Megan Stalter (born 1990[1]) is an American comedian and actress.[2][3] Stalter is best known for her role as Kayla in the HBO Max comedy Hacks.
| Megan Stalter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 (age 33–34) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Medium |
|
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Genres | |
Early life
editStalter was born in Cleveland, where she lived until the age of 12. She then moved around with her family, and lived in Dayton, Huber Heights and Centerville, Ohio. She was raised in the Pentecostal Church.[4] Stalter attended Wayne High School, where she was part of the drama club, and tried out for every play, but never got the lead. After graduating from high school, Stalter attended Sinclair Community College and later Wright State University, but left to try acting again. She began doing sketch and improvisational comedy in Dayton and moved to Chicago soon after to do comedy full time.[5] Stalter often collaborates with her brother Nick and his wife Destiny.[6][7]
Career
editShe started doing improv in her early 20s in Ohio. "I was really, really bad. There was a man at the theater in Ohio who asked me to stop being in the show," says Stalter, "Ohio was pretty right." After a year, she moved to Chicago where she started to find her way in comedy. [8] She also started posting videos online in 2018, on what would become The Megan Stalter show.[8] In 2019, Stalter moved to New York and got a manager.[5] She quickly made a name for herself in the "alt-comedy scene", often performing more than three nights a week around Brooklyn.[9][8] New York magazine named Stalter one of the "comedians you should and will know in 2019," and in 2020 The New York Times critic Jason Zinoman declared her "sketch comedy's newest star," writing, "In the constantly shifting ecosystem of young performers on Twitter and Instagram, the most vital voice to emerge during this anxious, isolating moment is that of Meg Stalter."[2][10] During the pandemic, she improvised as different characters on nightly shows on Instagram Live, which raised her profile rapidly.[9] The Los Angeles Times compared Stalter to other self-distributed comedians such as Cole Escola and Ziwe.[9]
In 2019, she joined the cast and writing staff of the reboot of The National Lampoon Radio Hour.[11] She is also the host of the webseries The Megan Stalter Show and the Forever Dog podcast Confronting Demons with Megan Stalter. She is the voice of Bonnie Davis in the Paramount+ original series Tooning Out the News and plays Kayla in the HBO Max comedy Hacks. The Los Angeles Times called the latter role, as a "clueless Hollywood assistant brimming with self-assurance yet utterly lacking self-awareness," her breakout role.[9] In 2023, she joined the cast of the film The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, playing park ranger Lisa, alongside X Mayo.[12][13] [14]
Personal life
editStalter lives in Los Angeles. She is bisexual.[15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Little Miss Ohio | Various characters | [8] |
| 2021 | Star-Crossed: The Film | Heist Gear Driver | |
| 2023 | Sometimes I Think About Dying | Isobel | |
| Cora Bora | Cora | ||
| Problemista | Lili | ||
| First Time Female Director | Davina | ||
| Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain | Lisa |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Tooning Out the News | Bonnie Davis (voice) | 31 episodes |
| 2021 | Crank Yankers | Female Jet Skier | Episode: "Brian Posehn, Kevin Nealon, Quinta Brunson" |
| Yearly Departed | Self | Comedy special | |
| 2021–present | Hacks | Kayla | 11 episodes |
| 2022 | Snack vs. Chef | Self | Host |
| Queer as Folk | Meg | Episode: "Problemática" | |
| The Great North | Jill (voice) | Episode: "Bee's All That Adventure" | |
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Guest judge | Episode: "Old Friends Gold" |
| TBA | Too Much | Jessica | Upcoming series |
References
edit- ^ Stalter, Megan (July 30, 2024). "Megan Stalter". Bullseye (Interview). Interviewed by Jesse Thorn. NPR.
- ^ a b Zinoman, Jason. "Now Playing Nightly on Instagram: Sketch Comedy's Newest Star," The New York Times March 29, 2020.
- ^ Gillespie, Katherine (May 6, 2020). "Megan Stalter: Faking It 'Til She Makes It". Paper. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Tartasky, Alexandra (April 19, 2021). "Megan Stalter On Panera Bread and Pivoting". Cultured Mag. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Varias, Chris (November 5, 2020). "Megan Stalter, Dayton Comedian, returns home for pandemic videos". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ Garron, Taylor. "Meg Stalter Thinks the Villain From The Mask Is Hot," Vulture.com September 20, 2019.
- ^ Escandon, Rosa. "29-Year-Old Megan Stalter Isn't Afraid To Beg," Forbes December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Meg Stalter, Uninterrupted". Harper's BAZAAR. September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Megan Stalter always knew she was 'special.' The rest of us are catching up". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ Kroeger, Jake, and Anne Victoria Clark. "The Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2019," Vulture.com October 29, 2019.
- ^ Wright, Megh. "The National Lampoon Radio Hour to Feature All Your Favorite Comedy Babies," Vulture.com 19 Sept. 2019.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (November 17, 2023). "Please Don't Destroy gets a bigger canvas for the same shtick in 'The Treasure of Foggy Mountain'". CNN. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Briganti, Paul (November 17, 2023), Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (Comedy), Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Ben Marshall, Apatow Productions, Mosaic, Talent One, retrieved November 18, 2023
- ^ "Lena Dunham Sets Netflix Rom-Com Series 'Too Much' Starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe (Exclusive)". Deadline. December 11, 2023.
- ^ "20 LGBTQ+ Entertainers Who Made the Out100". out.com. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.