Why Mae Martin Is Punching Back at Anti-Trans Comedians
At just 35 years old, Mae Martin has been performing stand-up for more than two decades—from their teenage years at open mic nights in the Toronto comedy scene, to hit one-person shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to their first-ever hourlong special SAP, which was directed by Abbi Jacobson and premieres today on Netflix.
In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast, Martin talks about everything it took to get to this huge moment in their career, including what they learned about themselves making the autobiographical Netflix series Feel Good; the difficult decision to come out as gender nonbinary, both on the show and in real life; and what they make of the rise of anti-trans comedy from some of America’s most popular comedians.
In the week leading up to their big special premiere, Martin has been running around Los Angeles, working in the writers’ room for a new thriller-comedy they’re creating while also trying to do press for Netflix. The comedian’s late-night TV debut with Stephen Colbert was scuttled at the last minute when they arrived in New York and promptly tested positive for COVID.