Mae Martin
Delivers intensely personal confessions with the gentle rhythm of an anxious teenager.
3 specials · 2017–2023
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Mae Martin performs with a restless, anxious energy. On stage, they tend to hunch slightly, speaking softly enough that the room has to quiet down to catch the punchline. They use hesitation as a tool, letting sentences trail off or pausing to gaze at the ceiling before delivering a blunt observation. They will describe a bizarre childhood obsession or a dark period of substance use with the exact same earnest, conversational tone, treating an absurd thought and a heavy truth with equal weight.
Specials
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Netflix · 30 min
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A relaxed, storytelling hour about gender, sexuality, and oversharing parents.
Comedy Central · 58 min
On stage
Their footprint expanded outward from standup after they co-created the semi-autobiographical series Feel Good, pulling their stage themes of addiction and codependency into a television narrative. That show, along with their permanent chair on the Handsome podcast alongside Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster, moved Martin from a UK club staple to a focal point in modern queer comedy. They occupy a specific space: a comic whose crowds feel intensely protective of them, yet who steers those crowds with total control.
The material relies on a tension between sweetness and edge. In the hour SAP, Martin uses extended, goofy metaphors—like a mythical moose encounter or the gender dynamics of Beauty and the Beast—to map out complex emotional states. Their strongest bits happen when they let a silly premise run too long, pulling serious autobiographical stakes out of a ridiculous framing device. Occasionally, the drive to end an hour on a sincere, comforting note softens the momentum, but they pack enough jokes into the front half to balance the shift.
Because they started performing in Toronto at thirteen and spent their teenage years navigating comedy clubs and rehab facilities, Martin possesses an unusual stage presence. They project the wide-eyed bewilderment of someone who just arrived, backed by the deep structural instincts of a lifer who has held a microphone for two decades.
Turning points
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2017–2019
Breakthrough with Edinburgh Comedy Show Dope
Martin debuted their addiction-focused show Dope at Edinburgh, earning an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination before turning it into a Netflix special for Comedians of the World.
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2020–2021
International Acclaim with Feel Good
Martin co-created, wrote, and starred in the semi-autobiographical series Feel Good, earning widespread critical praise and a BAFTA TV Award nomination.
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Victory on Taskmaster Series 15
Martin competed on and won series 15 of the British comedy game show Taskmaster.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Tig NotaroTig Notaro co-hosts the Handsome Podcast with Mae Martin and shares a casual, low-key storytelling delivery grounded in personal vulnerability.
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Fortune Feimster
Fortune Feimster is Martin's co-host on the Handsome Podcast, uniting their queer comedy followings through shared conversational chemistry.
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Mike BirbigliaBoth comedians employ a blunt, confessional narrative format centered around deeply personal struggles and introspective humor.
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Maria BamfordCritics note a shared artistic sensibility in their eccentric, energetic vulnerability and candid explorations of mental health.
Podcasts
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Handsome · co-host
Comedy podcast where Mae Martin, Tig Notaro, and Fortune Feimster converse and answer questions from friends and listeners.
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GrownUpLand · co-host
BBC Radio 4 podcast guiding listeners through adult life.
Also on screen
- Uncle
- 2020–2021
- Feel Good
- The Flight Attendant
- I Have Nothing
- Wayward
A clip to start with
Mae Martin - 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala