Jo Ellis No Kings Austin Speech | Trans Black Hawk Pilot Turned Comedian

Jo Ellis delivers a historic comedy-meets-rally speech at the No Kings protest in Austin, Texas—mixing stand-up comedy with a message about freedom, disagreement, and democracy. A former U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot with 16 years of service, Jo shares the surreal story of being fired from the military for being transgender, being falsely accused online of causing a deadly helicopter crash, and somehow ending up doing stand-up comedy in Austin. In this set, Jo blends jokes about Texas laws, religion, dating, and identity with a serious reminder of what “No Kings” means: a country where the Constitution matters, disagreements can coexist with decency, and ordinary people hold power—not kings.The result is something unusual: a protest speech that’s also a stand-up set.Topics include: Being a trans Black Hawk pilot Moving to Austin and the Texas culture shock Converting to Judaism Internet conspiracies and being falsely blamed for a crash ating, family, and coming out Why humor can still exist in serious political momentsRecorded live in Austin, Texas March 28th, 2026.Jo Ellis is a former Army National Guard Black Hawk pilot turned comedian, writer, and public speaker. She uses comedy to talk about identity, service, resilience, and the strange moments where politics and real life collide.More about Jo:https://joellisreally.comNo Kings 3 was organized by Hands Off Central Texas  @HandsOffCentralTexas  https://www.handsoffcentraltx.org/events/nokings3