I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine)

Jen Kirkman turns the things society expects a 40-something woman to be ashamed of into a source of defiant pride. Newly divorced and child-free by choice, she has zero interest in following the standard life script or pretending she misses it. The best moments of the hour come from her complete rejection of conventional milestones, whether she is questioning the delusion of married couples who think their weddings were actually fun for the guests, or detailing the harsh reality of finding her first gray pubic hair. She also recounts a cautionary tale about accidentally becoming a cougar when she hooked up with a 20-year-old drummer right after her separation.

Filmed at the North Door in Austin, Texas, the 78-minute set captures Kirkman hitting her stride. In 2015, she was widely known as a regular on Chelsea Lately and a frequent storyteller on Drunk History, having recently published a bestselling book about her kid-free life. The material builds on that established ethos, particularly when she mocks a friend’s modern parenting technique of standing in a dark corner of a toddler’s room to make the child feel empowered. The hour landed well with critics, earning spots on year-end top-ten lists from The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and Time Out New York.