Comedian invites a man with cerebral palsy onto the stage — he was in for a special surprise

Kindness comes in many forms–comedy happens to be one of them. Our world is a houseful of 7 billion people, everyone beautifully different in their own ways. When we speak of inclusivity, it generally evokes feelings of compassion and understanding. However, actor and comedian Adam Ray, who goes by @adamraycomedy on Instagram, figured a little roast would not hurt anybody when he invited a man with cerebral palsy from the audience. Unbeknownst to Adam, the man brought a challenge to his comical talents. 

Ray, 42, was amidst a set trying to land a joke about his friend in a wheelchair when a “woo!” from the audience steered his attention to Avery Dauer. Noting that the joke was about to get “weird”, the comedian then had a brief conversation with him before inviting him to the stage. Dauer was disabled due to his condition of cerebral palsy. However, Ray exclaimed in shock when Dauer got up from his wheelchair and walked towards the stage. “And you’re out of the chair. What is going on right now?” Ray jokingly asked. 

By that point, the comedian was unaware of the man’s sense of humor and simply asked where he was from. “He’s not telling you that this is a Make-A-Wish,” Dauer said, setting the tone for his time on stage. His witty response caught Ray completely off guard as he took a moment to realize what had just happened. “That was funny, dude. That was funny,” the standup comedian acknowledged as the audience cheered. He confessed that it was rather “magical” to see Dauer get up from his wheelchair because he presumed the guy was “committed” to his disability. Dauer shared that he was taking a year's gap and trying to get into comedy gigs for inspiration for his own stand-up career. 

Offering a little insight and advice about a career in the comedy sphere, Ray encouraged him to be kind and keep learning, among other things. “You gotta enjoy the grind,” Ray said, claiming he has been doing this for 17 years. Passing the mic to Dauer for his first-ever standup bit, Ray joked that his walking disability could turn out to be a “good hook” for him. “This is, like, my Disneyland, right? I just get right to the front, all of you have to sit there,” Dauer said, bragging about the perks of disability. To allow him the right moment and space, Ray curated a skit pretending to invite another comic on stage after his set. 

To everyone’s surprise, Dauer hit it off with a banging joke about his worst fear– a field sobriety test. The audience hailed, barely letting him speak with their cheers. In a follow-up bit, Dauer called his nervous leg shake a “built-in vibrator function” that makes it difficult to date girls. He also ended his minute on stage with a brilliant diss about his own disability. Without a doubt, Dauer’s comical finesse shone through, and everyone in the room was impressed, Ray included. The comedian shared a snippet of the hilarious encounter on his Instagram page and received an overwhelming response from the internet. 

One person (@originaljbaum) wrote, “Love to see kindness in comedy. Gotta be a core memory for all who were lucky enough to attend.” Another one (@td691993) marked, “I love everything about this. Super funny too, Avery.” The comments section was brimming with raves for Dauer and his natural talents. “He was a straight natural. It was so funny when he got up on stage. I’m so happy you got to highlight him on your page,” said a viewer (@lilceezbitchplease). Someone else (@canna_cletus) also suggested that Ray and Dauer team up for a stand-up show. 

You can follow @adamraycomedy on Instagram for more videos.