Grindr Adds to Original Content Slate with Comedy Special ‘Gag Reflex’

Dating app Grindr announced the premiere of its new comedy special called Gag Reflex, featuring a lineup of up-and-coming LGBTQ comedians, who share stories of dating and the queer experience.

The special originally aired as a livestream on April 1st on YouTube and the Grindr app, and is now available to watch anytime on YouTube. According to Variety, the featured comedians include Joel Kim Booster (NBC’s Sunnyside, Hulu’s Shrill), Sydnee Washington (Broad City), Jay Jurden (The Tonight Show), Jaye McBride and Zach Zimmerman.

Executive producer Patrick Rogers said in a statement: “Comedy is such an integral part of the queer experience and we couldn’t think of a better time to show off our brightest queer comedic talents. After getting through a particularly difficult year for the community we’re so excited to share in some much-needed laughter.”

Grindr is expanding its brand from gay dating app into an entertainment platform for LGBTQ folks by producing original content catering to its users. The new comedy special comes on the heels of Grindr’s announcement earlier this year, the premiere of its original series “Bridesman,” which already began production and is scheduled to debut this fall. The series consists of short episodes that follow a gay man who attempts to undermine his best friend’s wedding.

And as Pride festivals were canceled last summer, Grindr launched an online festival called “Pride Perseveres” for the entire month of June. The event featured in-app content that celebrated queer talent through a series of entertainment and activist events, including a Black & Queer State of the Union led by activist Dana Vivian White, as well as DJ sets, cooking shows, and live speed dating with famous drag queens.  

Grindr isn’t the only dating app getting into the content game. Tinder launched its first original interactive series Swipe Night in late 2019 which centered around a looming apocalypse and a series of different endings to engage users. The company plans to produce a second season of the popular series. Match Group also purchased Hyperconnect, a popular Korean social discovery platform, for $1.7 billion to expand beyond its dating apps.  

While dating apps were quite popular this year in the wake of the pandemic, app companies are looking to ways of keeping people on the apps once they subscribe, particularly Gen Z daters. This younger demographic tends to meet people on dating apps and then switch to social platforms like TikTok or Instagram, so dating app companies are looking to entertainment such as original content to keep those users engaged. 

Grindr is leading the way in thinking outside the dating app box, and expanding its offerings in order to build its customer base. For more on this gay dating app you can read our Grindr review.