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Brandon Rogers reveals Hazbin Hotel’s Katie Killjoy was inspired by his viral Bryce Tankthrust character, thanks to VivziePop

Long before Hazbin Hotel was streaming on Prime Video, Brandon Rogers was playing a character called Bryce Tankthrust. But it was series creator that turned her into Katie Killjoy, says the Helluva Boss star

Before he was the titular voice of raunchy, Hell-set comedy Helluva Boss, Brandon Rogers was (and indeed, still is) reigning as the king of character comedy on YouTube. And you knew him from those days before you yourself got into the Hellaverse, you may have noticed a familiar vibe coming from his Hazbin Hotel character, Hell's thoroughly awful news anchor Katie Killjoy. That's because Killjoy is very much a translation of one of Rogers' most iconic YouTube characters, heartless executive Bryce Tankthrust.

The thing is, though, it wasn't Rogers that ported her over.

Popverse recently got to chat with Rogers about all things Hellaverse and, during our conversation, the leaked that the infernal anchor and an only slightly exaggerated billionaire CEO were so similar thanks to Hellaverse creator Vivienne Medrano, AKA VivziePop.

"I didn’t sneak Bryce Tankthrust in," Rogers revealed, "That was all Vivienne. I think the first video I ever made is Bryce Tankthrust, which was just me fucking around as, like, a corporate businesswoman on YouTube. Doing the big shoulders and the waist and the big phone. I'm obsessed with the late 80s business woman - that sort of, art deco, cunty, 'Move by 5 to my 6 and my 6 to my 7.'"

(Heads up - Rogers is on the money here. The debut appearance of Bryce Tankthrust was, indeed, the comedian's first YouTube video.)

"Viv saw something in that character," Rogers continued, "And as much as I wanted her to be in Helluva Boss, I'm glad that she’s in Hazbin. I feel like it's all these characters and then Bryce Tankthrust among them. I'm honored. When she offered me the role, I immediately said yes to it because I kind of knew where that character was coming from, and I could tell what the source material was. [Killjoy] was like a role that I really didn't feel imposter syndrome, because I felt like I was auditioning for her for years prior to that."

And if our opinion matters at all, Brandon, it's a character we hope you don't stop playing.


 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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