‘He was like a little brother to me’: Winnipeggers remember Indigenous comedian and friend following fatal fire

Local comedian Clayton T. Stewart is being mourned after dying in a house fire in Winnipeg Monday. Joseph Bernacki reports

Nelson Mayer is struggling to understand how this could happen. His best friend and comedy partner Clayton T. Stewart passed away on Monday afternoon in a house fire on Nassau Street.

“I went by the house last night; I just don’t know why I had to go and look at it,” Mayer said.

“He was like a little brother to me.”

Three other people were able to get out of the house following heavy smoke coming from the two-storey house. Mayer said the Indigenous comedian was loved by everyone who knew him well.

“Clayton was the one that kept the shows going forward,” Mayer said.

“He was the one that brought everybody in, made him feel welcomed and a part of something. He was just like that. Everybody could meet him and feel like they’d been friends for years.”

The two had been friends for 24 years. Mayer said he met Stewart in 2001—they worked together on an independent wrestling promotion run by Mayer’s dad.

Years later, their paths crossed again in St. Vital after Stewart attended a stand-up open mic hosted by Mayer.

“Clayton came out to check out the open mic, and I put him on stage and just fell in love with his personality,” Mayer said.

“Just a great host, (full of) energy, really fun.”

He said Stewart’s personality made him the perfect comedic partner. The two became the Bad Apples—an Indigenous comedy duo.

After the pandemic they went on a cross-Canada road trip doing what they loved to do most—entertaining.

“We decided, ‘Let’s get back to it,’ and so we went full steam ahead, and I think we did seven or eight full tours as the Bad Apples,” Mayer said.

More shows were planned for 2026, and those are now up in the air.

Willow Skylor lives on Rathgar Avenue—just down the street from the blaze. She said she did not know the residents personally but is trying to help find their three cats who are missing after the fire.

“I’ve been calling their names trying to see if they are around and just trying to be the friendly neighbour that I am,” Skylor said.

“When I found out that someone had died, I just immediately burst into tears.”

A GoFundMe page was started by extended family, and many Manitobans have rallied. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $25,000 has been donated towards a goal of $40,000. Stewart was just 45 years of age.