Toronto is where Robby Hoffman feels she came into her own.

She began performing in Montreal, cutting her teeth in small rooms and improvised venues, but Toronto became the city where her identity as a comedian sharpened. Her upcoming return includes two sold-out shows in the city, a milestone that reflects a long-standing relationship with the scene that helped shape her voice and build her audience.

“It was a fit from the get,” Hoffman says of stand-up. Even her earliest performances carried a sense of inevitability. Friends weren’t surprised when she chose comedy; the transition felt natural to everyone around her. What surprised her was the scale of what stand-up could become.

Growing up, she hadn’t fully grasped that many of the entertainers she admired were stand-ups first. When that realization clicked, it expanded her understanding of the craft. She quickly began imagining a career that stretched beyond the stage. Assuming that comedians built entire creative worlds, she started writing scripts almost immediately after beginning stand-up.

That instinct to build broadly still guides her. Today, Hoffman balances touring with television writing, acting roles, and work on an upcoming book. Each pursuit feeds the others. She approaches new opportunities with deliberate focus, determined to master whatever medium she steps into.

Her stand-up process, however, remains fiercely independent. “If I think it’s funny, I bring it right to you,” she says, referring to the audience. Unlike the collaborative environment of a writers’ room, her stage material answers only to her instincts and the crowd’s response. She develops jokes live, trusting that consistency and experience will refine them.

Toronto audiences will see an entirely new hour, material that continues to evolve with each performance. Hoffman relishes presenting work in progress, especially in cities that have supported her growth. The sold-out status of the two shows suggests an audience eager to follow that evolution.

Even as venues grow larger, Hoffman keeps a clear memory of the scrappy beginnings that defined her early years. She recalls performing in difficult environments, navigating the logistics of touring as a young comedian, and inventing small rituals to stay grounded. Those experiences built a resilience that still informs her work.

Her admiration for other comedians reflects a deep respect for craft. She speaks enthusiastically about performers past and present who commit fully to their voice. Excellence, in her view, comes from dedication rather than trend-chasing. While social media shortcuts might have accelerated her visibility, she chose to focus on developing her material at her own pace.

To outside observers, her recent rise may look sudden. Hoffman sees it as the natural result of years spent refining her skills. “People think you came out of nowhere,” she says. “But I’ve been here.”

Looking ahead, she’s energized by a slate of new projects in television and acting, alongside the ongoing demands of touring. Yet the core appeal remains unchanged: the immediacy of live performance and the connection it creates.

For Toronto, the sold-out shows functions as both celebration and preview — a snapshot of a comedian pushing forward while acknowledging the city that helped her get there. In a career defined by constant motion, it marks another step in a journey Hoffman approaches with the same enthusiasm she felt walking off her very first stage.