Mae Martin
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Mae Pearl Martin, born May 2nd, 1987, is a Canadian force of nature – comedian, actor, screenwriter, and recording artist. You know them from co-creating, co-writing, and starring in the critically acclaimed comedy series "Feel Good" on Channel 4 and Netflix, a role that earned them a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Female Comedy Performance.
Born in Toronto, Mae's early life was steeped in creativity. Their mother, Wendy Martin, was a writer and teacher, and their father, James Chatto, an English actor and musician who later turned food writer. Mae was even baptized on the Greek island of Corfu, where their family lived for a time. Imagine it: ex-hippies for parents, a home echoing with the laughter of comedy legends like Bette Midler, The Kids in the Hall, and Pee-wee Herman. The Rocky Horror Show was a particular obsession, and for good reason – Mae's own grandfather, Tom Chatto, starred as the narrator in the original stage version! Mae now sees these early passions as a sign of their wonderfully addictive personality. At just 11, a trip to a comedy club sparked a lifelong love for stand-up. Mae and two friends even became known as "the Groupies" for attending a single Second City play, "Family Circus Maximus," a staggering 160 times in one year!
By 13, Mae was already booking gigs with the comedy troupe "The Young and the Useless." But life wasn't always bright lights and laughter. At 14, drug use began, and by 15, Mae dropped out of their all-girls school in Toronto to pursue comedy full-time, working at The Second City. At 16, their parents asked them to leave home, leading to years of staying with comedian friends. Mae speaks candidly about the normalization of abusive relationships in the nightlife scene, noting, "If you put a teenage girl in any industry like that, there's going to be people taking advantage." Eventually, Mae sought help in drug rehabilitation.
Mae's career officially kicked off in Canada at 13, with "The Young and the Useless." They honed their craft at The Second City, working both the box office and the stage. At 16, they became the youngest-ever nominee for the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award. Mae's Canadian credits also include writing for the sketch comedy series "Baroness von Sketch Show," earning them two Canadian Screen Awards for Best Writing.
In 2011, Mae moved to London, ready to conquer the British comedy scene. Their 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, "Mae Martin: Us," paved the way for the BBC Radio 4 series "Mae Martin's Guide to 21st Century Sexuality." You might also remember them from "The Now Show" and co-hosting "GrownUpLand."
Then came "Dope" in 2017, a powerful Edinburgh show about addiction in all its forms. It explored everything from recreational drugs to the brain's dopamine response, drawing on research from Dr. Gabor Maté. "Dope" was later adapted into a half-hour Netflix comedy special for "Comedians of the World." In 2019, Mae also released the YA book, "Can Everyone Please Calm Down? A Guide to 21st Century Sexuality."
The breakthrough moment arrived in 2020 with "Feel Good," a Channel 4 comedy series Mae co-created, wrote, and starred in, alongside long-time collaborator Joe Hampson. The show, which tackles relationships, queerness, addiction, and privilege, returned for a second season in 2021 and was hailed by The Guardian as "immaculately written" and "properly funny."
Mae's television appearances continued with "LOL: Last One Laughing Canada" in 2022, followed by a recurring role as Grace St. James in the HBO Max series "The Flight Attendant." In 2023, Mae charmed audiences by appearing on and winning series 15 of the Channel 4 comedy game show "Taskmaster." That same year, they launched the "Handsome Podcast" with comedians Fortune Feimster and Tig Notaro. Mae also earned a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year in 2024 for their work, "SAP."
In 2024, Mae hosted an episode of CBC's "The Nature of Things" called "Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary," exploring the science behind sexual and gender fluidity. Production is also underway for Mae's upcoming Netflix series, "Wayward," set to air in September 2025. And if that wasn't enough, Mae's debut studio album, "I'm a TV," released February 27, 2025, showcases their self-written indie rock sound.
On a personal note, Mae has one older brother and comes from a notable family, including grandfather Tom Chatto and uncle Daniel Chatto, who is married to Lady Sarah Chatto, a cousin of King Charles III. In June 2021, Mae came out as queer and non-binary, using they/them pronouns, and underwent top surgery in late 2021. After previously resisting labels, they shared in April 2021 that they are bisexual, having dated both men and women. In December 2023, Mae was in a relationship with reality television personality Parvati Shallow, though by January 2025, their relationship was described as "in an in flux situation." Mae has also openly discussed their ADHD diagnosis and experiences with the disorder in a 2024 interview.
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Mae Pearl Martin (born 2 May 1987) is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, and recording artist. Martin co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the Channel 4/Netflix comedy series Feel Good. Martin received a nomination for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for their work on the series.
