Claire Brosseau

Claire Brosseau (born February 24, 1977) is Canadian actress, writer and stand-up comedian.[1] She has appeared in Just For Laughs and the Winnepeg Comedy Festival. She had parts in the films A Previous Engagement and Who is KK Downey? and a recurring role in the television series The Business. In 2025, she found herself at the centre of an ongoing national debate in Canada regarding assisted dying for applicants suffering from mental illness.

Early life and education

Brosseau was born on February 24, 1977 in Montreal. Her mother is Mary Louise Kinahan.[2] Claire grew up in Toronto and Montreal.[3][4] She trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.[4]

Career

Claire Broseeau was a contributor on CBC's Day 6.[5] She performed stand-up comedy at The Great Canadian Laugh-Off, Just For Laughs, LA, Bridgetown, Seattle, Sudbury, Winnipeg, and Ventura comedy festivals, Comedy Central and The Comedy Channel.[6] After graduating from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City in 1999, Brosseau worked as a singer at Don't Tell Mama in Times Square.[7] She appears in A Previous Engagement (2005),[8] If I Were You (2012), starring Marcia Gay Harden,[9][10] and Girl's Best Friend (2008) starring Janeane Garofalo.[11]

In May 2010, Brosseau embarked on a year long break from dating.[12] Her blog, The Manbbatical, was published on Toronto's NOW! magazine website.[1]

She was a guest speaker for resident doctors regarding trauma in the ER, health law,[13] homelessness, crisis centres for women, and adoption seminars. Reporters and hosts regularly interview Claire about mental illness across all media platforms.[14][15][16] When she could no longer perform because of memory loss, she sold her life story. Writer Tim McAuliffe based the television show Satisfaction on their friendship when they were roommates.[17] In 2026, The Hill Times published her letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.[18]

Brosseau is also the author of A Clichéd Work Of Staggering Mediocrity on Substack.[19]

Health and assisted dying advocacy

Brosseau was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at fourteen.[4] She’s public about living with substance use disorder, ADHD, PTSD and disordered eating.[4]

In 2021, Brosseau applied for Canada's medical aid in dying (MAID) program, but was subsequently rejected on the grounds that she was physically healthy.[20] In 2022, Brosseau wrote to the Senate of Canada advocating for legislative changes to protect the equal and constitutional rights of people who live with severe and persistent mental illness.[19] In 2023, legislative change to allow patients with mental illness to access medical assisted dying was due to come into force but implementation was pushed out.[4]

In 2024, Brosseau, journalist John Scully, and the organisation Dying With Dignity Canada filed a constitutional challenge against the Canadian government seeking equal access to medical assisted dying for people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental disorder.[19][21][4] Claire and Dying With Dignity Canada are arguing that the exclusion of people with mental illness from access to assisted death is discriminatory.[22] In May 2026, she filed an emergency injunction with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, seeking an exemption from the exclusion of people with mental illness as their sole underlying condition from accessing MAID.[23]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Office Worker Uncredited
2004 Phil the Alien Michelle
2004 Geraldine's Fortune Make-Up Girl
2006 My First Wedding Susie
2008 A Previous Engagement Jenny Reynolds
2008 Who Is KK Downey? Scary Mary
2010 Peepers The Cop Caller
2012 If I Were You Regan
2016 Happily Ever After Megan

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2004 Urban Myth Chillers Stephanie Episode: "À malin, malin et demi"
2006 Bethune Evelyn 3 episodes
2006–2007 The Business Drunk Chick / Rhonda Goldenblatt 5 episodes
2007 Framed for Murder Charlie Television film
2008 Girl's Best Friend Erica
2008 A Woman's Rage Jordan
2013 Satisfaction Lady of the House Episode: "The Internship, Relationship, Friendship"
2016 11.22.63 Charlene Episode: "Happy Birthday, Lee Harvey Oswald"

References

  1. 1 2 "NOW Magazine // Manbbatical". 2011-05-14. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  2. ↑ Bamford, Thomas (2026-05-06). "Family of woman who's physically fit but wants assisted suicide shares what they think about her decision". UNILAD. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  3. ↑ Jalees, Sabrina (Jul 16, 2007). "Just for Laughs Festival: Lock Up Your Children". The Toronto Star. pp. L4 – via newspapers.com. This year, 30-year-old Toronto resident and laugh inducer, Claire Brosseau, has been called to the competition less than 3 years into her comedy career.... "When I was young I was always bouncing back and forth from living in Scarborough [Toronto] and Montreal."
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rinaldi, Luc (25 February 2025). "They're Suing the Government for the Right to Die". Maclean’s. Photography by Jennifer Roberts. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Comment: Claire Brosseau on Plenty of Fish Hack". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  6. ↑ "Lock Up Your Children". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  7. ↑ "This Week in Inspiring Women: Katie Boland Interviews Claire Brosseau About Her Manbattical". SheDoesTheCity. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  8. ↑ "Claire Brosseau". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  9. ↑ "Marcia Gay Harden, Aidan Quinn Join 'You'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  10. ↑ "If I Were You (2012) — Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  11. ↑ "Girl's Best Friend — Cast and Crew". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  12. ↑ Bielski, Zosia (19 May 2011). "No sex, no flirting, no dating: Welcome to my manbbatical". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Get Talking! Consent and Conflict of Interest: Navigating Ethics in Healthcare with a focus on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for mental illness". Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  14. ↑ "Claire Brosseau: The Comedian Fighting for Her Right to Die". Can't Be Censored (Podcast). Spotify. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  15. ↑ Stephanie Nolen (2025-12-29). "Claire Brosseau Wants to Die. Will Canada Let Her?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  16. ↑ "Claire Brosseau". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  17. ↑ "Claire Brosseau — Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  18. ↑ Claire Elyse Brosseau (2026-06-11). "An open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on MAID". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  19. 1 2 3 Martin, Sandra (Jul 19, 2025). "The Wait on Her Shoulders: Claire Elyse Brosseau has been fighting to receive MAiD after three decades of psychiatric treatments". Toronto Star. pp. OP4. Retrieved 3 May 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Etienne, Vanessa (January 2, 2026). "Actress, 48, Seeking Medical Aid in Dying After Decades of Mental Illness: 'It's Been Too Much'". People. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  21. ↑ "MAID: One woman's legal challenge to get the care she hopes for". Toronto Star. 2024-08-09.
  22. ↑ Nolen, Stephanie (December 30, 2025). "Claire Brosseau Wants to Die. Will Canada Let Her?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Claire Elyse Brosseau to seek emergency relief to receive MAID — Statement from legal counsel Michael Fenrick" (Press release). Dying With Dignity Canada. 2026-05-04. Retrieved 2026-07-10.


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