Kelly MacFarland
She delivers suburban exasperation with the polished timing of a Boston veteran.
1 special · 2017
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She works the room with the loud, bouncy exasperation of someone who has finally stopped trying to impress people. At four-foot-eleven, Kelly MacFarland paces the stage to deliver a series of cheerful refusals. She describes her absolute unwillingness to ever go hiking or eat suspicious trunk potato salad with a tight, escalating rhythm that turns a minor grievance into a hard boundary. When she hits the punchline—often a colorful description of “upcycling” her second husband or demanding the clearance rack at TJ Maxx—she plants her feet and waits for the crowd to catch up.
Specials
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A warm, dry comedy album about the realities of middle age.
Apple Music · Album · 51 min
On stage
She is a lifer on the New England club and theater circuit, a veteran who explicitly wants to give you a break from the news. While chunks of the comedy industry lean into heavy topicality, MacFarland treats the stage as a sanctuary from the outside world. She builds her hours for people who just want an excuse to leave the house, making her a reliable draw at regional venues and a staple on platforms like Dry Bar.
Her strongest bits isolate the specific relief of aging out of social obligations. She structures entire segments around the joy of realizing she never has to pretend to care about training for a charity run or sleeping in a tent again. The scope of her act is fiercely domestic, built almost entirely out of step-parenting and suburban marriages. She avoids politics by design, operating on the old-school club principle that it is always her fault if the audience is quiet.
Turning points
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Appearance on Inaugural Season of The Biggest Loser
Competed on the first season of NBC's weight-loss reality show, losing 72 pounds, an experience that later informed her stand-up material.
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Awarded Best of the Fest at Aspen
Won Best of the Fest at the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, directly leading to the production and release of her debut album Bombshell.
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First Place Win at Ladies of Laughter
Won first place in the professional category of the national Ladies of Laughter stand-up competition.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Josh GondelmanMacFarland specifically credited Gondelman's album Physical Whisper as the structural and narrative inspiration for her interconnected, story-driven comedy album You Woke Up Today!.
Also on screen
- The Biggest Loser
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- Up Early Tonight
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- The Sympathy Card
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- Comedy Pickleball Showdown
A clip to start with
Just Say No to Hiking | Kelly MacFarland | Stand Up Comedy