Jaye McBride
A classic one-liner comic who treats her life as a setup.
1 special · 2022
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McBride operates as a strict joke-writer. She strips a premise down to its absolute shortest setup before snapping the trap. Her pacing owes a lot to the Henny Youngman style of club comedy: she fires off punchlines that rely on quick pivots rather than long, wandering narrative. When a crowd gets tense at a dark premise, she just waits them out. She is entirely comfortable letting a room sit in silence until she decides to deliver the turn.
Specials
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Amy Schumer Presents: Parental Advisory with Amy Schumer, Ron Funches & 4 more
A quick-moving showcase of family-centric stand-up from the Hollywood Palladium.
Netflix · 57 min
On stage
She is a fixture at the Comedy Cellar and one of the first openly trans comedians working as a national club regular. She tours theaters with Amy Schumer and opened for Louis C.K. at Madison Square Garden, making her the first trans comic to play the venue.
When she talks about her transition and her family, she never drops into the voice of a lecture. Instead, she treats her life as a word problem she has to solve for the audience. She applies the cold rules of her college math degree to topics that usually invite sentimentality. If she brings up a strained family relationship or an awkward date, she isn’t looking for sympathy. She just needs the details to build the next joke.
Turning points
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2018–2019
Historic Regular Status at Major NYC Comedy Clubs
She broke ground as the first trans comedian to become a regular at the Broadway Comedy Club in 2018 and subsequently joined the lineup roster at the Comedy Cellar in 2019.
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First Openly Transgender Comic at Madison Square Garden
McBride became the first openly transgender American comedian to perform at Madison Square Garden when she opened for Louis C.K. alongside Lynn Koplitz and Greer Barnes.
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Breakout Set on Netflix Is a Joke Festival Special
McBride delivered a standout stand-up set on Amy Schumer's Parental Advisory showcase at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, which brought her national critical acclaim when streamed on Netflix.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2009
- Style
- dark comedy, crowd work
- Breakout
- Amy Schumer Presents: Parental Advisory
- Influences
- Jake Johannsen
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Phil Hanley
McBride specifically highlighted fellow New York club comic Phil Hanley as one of the funniest stand-ups working the city circuit.
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Jake Johannsen
Watching Johannsen's Letterman sets as a child was the formative experience that inspired McBride to fall in love with the craft of stand-up.
A clip to start with
Transgender Final Boss | Jaye McBride | Stand Up Comedy