small club like ours does not have or cannot provide the level of security necessary to keep everyone safe.” He noted that even law enforcement had advised against hosting events during planned protests outside the club.

Originally from Toronto and now based in Austin, Texas, Bankas currently hosts the Tanaka Family Show on YouTube.