Hannah Gadsby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hannah Gadsby
Gadsby in 2024
Born	(1978-01-12) 12 January 1978 (age 47) Burnie, Tasmania, Australia
Medium	Stand-up television theatre
Education	University of Tasmania Australian National University (BA)
Years active	2006–present
Genres	Observational comedy dark humour deadpan wit
Subject(s)	Art history homosexuality mental illness autism ADHD
Spouse	Jenney Shamash ​ (m. 2021)​

Hannah Gadsby (born 12 January 1978) is an Australian comedian, writer, author, and actor. They started their career in Australia after winning a big comedy competition called Raw Comedy in 2006. In 2018, their special show Nanette on Netflix won an important award called the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. It also won a Peabody Award.

After 2019, Gadsby traveled around the world with their show Douglas. This show was also released on Netflix in 2020. In 2021, they received a special honorary degree from the University of Tasmania. In March 2022, their book Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation was published. They also acted in season four of Netflix's TV show Sex Education as a radio show host named Celia.

Early life

Hannah Gadsby was born in Smithton, a small town in Tasmania, Australia. They were the youngest of five children. They went to Smithton High School and later to Launceston College. After high school, they studied at the University of Tasmania and then at the Australian National University. In 2003, they earned a degree in art history.

After finishing school, Gadsby worked in bookshops. They also worked as a projectionist at an outdoor movie theater. Later, they spent two years picking vegetables and planting trees. During this time, they experienced being without a home for a while. They have said this was partly due to their ADHD. They also got very sick and had to go to the hospital.

Career in comedy

Stand-up comedy

In 2006, Gadsby visited their sister in Adelaide. There, they decided to enter the Raw Comedy competition. They won the national prize! As a winner, they went to the So You Think You're Funny? competition at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They won second prize there.

Their first solo show was called Hannah Gadsby is Wrong and Broken. It won the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007. After that, they toured with the show in Edinburgh and New York. In 2008, they performed Meat the Musical with Amelia Jane Hunter. They kept performing at many festivals, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. In September 2022, Gadsby signed a deal with Netflix to create more shows.

Nanette

Gadsby created the stand-up show Nanette. They made this show partly because of the discussions in Australia before the law changed to allow same-sex marriage. It was also created after they learned they had autism.

Nanette is a comedy show, but it also talks about difficult truths. Gadsby wanted the audience to understand important issues. During the show, Gadsby even said they were going to quit comedy.

After Nanette won several awards, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Barry award, Netflix released the filmed version in 2018. Many critics loved Nanette. On Rotten Tomatoes, a website that collects movie reviews, Nanette received a perfect score of 100% based on reviews from 49 critics.

Douglas

In March 2019, Gadsby started showing their new show, Douglas, in Adelaide. Then they toured the U.S. and Australia, and many shows sold out very quickly. In Douglas, they share personal discoveries. They do this with kindness, humor, and easy-to-understand comparisons. One reviewer said it was "bigger than comedy."

In Douglas, Gadsby talks about their autism diagnosis. They want to help people understand that neurodiversity is a normal part of being human. A reviewer for Time Out said Douglas would help people, especially women who haven't been diagnosed, see that they might experience life differently. In 2020, Netflix released a filmed version of the live show.

Body of Work

In July 2021, Gadsby began a new solo show called Body of Work. They performed it in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK. Dates were also announced for the United States. A review in The Guardian said the show was a "winning return" for Gadsby. It praised their ability to create comedy with a light and happy feeling. In 2022, Netflix announced they would release a recording from the Body of Work tour in 2023. In April 2023, Netflix said the special would be called Something Special. It was released on Netflix on May 10, 2023.

Gender Agenda

In February 2024, Gadsby announced a new comedy special on Netflix called Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda. It was released on March 5. This special features seven genderqueer comedians, including Jes Tom, Alok, Asha Ward, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Krishna Istha, and Mx. Dahlia Belle.

TV roles

Gadsby helped write and starred in the Australian ABC TV show Adam Hills Tonight. They were on the show for three seasons from 2011 to 2013. They had regular parts like "On This Day" and "Hannah Has A Go." They also joined the host, Adam Hills, when he interviewed guests.

