Mae Martin is not into chit-chat. After the soul-baring series Feel Good , the Netflix stand-up special Mae Martin: SAP , and hit podcast Handsome , fans think they know the real Mae and want to dive straight in. “People come up and trauma dump — and I’m into it,” they say. “I’m not good with small talk anyway, I want to get deep.”

Martin speaks with a mix of humor, warmth and livewire energy. Their work has dealt with, and often found the funny within, life’s awkward or existential moments. “With stand-up, it was such a huge turning point in my career when I started talking about real stuff — my life and addiction and pain,” they say. “People were suddenly totally engaged and laughing more. It’s really gratifying and validating to say the things that you’re embarrassed about and

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