Comedian Andy Payne on the funny side of life as a widower

Andy Payne was the first of ten national finalists to perform in Starts at 60’s recent search for ‘Australia’s Funniest Boomer’.

At our inaugural Starts at 60 Comedy Festival in Brisbane last month, the 69-year-old performer delighted the audience with his delightfully dry, self-deprecating wit — ranging from lightweight puns to deeply personal topics.

Click “play” above to watch his full five-minute routine.

“My wife died recently,” he told the audience. “The thing about that is that I’m now living on my own.”

“Well I say ‘on my own’, I think dust have moved in.”

“The best thing about living on your own is that you don’t need to put anything away, at any time at all. In fact, I don’t think I’ve closed a drawer or a cupboard door in months.”

“If I get nostalgic for married life I’ll just make myself restock the dishwasher a couple of times a week.”

A two-time graduate of Melbourne’s Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School, Andy won the “People’s Choice” award in the voting round, and ranks among the evening’s highest-scoring performances.

In a wide-ranging standup set, he also touched on the quirks of endless medical checkups, online dating in your 60s, and behavioural lessons learned from a certain recent US president.

Stay tuned to the Starts at 60 YouTube channel for more hilarious clips from our inaugural comedy festival — and stay tuned for news on our 2025 ‘Australia’s Funniest Boomer’ event.