Heckler interrupts the comedian's stand-up routine, but then proceeds to ask a question that left her blushing on stage
Stand-up comedians are used to unexpected moments when they are out performing in crowds; someone talking too loudly, a phone ringing, the occasional heckler trying to comment and get attention. Sometimes comedians improvise and go along with the audience. As per the video posted on Instagram by Dinara Kerey, that’s what happened during a recent show in Canada, where the Kazakh comedian found herself in an interesting situation. It all started with a question.
Kerey, who often weaves personal stories into her sets, was in the middle of hers, talking, when a man in the audience started interrupting her. She captioned the video: “when crowdwork turns into a dating app” because the video shows her pausing mid-bit as the man says, “I have a question for you. I also grew up very poor in western Kazakhstan and also studied in South Korea for four years.”
The room lit up with laughter. Kerey stared at him, amused and smiling. “Did you follow me all the way here?” she shot back. But the man wasn’t done. He added, “I’m also a Kazakh guy who is pushing 30.” The crowd erupted, sensing something brewing that was no longer part of the script. Kerey laughed and said. “Am I getting married here?” she joked, turning the moment into effortless comedy. Then came the question that shifted the whole room’s energy when the man asked her: “My question for you is… what’s your idea of a first date?” Hands on her head, Kerey replied. “Oh my god… well, I live in Germany, so, if you buy me a coffee, I will go home with you,” she said, breaking into laughter before turning the interview around.
When Kerey pressed him further, asking what he did in Canada, he mentioned that he was a continuous improvement and quality engineer. She couldn’t resist leaning into the bit, wondering aloud whether the role “pays money,” before laughing that any job ending with “engineer” was probably good enough. The man didn’t hesitate to say that his profession might not be very helpful in her case because, as he put it, “there is nothing to improve.” It was an unexpectedly tender compliment wrapped inside a joke, enough to make Kerey blush and momentarily break character. For a moment, it felt less like a comedy show and more like the start of a rom-com movie dialogue.
Humor, after all, has always had a powerful effect on people. A 2024 study by Herald Cela, Sarah-Vanessa Veit and Guilherme Wood, titled “Breaking down the laughter: an exploration into the linguistic dimensions in stand-up comedy ratings” and published in PubMed Central, explored how laughter binds people, noting that humor strengthens social connections and offers emotional relief, something Kerey’s entire audience seemed to experience together that night.
When Kerey posted the clip online, the comment section quickly filled with viewers rooting for the unexpected pair. Merey_zee joked, “Someone definitely has a plan to keep her in Canada.” @holistic_healer.ardi charmed by the exchange, wrote, “Omg, that’s so cute! Dinara, did you go on a date? He is brave btw.” Whether or not a date happened, the moment stood on its own, a rare blend of comedy, chemistry and crowd delight. A heckler might normally derail a performance, but this one just might have sparked the beginning of a story.