Ava Val is the stage name of Ava Valiulis, a Canadian stand-up comedian best known for her appearances in The New Wave of Standup,Tom Zillich, "‘That night was so much fun’: Surrey-raised comedian in ‘New Wave of Standup’ series". Surrey Now-Leader, July 8, 2020. Roast Battle Canada, and the fourth season of Canada's Got Talent.
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, she began her comedy career in the 2000s. Known at the time as Al Val, she presented in the persona of a frat boy with dreadlocks, performing comedy strongly influenced by Dane Cook.Amber Garratt, "Campus comedian Al Val makes a name for himself". UWO Gazette, October 28, 2010. Another significant influence on her comedy, Eddie/Suzy Izzard, later inspired her to open up about her own struggles with her gender identity,Martin Bauman, "Trump threatened this trans comic’s visa—now she’s coming to Halifax". The Coast, March 13, 2025. and after coming out as genderfluid in the late 2010s, she characterized her early persona as essentially a deflection, designed to keep audiences from actually knowing anything about her as a person.Stephan Petar, "Al Val On Bringing Her Trans Journey To The Stage And On Tour". In Magazine, March 7, 2024.
She began her full gender transition in the early 2020s, but continued to perform as Al until officially changing her name to Ava in 2024. In the same year, Val and Robert Watson headlined Gay AF, a national comedy tour highlighting LGBTQ comedians.Peter Knegt, "Comedians Robert Watson and Al Val are taking their Gay AF Comedy show on the road". CBC Arts, March 28, 2024. She also appeared against Hunter Collins in the fourth season of Roast Battle Canada, and her comedy special So Brave was released on YouTube by 800 Pound Gorilla Media.Jen Zoratti, "Toronto comedian Ava Val headlines Gay AF tour". Winnipeg Free Press, April 25, 2025.
In 2025, after Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14168, Val was forced to cancel her scheduled comedy tour in the United States due to the risk of being detained or imprisoned at the border,Liam O'Connor, "Transgender comedian cancels U.S. tour stops because of new gender policies". CBC News Saskatoon, April 25, 2025. although she continued with her Canadian tour dates. In the same year she competed on Canada's Got Talent.
She has also been a writer for Roast Battle Canada and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.Paul Bellini, "So Brave Ava Val under the neon palms". My Gay Toronto, June 14, 2026.
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