Mark Critch mocks U.S. podcasters over their gripes about Newfoundland-set 'Below'

Mark Critch attends a launch event for Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Katie Telford’s new media and entertainment production company, Hope and Hard Work, during the Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

ST. JOHN’S — Mark Critch had a chuckle this week at the expense of two right-wing U.S. podcasters who have gripes about the Newfoundland-set Netflix thriller “Below.”

On Tuesday’s “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” the comedian mocked Matt Walsh’s claims that the show’s Newfoundland accents are “the ugliest of all time.”

While mispronouncing “Newfoundland,” Walsh said in a recent YouTube video that anyone with the accent should not speak on camera.

“Oh no, I gotta quit me job!” Critch, a Newfoundlander, said with an accent, before calling Walsh an “arsehole.”

Critch has been on the satire news show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” since 2003, where he is much-loved for his pouty-lipped impersonation of U.S. President Donald Trump. He also co-created and stars in the award-winning comedy, “Son of a Critch,” which is about his childhood in St. John’s, N.L.

In a 32-minute video posted last week, Walsh walked his audience through the entire plot of the show, offering it as an example of “woke slop.” He quipped that the show’s menacing sea monster was simply a misunderstood “single mom” and “feminist icon.”

“Oh, so Matt Walsh doesn’t hate Newfoundlanders. He hates women,” Critch said in his “22 Minutes” bit.

Last year, Walsh appeared in a Tucker Carlson Show video arguing that feminism is the “most destructive ideology in human history.”

Critch also roasted U.S. commentator Ben Shapiro, who recently complained in a video that “Below” is “go-woke slop” in part because of its messaging about climate change.

“Below” stars Josh Hartnett as a fisherman whose Newfoundland town is attacked by a gnarly sea creature. It was shot in eastern Newfoundland. As of last week, it was Netflix’s most-watched English title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2026

The Canadian Press