Girl Daddy

Beth Stelling has spent years in the comedy trenches building a reputation as a writer who can make uncomfortable, highly personal stories feel like breezy, effortless conversation. She channels this energy into sharp observations about medical sexism, terrible ex-boyfriends, and the exhausting burden of explaining sexual politics to men.

Filmed at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on March 7, 2020—just days before the COVID-19 pandemic ground the live entertainment industry to a halt—the special serves as Stelling’s introduction to a broader streaming audience. Produced by Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco for HBO Max, it shows a comic in full command of her deliberate, slow-rolling style. The title comes from Stelling’s assertion that since people insist on calling her a “female comic,” she might as well be called a “girl daddy” if she ever has kids.

The set is packed with memorable, highly specific premises. Stelling details the bizarre side effects of the acne medication spironolactone, recounting how a male doctor casually omitted that it would cause fainting and breast pain. She also targets her male colleagues, delivering a highly accurate parody of male comedians who use their stage time to complain about the #MeToo movement. In another standout sequence, she details her relationship with a literal con artist, which ended with a warning from another woman about a shared chlamydia diagnosis. The New York Times later named it the best debut special of the year, cementing her place as one of the most precise joke writers of her generation.