St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. That was one of the greatest days of my life. Q: Perhaps in that context I want to ask you about this column John Doyle had in the Globe the other day, where he said, ‘Rick Mercer’s great, everybody loves Rick Mercer. There have been politicians, of course, that have incredible timing. Daly added it's not clear if Mercer will continue to work with CBC in the future. © Copyright 2020 St. Joseph Communications. It’s hard to answer that criticism. In many ways, I could do it forever," Mercer said. Q: How long have you known you’d be ending your show this season? Talking to CTV's National Affairs, Rick mentioned that during his high school years, a teen coming out of the closet was a rare instance.He even praised the youngsters for their bravery. So I’ve always had a plan and a goal. "I'll be sad to see it go and I think everyone will but I think 15 years is a pretty good run in TV.". Lots of people in television fought really important battles to be able to say certain words at certain times, but it’s just never been a hill I wanted to die on, or was interested in, in general. After 15 years, “The Rick Mercer Report” is coming to an end. Paul Wells talks to the comedian about ending his show, being wary of free spaghetti dinners and which politicians could really tell a joke, By Paul Wells And he had just bought me dinner and I’d had drinks with him. In many ways, I could do it forever," Mercer said. One of the surprises was, we became a family show. The show raised more than $1 million for the effort. A: It’s not like that. The final season of the Rick Mercer Report launches Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. and will conclude on April 10, 2018. But the final show won't necessarily mean an end to Mercer's famous rants in Toronto's graffiti-lined alleys. Q: The CBC had a story where it said you have no idea what you’re going to do after next June. I kind of viewed him as a friend of mine. And I like that. That would be weird. "We would do this show for years and years and years but you have to respect his decision and we're excited for him," she said. The show’s been on for enough time that I can literally do what I want to do. Comedian and polemicist Rick Mercer announced this week that this will be the final season of his hit CBC show The Rick Mercer Report, ending 15 years in what he calls “the best job in the world.” Mercer has long made fun of, and sometimes with, federal politicians. And I just didn’t expect that to happen. A: Well, there’s a couple of different answers. No more free spaghetti dinners. A: I think politicians are no different than anyone else. It’s like somebody saying, ‘I like Paul Wells but I wish he’d rhyme more. I’ve always been very careful about that. "I'm sure when the situation arises that I want to rant, there will be places I can rant. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report. You know, I always wanted to be in television. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. I don’t have politicians on the show as much as I used to. You’ll never get a bigger number than 8 o’clock and this is show business. And when I was a kid, I thought it was the most exciting thing in the world. Mercer has hosted a ton of things, and got behind a mic and made people laugh, but it’s usually scripted. It’s a great privilege to be able to do that. A: I didn’t want the relationship to get too cozy, I guess. And that person can be a lobster fisherman or a cabinet minister. Q: Is it ever a hard show to do? "It's still the best job in the world. "The number of people I've talked to, the stories I've done, it's literally in the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds," said Mercer. Mercer has taken Canadians to the far reaches of Canada's North, made potato chips in New Brunswick, gone dog-sledding in Manitoba and skinny-dipped with Bob Rae, at the time the politician was running for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party. Mercer has received more than 25 Gemini Awards for his work on television. The 47-year-old Newfoundlander says he's proud of the work he and his team have done on the show and he's not sure what he'll do next. And then quickly, we realized it was very much a family show. A: I would say there’s nothing gentle and deferential about a guy who’s had both legs blown off, or a catastrophic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. "It's still the best job in the world. Mercer said the team behind the show has remained unchanged for an "unheard-of" 15 seasons. After more than a decade, Rick Mercer says it's time to close the curtain on his show. But when I was a kid, I just thought it was the best thing in the world. I learned that lesson later than I should have. There’ve been exceptions to that rule. While fans – including one very vocal Newfoundland airport employee – may not think he’s making the right decision, Mercer says it was time to move on, even if he’s not sure what that means yet. I don’t think that any more, obviously. A: I’ve never had a problem with being on at 8 o’clock. Obviously Jean Chrétien could deliver a joke. I don’t really know what his point is? But it was refreshing to see that his TV column was about television. Donations to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research will give Sunnybrook the tools to help beat brain cancers that are currently unbeatable. The show debuted in 2004 as Rick Mercer's Monday Report. We opened with these athletes from the Invictus Games. I’m not good at a lot of things, but I’m good at that. Mercer also showcases his famous tirades, taking on everything from low voter turnout to imported pandas and airport security in his Rick's Rants segment. