Online comedian cooking up a storm, just like his mom

Little gay Greek guy’s European tour comes to Cyprus

While Greek and Cypriot culture are often dismissed as the same, how much this is true is a matter of opinion. The language, the orthodoxism, a – literally – burning love for souvla, shared traditions and public holidays and both being hubs for migrants all point to just how intertwined the cultures are.

These similarities are also the basis for some sharp comedic talent – an iconic Greek mom and a talent for content creation, and you find yourself having gathered a considerable online audience in both, bringing Greek American comedian Gus Constantellis – or constantlygus – to hold his first-ever comedy show on the island.

“I’ve never been to Cyprus but am very excited for the two days we’ll have there,” Gus tells the Cyprus Mail.

Raised by Greek parents in the US, his mom, who never spoke English, became of the – if not the – main character(s) of his Greek-lifestyle inspired content, currently reaching almost 200,000 followers on Instagram.

“Everytime I posted about shows people would message me to ask me to come to Cyprus,” Gus says.

In short videos on Instagram and TikTok, Gus reenacts scenes that instantly feel familiar with anyone who has ever lived in Greece or spent time around Greeks.

His sketches range from Gus imitating his father while driving – in a very, well, Greek way, perfectly describing any Greek man over 40 behind the wheel – a scene easily relatable for Cypriots – to portraying a Greek aunt at orthodox easter, taking endless phone calls and christos anesti-ing the entire extended family (and probably the neighbours, colleagues and supermarket cashier too).

His mom Julia passed away on a family holiday to Greece in 2023. With her sharp comments, outstanding cooking skills, a pinch of cynicism, the dedicated smoker made for a somewhat different but iconic social media star.

“At first it was just throwing stuff at the wall, seeing what worked really and then eventually things started going well, at first it was the Greek mom thing, and then it pretty much just kept going from there,” says Gus.

There’s several videos of Julia preparing Greek dishes, walking viewers through each step in Greek, with the occasional, nonchalant response to ingredient quantities like, “enough.” In another video, Julia is captured standing at her stove, effortlessly juggling ingredients with a cigarette in her hand.

“In the beginning my audience was predominantly Greek American with similar pages reposting my content,” Gus adds. When he started posting his mom speaking Greek in the videos his audience expanded to Cypriots.

And in the wake of his loss, he began using social media as an outlet. Just days after Julia’s passing, Gus posted a remarkable – and somewhat unexpected – video of himself navigating through the grief by making his mother’s famous meatballs for his niece and nephew.

Taking a step back to assess his next move, Gus “started working on a cookbook with all my mom’s recipes,” he says.

“The response to the video was heartwarming, everybody encouraged me to do the book and I started writing it right after”. It will finally come out in April 2026.

These days, Julia continues to appear in Gus’ content. Most recently, he shared a video where he’s recreating her famous spanakorizo. The video includes footage of Julia saying “I’m showing you how to make spanakorizo so when I die, you’ll know how to make it.”

Instead of holding a real cigarette, Gus stands in front of the stove with an e-cigarette in hand  before proudly presenting the final dish to the camera.

Gus’ content works with clichés without being boring. It is on point. It is funny because it plays with experiences anyone with a relation to Greece can relate to, without just bluntly serving stereotypes.

Gus also delves into topics such as his experience as a gay man and the broader immigrant experience in the US. He frequently collaborates with other creators, including Christina Mavronas, with whom he’ll be touring.

For their upcoming performance at the Pantheon in Cyprus, the duo will be joined by Peter Kypri, also known as the Cypriot Smurfor Souvlakis.

Kypri is a well-known British-Italian-Cypriot comedian, focusing his content on Cypriot culture, though with a very different take to Gus or Christina. Born in the UK, he moved back to his father’s home in Cyprus as a young boy, and is now based in Larnaca.

“Gus never met me and will see me first when I open for them – and either love or hate me,” Kypri laughs.

In fact, he tells the Cyprus Mail that he had already bought tickets for the show and reposted the announcement for their Cyprus event on his Instagram, when Gus reached out to ask him whether he wanted to open the show for him

“I’m very excited for the show and for meeting up in person,” Kypri says.

According to Gus, Kypri will also be responsible for showing them around during their first visit to the island – and hopefully make both want to come back soon.

Gus Constantellis

On stage in Cyprus with Christina Mavronas and Cypriot Smurf. October 19 at Pantheon. Tickets €30 from pantheon-theatre.com. In English