Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian and writer who transformed the form with Nanette (Netflix, 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 an Emmy and a Peabody Award and was widely credited with changing the conversation around stand-up. Gadsby came out as queer in their early career and later came out as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns from 2020. Their follow-up specials Douglas (Netflix, 2020) and Something Special (Netflix, 2023) continued to develop a singular comedic voice that is simultaneously confrontational and warmly funny. Gadsby has also written and spoken extensively about autism — they received a diagnosis as an adult — and the relationship between neurodivergence and queer identity.