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. A: For me, personally, the Ottawa experience has changed immeasurably over the course of my career. Now, never say never; Catherine McKenna’s going to be on the show in the next week or so. Rick Mercer: Sometimes I itch to be on TV when I think there’d be something to talk about or explore. "Since I was 10, the ultimate goal was my own TV show — that was it," Mercer said. The self-proclaimed political junkie said some of the highlights from the show have been bungee jumping with his childhood hero Rick Hansen, interviewing every living prime minister, flying with the Snowbirds and dangling off the CN Tower. I never think of it like that, like I’ve always wanted to do X, Y, or Z in terms of an adventure. A: Yeah. I realize I’m working through a lot of people’s bucket lists, but it’s not mine. That was a pleasant revelation about the show and who was watching it. "That's the legacy of the show. Rick Mercer’s 6 tips for fellow (or aspiring) ranters. And we’ve lasted a lot longer than most TV shows, so the time has probably come to move on. A: Absolutely. This crowd—I’d be hard-pressed to say who, out of this crowd, this cast we have now, who’s got natural comic timing. The comedian and host of the program that combines biting political satire with folksy visits across Canada says he is wrapping the show up on his own terms and has no idea what will come next for him. And I always figure, well, you can do anything 21 times. With the series finale airing on Tuesday, Mercer tells ET Canada’s Roz Weston it was important to end on his own terms. The biggest thing you can’t do at 8 o’clock is say ‘f–k,’ and it’s never been a mission of mine to say ‘f–k’ at 8 o’clock. But not a lot. The Rick Mercer Report will launch its 15th and final season Tuesday on CBC-TV. And so, what’s next? “I know it’s real and I’ve never gotten tired of being on TV. I was just fortunate that that spaghetti dinner put things into perspective. Suddenly, he was, in theory, the new John Crosbie. And it’s brand-new territory for me, because I’ve always known what I wanted to do, and it’s what I’m doing right now. It’s not one of those scenarios where I have an idea what I’m doing and I just can’t talk about it. But I made a decision not to spend so much time around them, and to spend more time outside that bubble. The Rick Mercer Report will launch its 15th and final season Tuesday on CBC-TV. I think there are certain people who would look at my travel schedule and be aghast. When it started it was an adult show. I honestly don’t know. But I’ve achieved that goal. The people I travel with are good at it. He can deliver a joke. Teachers were playing it in schools. Mercer said the final season will continue to see him criss-cross the country. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. I always did think that the decision would be made for me—I’d run out of steam or people would stop watching or we would find we were running out of stories. this week on the mercer report: Rick celebrates the country and takes a look back at some of the most memorable moments of the past fifteen seasons on the one hour series finale. Quite often politicians are trying too hard and that’s a big problem. I’ve had a lot of members of the Canadian Forces on the show over the years. September 27, 2017. But I would say this summer is when the final decision was absolutely made. Mercer has ended each season with a fundraising competition called Spread the Net in which students of all ages compete to raise money for mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria in developing countries. Families were saying, ‘Oh my God, my teenagers will finally sit in a room with me.’ And we knew from the demographics we were getting young people, old people, everyone. Enough comedy that’s too gentle and too deferential.’ What do you say about that? Q: What are politicians like to work with? He doesn’t have a reputation for that but he certainly could. 10 Apr 2018 2:15 PM After 15 years, “The Rick Mercer Report” is coming to an end. It’s what I’ve always wanted – and I get a kick out of it.”, RELATED: Rick Mercer Says Goodbye To ‘The Rick Mercer Report’: ‘I Didn’t Decide It Lightly’. I’ve always loved being on at 8 o’clock. Preston Manning has great timing. It just doesn’t make for good TV. One day a fellow asked me out for a bite to eat and drinks in Ottawa and his name was Ross Reid. I’ve been at military bases, put lots of soldiers on TV. And I love that.". I happened to become friends with Belinda Stronach, when she was a Tory.