Jimmy Rees: Biography, Career, and What He’s Doing Now

Few Australian entertainers have pulled off a career pivot as smooth as Jimmy Rees’s — from a beloved children’s TV host on Giggle and Hoot to a stand-up comedian and viral digital creator now touring nationally in 2025.

Profession: Australian comedian ·
Known for: Playing Jimmy Giggle on ABC Kids’ Giggle and Hoot ·
Born: 15 July 1987 ·
Awards: Order of Australia Medal (OAM) ·
Children: 3 sons

Seven facts from his public record, one pattern: a performer who has moved deliberately from a single iconic role to a multi‑platform career.

Where does Jimmy Rees live now?

Current residence

Jimmy Rees and his wife Tori moved their family from the Central Coast of New South Wales to the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria after his Giggle and Hoot stint ended (Wikipedia). A 2025 lifestyle profile by Better Homes and Gardens Australia (home and lifestyle magazine) confirms the family lives in a home on the peninsula with their three boys.

Privacy and public information

Rees does not share his exact address, but he occasionally posts glimpses of the property on social media. The profile notes the home is a “family‑friendly” space designed around three energetic sons.

Why this matters: For fans wondering where he settled, the Mornington Peninsula offers a quiet, scenic backdrop that suits his current work‑from‑home content style — a far cry from the Sydney TV circuit.

What was Jimmy Rees famous for?

Jimmy Giggle and Giggle and Hoot

Rees was best known for portraying the energetic owl Jimmy Giggle on ABC Kids’ Giggle and Hoot, a show that ran from 2009 to 2020 (Wikipedia). He was a fixture in Australian households with young children, hosting alongside the puppet Hoot.

Other television appearances

Before and after his children’s‑TV fame, Rees appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2019 (Bounty Parents) and later competed on Taskmaster Australia in 2023 (Wikipedia).

Comedy career

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Rees began releasing quick‑fire comedy videos on TikTok and YouTube, covering parenting, packaging frustrations, and state‑premier squabbles (Bounty Parents). The sketches went viral and introduced him to an adult audience that had no idea he was once Jimmy Giggle.

The pattern: this pivot from kids’ TV to adult comedy is rare in Australian entertainment, and Rees executed it with tight timing.

What’s Jimmy Rees’s real name?

Full name and stage name

His birth name is James Rees, but he has performed as Jimmy Rees for his entire television and comedy career (Wikipedia). The Jimmy Giggle character was an extension of that stage name.

Why he uses Jimmy Rees professionally

After leaving Giggle and Hoot, he dropped the “Giggle” surname entirely and now bills himself simply as Jimmy Rees. The OAM awarded in 2021 uses his legal name, James Rees, but all public materials use the stage name (Variety Australia).

Why did Jimmy Rees leave Giggle and Hoot?

Rebranding and career shift

Rees left the show around 2021–2022, after more than a decade in the role. He stated publicly that he wanted to pursue a broader comedy career and “make content for everyone, not just kids” (Wikipedia).

Personal reasons

The move also coincided with his family’s relocation and a desire to spend more time with his three young sons. The pandemic accelerated his shift to digital content, which required less studio time.

New projects

By 2023, Rees had fully rebranded. He launched a standalone YouTube channel, built a TikTok presence, and started touring live comedy shows. Variety Australia reported that his previous tours collectively sold over 100,000 tickets.

What is Jimmy Rees doing now?

Stand‑up comedy tours

Rees is currently touring his new live show In Reel Life across Australia and New Zealand from October to December 2025 (Variety Australia). The show blends observational humour with behind‑the‑scenes stories from his TV career.

Social media and YouTube

He remains highly active on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, where his short videos have accumulated over 4 million followers (Variety Australia). Bounty Parents described him as “a fully fledged social media star” at age 36.

Television appearances

In 2023, he appeared on Taskmaster Australia, a move that signalled his crossover from children’s TV to mainstream adult entertainment (Wikipedia). At the time of writing, no further TV commitments have been announced.

Family life

Rees and his wife Tori have three sons: Lenny, Mack, and Vinny (Wikipedia). The boys frequently appear in his social media content, which has drawn both praise and privacy concerns. Rees has said sharing family moments is a deliberate part of his brand.

The implication: for a former children’s TV host, leaning into authentic family content has become a core part of the rebrand.

The arc of Jimmy Rees’s career shows a performer who understood that a children’s‑TV contract has an expiration date — and who acted before it arrived. For Australian viewers who first met him as a puppet‑sidekick, the choice is clear: follow him to a live theatre near you, or watch him evolve on your phone screen. Either way, the same quick wit that made preschoolers giggle is now making their parents laugh.

For a deeper look at Jimmy Reess career transition, readers can explore how he moved from children’s television to comedy stardom.

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