Magnus Devold

Links:

Roles:

Contestant, Guest

Biography

Magnus is a comedian, presenter, writer, and actor who appeared as a contestant on season 2 of Kongen Befaler.

He began his career playing bit parts in the films Knerten (The Nerd) and Kong Curling (King Curling, which also featured numerous other Kongen Befaler alumni), before hosting the mockumentary series Svensker er mennesker (Swedes are People) on NRK’s P3 in 2011.

From 2011 to 2016, Magnus worked on I kveld med Ylvis (Tonight with Ylvis) with fellow Kongen Befaler contestants Bård Ylvisåker, Vegard Ylvisåker, and Calle Hellevang-Larsen. He started on the show as a writer, as well as being introduced on-screen as an ‘intern’ in the first season. He then graduated to a larger sidekick role as the series became more popular, including hosting his own show segments in later seasons.

In 2012, he hosted Norges beste fest (Norway’s Best Party) for VGTV, which led to hosting Verdens beste ferie (World’s Best Vacation) the following year.

In 2015, he hosted the satirical entertainment news show Kjendiskveld (Celebrity Evening), including several satirical exposés on the Ylvis brothers. Beginning in 2015, he also began co-presenting the comedy podcast Dustene with Fanny Vaager and Hasse Hope, which ran until 2020.

Following the conclusion of I Kveld med Ylvis in 2016, Magnus presented the travel programme Kjør meg til OL (Drive me to the Olympics). His adventures began in 2017, as the non-driving Magnus had to find people to help him make his way from Oslo to South Korea in time for the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

The show was later brought back for a second season in 2020, for the Tokyo Summer Games. The show was well-received, this time winning a Humorprisen (Norwegian comedy prize) for ‘Entertainment Programme of the Year,’ a Gullruten (Norwegian TV award) for ‘Best Entertainment Clip,’ as well as being nominated for ‘Best Comedy Programme’ and ‘Best Single-Camera Direction’.

In 2018, Magnus hosted Slep meg på ferie (Drag Me on Vacation) for TVNorge, where he travelled across the country by getting others to help him tow a campervan. That same year, he helped celebrate TVNorge’s 30th anniversary by playing the sidekick role for the show Casino’s revival.

At the end of 2018, he also reunited with Bård, Vegard, and Calle for Juleølkalenderen, a Christmas beer-tasting special created for the streaming platform Dplay.

He then took part in Kongen Befaler’s second season in 2020, placing fourth. The same year, he reunited with the Ylvisåker brothers and Calle to co-present Ylvis på holmen med Calle og Magnus on TV Norge.

In 2021, Magnus participated on Alle mot alle (All Against All) on the same team as Maria Stavang, as well as making a surprise guest appearance on Kongen Befaler’s fourth season, as Solveig’s prize task submission in the category ‘Something that's too long’.

2022 was a busy year which saw Magnus join Jon Almaas as his new sidekick for Praktisk info med Jon Almaas (Practical Info with Jon Almaas), along with Kristine Grændsen. He also competed in Drag me out, a celebrity drag competition that also featured Erik Follestad. He also participated in the third season of Ikke lov å le på hytta (No Laughing Allowed in the Cabin, the Norwegian adaptation of Last One Laughing) alongside Calle and Kristine.

Fun fact: Magnus didn’t have his driver’s license until 2020, when he was 34. He only had his learner’s license when he was filming his season of Kongen Befaler.

Bonus fun fact: Following their time together on season 2 of Kongen Befaler, Magnus and Maria Stavang began dating, and they remain together, as of 2023.

[Source: Nic Greyson, 25/06/2023.]