Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian and writer who transformed the form with Nanette (2018), a stand-up special that began as comedy and became something else entirely — a searing interrogation of the structure of comedy itself, of trauma, shame, and the violence enacted on LGBTQ+ people and women. The special won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award and was widely credited with changing the conversation around stand-up. Gadsby came out as queer earlier in their career and later came out as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns from 2020. Their follow-up specials Douglas (2020) and Something Special (2023) continued to develop a singular comedic voice that is simultaneously confrontational and warmly funny; Something Special centers on their relationship with and 2021 wedding to producer-director Jenney Shamash. Gadsby has also written and spoken extensively about autism, having received a diagnosis as an adult, and about the relationship between neurodivergence and queer identity.