They also helped write and presented a three-part series on ABC called Hannah Gadsby's Oz in 2014. This series aimed to show the real story of Australian identity. From 2013 to 2016, they helped write 20 episodes of the TV series Please Like Me. In this show, they played a character named Hannah, who was a made-up version of themselves. They also had a recurring role in season four of Netflix's Sex Education as Celia, a radio show producer.

Gadsby has appeared on many other TV shows in Australia and around the world. These include Rove Live (2009), Good News Week (2009), Spicks and Specks (2010), and QI (2018). They were also a presenter at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018. Gadsby was a guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend in 2019.

Other projects

Art exhibitions

Between 2009 and 2013, Gadsby led funny art tours at the National Gallery of Victoria. These tours covered topics like paintings of the Holy Virgin, Dadaism, Modernism, and Impressionism. They have also given talks about art and opened art shows.

Gadsby wrote and presented two documentary specials for the Artscape program on ABC TV. These were Hannah Gadsby Goes Domestic (2010) and The NGV Story (2011). In 2015, they wrote and performed Hannah Gadsby: Arts Clown, a series for BBC Radio 4. This series was based on their comedy art shows.

From June to September 2023, the Brooklyn Museum hosted an exhibition called It's Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby. This show explored Pablo Picasso's art from a different point of view, looking at it through a modern and feminist lens. Gadsby helped create the exhibition. Some art critics had mixed feelings about the show.

Memoir

In March 2022, Gadsby's book Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation was published. This book became a New York Times bestseller and has been published in more than ten languages.

Gadsby reads the audiobook version of their book. It won an Earphones Award in April 2022. It was also a finalist for an Audie Award in 2023. The AudioFile Magazine review said that Gadsby reads the audiobook just like they perform on stage. They use their voice to make their words and stories have a big impact.

A review in Time magazine said the book talks about important issues. These include how women have been treated badly throughout history, and unfair ideas about body image. Gadsby wrote in the book, "I am triggering all the warnings," meaning they were going to talk about difficult topics. Kirkus Reviews described the book as a "witty and provocatively written life story." They also said Gadsby knows their unique style of comedy isn't for everyone.

Personal life

Gadsby is lesbian and often includes topics related to LGBTQ people in their stand-up shows. They are genderqueer and use they/them pronouns. In the introduction to their show 'Gender Agenda', Gadsby explains that they don't pick a specific gender label. They feel that "gender-fluid" or "non-binary" can describe them, but they prefer "gender-surprised." This is because people use all kinds of pronouns for them, and none offend them, but they are always a little surprised.

Gadsby was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2017.

In January 2021, Gadsby married producer Jenney Shamash.

Gadsby supports many charities. They have helped organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Melbourne and the Sacred Heart Mission.

Awards

• 2006: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Raw Comedy winner
• 2006: Edinburgh Festival Fringe, So You Think You're Funny? – Second place
• 2007: Adelaide Fringe, Best Newcomer Award for Hannah Gadsby is Wrong and Broken
• 2010: Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Directors' Choice Award
• 2017: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer for Nanette
• 2017: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Barry Award winner for Nanette
• 2017: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Comedy Award – joint winner for Nanette
• 2017: Adelaide Fringe Best Comedy Award
• 2019: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer for Douglas
• 2019: Peabody Award for Nanette
• 2019: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special – winner for Nanette
• 2021: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Tasmania, for being an "ambassador for all LGBTIQ+ people world-wide"

Tours

• Kiss Me Quick I'm Full of Jubes (2009)
• The Cliff Young Shuffle (2010)
• Mrs Chuckles (2011)
• Hannah Wants a Wife (2012)
• Happiness Is a Bedside Table (2013)
• Dogmatic (2015)
• Donkey (2016)
• Nanette (2017–2018)
• Douglas (2019)
• Body of Work (2021–2022)
• Woof! (2024)

Filmography

Television

Film

See also

In Spanish: Hannah Gadsby para niños