Movers & Shakers: In Conversation with Kate Davis

Few Canadian comedians have built a career as enduring and accomplished as Kate Davis. A veteran stand-up comic, writer, actor, and bestselling author, Kate has spent decades entertaining audiences across North America. She has appeared on television, recorded comedy specials, and become one of Canada's most respected comedic voices. But before the stages, television appearances, and comedy albums, there were basement apartments, milk-crate furniture, difficult roommates, and one memorable family move involving a Nissan Micra.

For this edition of Movers & Shakers, we spoke with Kate about growing up between England and Toronto, raising a family, moving on a budget, and how her definition of home has changed over the years.

TSM: What's the first place you ever lived on your own?

Kate Davis:

"Worst basement apartment."

Kate laughs immediately when she thinks back to her first place.

"It was 250 bucks for each of us."

The price reflected the quality.

"It was so bad they didn't actually lower the basement. It was just like out from the wall on a big hole in the living room."

The apartment was in Toronto and came during a period when she was finding her footing as a young adult.

Kate's life had already included a fair bit of moving.

"The first five years of my life were in England."

After that, she grew up in Toronto before heading back across the Atlantic as a young adult.

"Then I lived in Toronto from like five to seventeen, eighteen. And then I moved to England for the next five years."

TSM: How was the move back to England?

Kate Davis:

"That was great."

Simple as that.

The experience gave her a unique perspective on both sides of the Atlantic and shaped much of the adventurous spirit that would later serve her well in comedy.

TSM: Was there anything in your first place that you'd be embarrassed about now?

Kate Davis:

"Oh my God, of course."

Her answer comes instantly.

"I had milk cartons with a piece of wood on top that acted as a table. We also used those same milk cartons for concerts. To stand on."

As Kate points out:

"It was the '80s."

TSM: Who was the worst roommate you ever had?

Kate Davis:

"Oh my God."

Kate lived with five roommates while attending college.

"I think the worst roommate was a guy named Nick."

Nick's culinary habits became legendary.

"Literally all he'd eat was baked beans."

That alone wouldn't have been so bad.

"He would never clean up after himself."

The memory remains vivid decades later.

"It was pretty gross."

As for whether the experience ruined baked beans forever?

"No, I do not eat baked beans."

TSM: Is there one item you've moved with you everywhere?

Kate Davis:

"Oh, that's such a great question."

Unlike many people who save furniture or keepsakes, Kate's treasured possessions are tied to family history.

"My grandfather was a painter."

Well, sort of.

"He forged Renoirs and Matisses and Picassos and all that."

Kate still owns several of his works.

"I still have his paintings around my house."

When asked whether they were reproductions, she laughs.

"Well, I was trying to be polite."

Then clarifies:

"He was forging everyone."

TSM: Is there something you've left behind in a move that you wish you hadn't?

Kate Davis:

"I'm pretty thorough."

Unlike many Movers & Shakers guests, Kate doesn't have a long list of regrets.

"There's nothing. It's not like, 'Oh, I wish I still had that blender.'"

When she leaves something behind, she's usually ready to let it go.

TSM: Have you ever moved because of a relationship?

Kate Davis:

"Yeah."

Though not in the traditional sense.

"I was living with one guy and we broke up and I moved."

The arrangement wasn't exactly permanent to begin with.

"I wasn't actually living with him. I was just sort of squatting with him."

As Kate puts it:

"So it's more a bag than a move."

TSM: Did you ever have a move from hell?

Kate Davis:

"Oh my God."

The answer comes quickly.

"We had two children and we were moving and we couldn't afford movers."

Rather than hiring professionals, the family improvised.

"So we moved everything in our Nissan Micra."

The image is exactly as absurd as it sounds.

"One couch on top and a bed board."

The experience was enough to change her moving philosophy forever.

TSM: Did that convince you to start hiring movers?

Kate Davis:

"Yes, exactly."

No hesitation.

"That was the last of it."

TSM: What's the place that's felt most like home?

Kate Davis:

"The place we live in now."

After years of moving, Kate found a place that stuck.

"We've lived there for over twenty years."

More importantly, it's where her family grew.

"It's where we raised our kids."

For Kate, the emotional connection is what matters.

"It's just a really happy house."

TSM: If you had ten minutes to pack one box that represented your life, what's going in it?

Kate Davis:

"Baby pictures."

Not awards.

Not comedy memorabilia.

Not television appearances or career achievements.

"Pictures of my kids."

She pauses to think.

"Maybe a passport."

And then one more sentimental addition.

"A couple of shirts that are baby clothes that the kids wore when they were little."

When asked whether she'd include anything from her comedy career, she laughs and quickly moves on.

Family comes first.

TSM: Is there a city you feel like you ran away from?

Kate Davis:

"I think London."

The reason was practical rather than dramatic.

"I was just really broke."

Like many young artists, she discovered that London wasn't an easy place to survive on a limited budget.

"Couldn't afford London."

TSM: Is there a city you're still running from?

Kate Davis:

"Oh, well, that'd have to be Lethbridge."

Then she immediately starts laughing.

"No, I'm kidding."

After a pause, she gives the real answer.

"There's no city."

These days, she's exactly where she wants to be.

"I've been here too long."

TSM: What does home mean to you now compared to when you were twenty?

Kate Davis:

"Where the people I love are."

The answer arrives without hesitation.

"And not an actual place."

It's a simple philosophy, but one that comes from decades of moving, performing, traveling, and raising a family.

When she was younger, home was often tied to affordability, opportunity, or geography.

Today, it's much simpler.

"The people I love."

That's home.

Kate Davis continues to perform stand-up comedy across Canada and beyond. Upcoming projects include a CBC Laugh Out Loud recording and appearances at comedy festivals throughout the year. Learn more at katedavis.ca and follow her on social media for upcoming tour dates and performances.