Why Peter Kay will never crack America – and Las Vegas ‘performance’ that ended in tears

Comedian Peter Kay, who is going on a huge comeback tour for the first time in 12 years, has revealed why he hasn’t tried to crack the US – and it’s not because of his accent

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Peter Kay announces first stand-up tour in 12 years

Peter Kay is going on a huge comeback tour – but he won’t be venturing over to America. The 49-year-old comedian, who recently took five years out of the limelight and hasn’t done a tour in 12 years, will be doing stand-up to packed out stadiums across the UK once again.

Despite his immense popularity on these shores, Peter has never attempted to crack the US, even though some comedy legend’s have urged him to. The Bolton-born star has previously revealed why he has never broken through in America – and it doesn’t have anything to do with his accent.

Peter Kay has never tried to crack America (

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Getty Images)

While chatting to fellow comedian Jason Manford on his Absolute Radio show in November 2017, Peter claimed that Vimto was part of the problem.

“My entire act is through and through British. I reference everything British,” he explained.

“They go, ‘You should go to America’… Billy Connolly said that to me, ‘You want to go to America, they’d love you’, but they would not get Vimto and all that,” he added.

“That’s my fear, I think – [best to] stick to what you know.”

Another issue is that the funnyman gets quite homesick when he is away from his family, so he has no desire to go touring around the world.

“You’ve got to just be happy with your lot,” he added. “How much are you going to chase your tail? I thought about it… but do I want to be stuck in Norway, on me Jack?

“They say go to Australia and I think, ‘Well, I’d just go to Australia on a holiday’.”

Peter explained all to Michael Parkinson (

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Rex)

Peter also admitted that he has “never been keen on America” during an interview with legendary talk show host Michael Parkinson.

The comedian joked that the only thing he liked about going there was that he feels smaller by comparison, joking: “If you think I’m fat, it’s like It’s A Knockout over there!”

Peter revealed that the only time he has “performed” in the US was not stand-up, but karaoke in a Las Vegas hotel.

When he explained that he is from Bolton, the host said: “You mean like Michael Bolton?”

He claimed the Americans took it too seriously and thought they were the actual singers, so he decided to get people up on their feet dancing with a “British classic”.

They didn’t have his backing track, but that didn’t stop Peter singing Black Lace hits Agadoo and Superman.

“They’re all doing it in casinos. Honest to god, I’ve opened it up for Black Lace over there,” he said. “They loved it. They put me on their shoulders running around the room.”

Peter got up to do karaoke (

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Getty Images Europe)

Unfortunately, Peter said a German man “killed the atmosphere stone dead” by getting up next to sing Candle In The Wind – doing the version Elton John sang at Princess Diana’s funeral.

“You could have heard a cockroach fart. Americans were crying,” said Peter. “They all stopped playing crabs, there was no one scooping ice cream. Cowboys, 8-foot tall, stetsons off, crying.”

He may not be big in America, but the comedian is a massive hit in the UK and fans were thrilled by his surprise tour announcement at the weekend.

During Sunday’s opener of I’m A Celebrity, a 30-second trailer popped up showing Peter carrying a large rolled-up carpet while being filmed by a pal from a car.

“Hey look, it’s Peter Kay. Hey, garlic bread,” the man shouted, quoting Peter’s iconic joke, to which he replied: “It’s the future lads.”

While Peter tried to get the carpet inside the man asked when he was going back on tour, and he confirmed: “Next month!”

After revealing that the stand-up tickets go on sale this Saturday, Peter joked he’d bought his mum a bungalow but now she wants a new carpet – a callback to his last tour, Mum Wants A Bungalow.

Peter is going back on tour (

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peterkay_co_uk/Twitter)

His new stand-up tour, his first in 12 years, has already caused a stir online due to the locations, as a range of northern cities were picked to host but none in the south.

The funnyman is set to perform in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast – but not London.

The 22-date tour is scheduled to take place between December 2022 and August 2023, although some months have just one or two dates.

As part of the announcement of his tour, the comedian also explained he was slashing the price of his tickets.

“It’s good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy and if there’s ever a time people need a laugh it’s now,” he said.

“And with the cost of living at an all-time high, ticket prices are starting from £35. The same price they were on my previous tour in 2010.”

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