Interview: Beth Stelling on her new special ‘Girl Daddy’ and why navigating comedy right now is so exhausting [VIDEO]

At the beginning of March, Beth Stelling filmed her wonderful new special Girl Daddy at Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. In the following days, everything fell apart.

As communities, neighborhoods and families adjusted to life during a pandemic, so, too, did the world of comedy. When nightclubs and open mics and audiences are taken away, what happens to the laughs? What happens to the comedians themselves?

It’s been a tricky thing to navigate for Stelling and comedians like her. As with most things these days, nothing feels exactly right. But as she starts to get back out there (she just performed comedy for the first time since her special this past weekend), Girl Daddy has provided one of the bright comedic lights during these times.

The special addresses sexism in the industry, rape culture and Stelling’s eccentric father, all with the deft hand of a comedian working in her wheelhouse. Daniel Trainor talked with Stelling about being from the Midwest, the weird pivot to online content and how they are both from the Midwest with mothers named Diane.

Girl Daddy is available to stream on HBO Max.

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Daniel Trainor

Daniel Trainor is writer, podcaster, son and friend from Los Angeles, California. Originally from Michigan, his love for all things pop culture started early, once using pancakes to bribe his way onto the Oscars red carpet bleachers with his mother. In addition to writing for AwardsWatch, he is an huge sports fan and hosts the LGBTQ sports podcast “Same Team.” One day, he hopes Jane Krakowski will win an Emmy.

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