== Early life ==
Martin was born in Toronto, the child of Canadian writer and teacher Wendy Martin and English actor and musician-turned-food-writer James Chatto. Martin was baptized in a village on the Greek island of Corfu, where their family lived for several years. James and Wendy were ex-hippies and comedy fans. The family home was filled with recordings of British and American comedy classics.
Martin describes childhood obsessions with Bette Midler, The Kids in the Hall, Pee-wee Herman and the Rocky Horror Show (Martin's grandfather, Tom Chatto, starred as narrator in the Rocky Horror stage version). Martin now points to these obsessions as early signs of an addictive personality. At 11 years old, Martin was taken to a comedy club and became interested in stand-up. Martin and two friends became known as "the Groupies" for going to see the Second City play Family Circus Maximus 160 times in a year.
Martin began booking gigs as part of the comedy troupe The Young and the Useless at age 13. At age 14, Martin started drinking and using illicit drugs. At age 15, Martin dropped out of the all-girls school they attended in Toronto to pursue comedy full-time while working at the Second City comedy club. At 16, Martin's parents kicked them out of the house, and they stayed with comedian friends throughout their 20s and 30s. Abusive relationships were normalised in the night-time scene: Martin says that, "If you put a teenage girl in any industry like that, there's going to be people taking advantage." Martin eventually went to drug rehabilitation.
== Career ==
Martin's career started in Canada at age 13, as part of the three-person comedy troupe The Young and the Useless. Martin worked at The Second City comedy club, both in the box office and as a stand-up comedian.
At the age of 16, Martin was the youngest-ever nominee for the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award. Martin's work in Canada includes writing for the sketch comedy series Baroness von Sketch Show, for which Martin is a two-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Writing in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Series.
In 2011, Martin moved to London to enter the British comedy scene. Their 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, titled Mae Martin: Us, led to the BBC Radio 4 series Mae Martin's Guide to 21st Century Sexuality. Martin has appeared on the British television and radio programme The Now Show, and has co-hosted GrownUpLand.
In 2017, Martin debuted Dope, a show about addiction in all forms, at Edinburgh, which was shortlisted for the Edinburgh Comedy award. The show refers to both recreational drugs as well as to dopamine, the brain chemical associated with compulsive behaviour, and drew on the work of Dr Gabor Maté, among other researchers. Dope was modified into a half-hour Netflix comedy special, released in January 2019 as part of the Comedians of the World collection.
In 2019, Martin released the YA book Can Everyone Please Calm Down? A Guide to 21st Century Sexuality.
Martin co-created, wrote, and starred in the 2020 Channel 4 comedy series Feel Good alongside long-time collaborator Joe Hampson. The second season was released in 2021. The show tackles relationships, queerness, addiction, and privilege. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian praised the series as "immaculately written" and "properly funny" in their review.
In 2022, Martin appeared in LOL: Last One Laughing Canada. Later that year, Martin appeared in the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant in a recurring role as Grace St. James.
In 2023 Martin appeared on and won series 15 of the Channel 4 comedy game show Taskmaster. In August 2023, comedians Fortune Feimster, Tig Notaro and Martin debuted the Handsome Podcast.
Martin received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024 for SAP.
In 2024, Martin hosted an episode of CBC's The Nature of Things (in association with Kensington Communications and Gay Agenda) called "Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary". In the one-hour documentary, Martin explores the science behind sexual and gender fluidity, speaking with gender non-conforming youth and other experts.
Production began in 2024 on Martin's television series Wayward for Netflix. The series aired in September 2025.
Martin's debut studio album, I'm a TV, was released on February 27, 2025, through Universal Music Canada, with its sound described as indie rock. The songs were all self-written, with production by Jason Couse and Wes Marskell of the Darcys.
== Personal life ==
Martin has one older brother. Their grandfather was actor Tom Chatto. Their paternal uncle is artist and actor Daniel Chatto, who is married to Lady Sarah Chatto, a cousin of King Charles III.
In June 2021, Martin described themself as "a queer person", came out as non-binary in 2021, uses they/them pronouns, and had top surgery in late 2021. Martin has dated both men and women, stating in April 2021 that they are bisexual after previously resisting labelling their sexuality.
In December 2023, Martin was in a relationship with reality television personality Parvati Shallow, best known for competing on multiple seasons of Survivor. Shallow told People magazine in January 2025 that their relationship was in "an in flux situation."
In a 2024 interview with Adam Grant, Martin discussed their ADHD diagnosis and their experience with the disorder.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Comedy specials ===
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
=== Singles ===
==== As lead artist ====
== Note ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
Mae Martin at IMDb
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