Maggie Winters Can Do This in Her Sleep

This week, we’re highlighting 25 talented writers and performers for Vulture’s annual list “The Comedians You Should and Will Know.� Our goal is to introduce a wider audience to the talent that has the comedy community and industry buzzing. (You can read more about our methodology at the link above.) We asked the comedians on the list to answer a series of questions about their work, performing, goals for the future, and more. Next up is Maggie Winters.

Tell us a story from your childhood you think explains why you ended up becoming a comedian.
I was born on April Fools’ Day. My mom had my two older brothers, Bart and Liam, and my aunt had five boys. It seemed like the universe didn’t want more women in my family? So when I came out and the doctor said I was a girl, my mom just thought she was getting April Fooled, but no, it was me, A WOMAN. I was the youngest, and I was the only girl, and attention was what I craved from that day on.

What unscripted or reality series do you think you’d excel at? What archetype do you think you’d be?
I am a huge Bravo girl. I’m in a group chat called Scary Island, and I polled them about this question. We all agreed I’d thrive on Summer House, which is just a group of hot people living in the Hamptons for a summer, having themed parties, swimming, going to the beach, lying in bed, and most importantly, GOSSIPING. I would need to work on getting abs ASAP, though maybe I could be their first plus-size friend. The screen would say, “MAGGIE, Plus-Size Friend.�

What’s your proudest achievement of your comedy career so far?
Getting the part (of Taryn) on The Righteous Gemstones. Danny McBride is a genius, and getting to be a part of anything he has touched finally made me think I was doing something right. It was my favorite show, so when I got the audition, I was like, Oh nooo, I HAVE to get this, and I did. The whole process still feels like a dream.

What have you learned about your own joke-writing process that you didn’t know when you started?
I think of my best jokes when I’m falling asleep. It’s probably because it’s when I’m the most calm and also not distracted by my phone/TV/everything. So I’ve really enjoyed trusting what comes to my brain in those moments.

Tell us everything about your worst show ever. (This can involve venue, audience, other comedians on the lineup, anything!)
I did a midnight improv show where a group of men wearing football jerseys were the only people in the audience. They had spent the day at something called “NFL Town� and then got kicked out of the strip club they went to after, so they came to iO Chicago for some comedy. Halfway through our set (which was absolutely bad), one of them yelled, “THIS SUCKS!� They all laughed and then left. I wish I woulda popped off on them, but I was shaking in my boots.

Let’s say we live in a “Kings of Catchphrase Comedy� alternate dimension where every single comedian is required to have a hit catchphrase. What’s yours and why?
“What is absolutely up, you guys?!!!� I find myself saying this in almost all of my noncharacter TikToks, and I don’t really know why. Makes no sense, is fun to say! Sorry to my English degree.

Nominate one comedian you don’t know personally you think is overdue for wider recognition and why you’re a fan of their work.
Brianna Ahlmark — I’ve only seen her stuff online, but she absolutely kills me. She has a video where she plays a woman leaving a comment on a beef recipe that I think about all the time. I think the first thing she says is “I substituted chicken.�

When it comes to your comedy opinions — about material, performing, audience, trends you want to kill/revive, the industry, etc. — what hill will you die on?
I’m laughing to myself thinking what if I answered, “Women aren’t funny,� and I WON’T discuss it. But I know there are people who actually say that!!! I see it online constantly — people who comment, “Women aren’t funny.� Yeah friggin’ right, idiots. I think my hill to die on (RIP) is that you won’t find everything funny, and hunnnnni, that’s okay! If you think every single woman comedian you come across is unfunny, God bless — that does not mean we need to hear about it. Instead of commenting, order yourself a pizza and find peace — quickly, please.

If you had to come onstage to just one song for the rest of your life, what song would it be and why?
I’ve got bad news: It’s AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.� I tried to come up with something else, but it’s the one. It was the 2005 Chicago White Sox’s entrance song, and they won the World Series that year. You might be thinking this must mean I’m a big baseball fan, but actually I just love Chicago and Vienna Beef hot dogs, and when the Sox won the series, it was the only time I’ve seen my dad cry.

What is the best comedy advice, and then the worst comedy advice, you’ve ever received, either when you were starting out or more recently?
The best advice came from my good friend Eunji Kim via Peter Kim recently: “There are fans, and then there are the bitches who do it.� Basically, you can love comedy and want to do it, but if you wait and wait and wait, you will only ever be a fan. You have to make moves. Post the vid, do the show, take the class, whateverrrr it is. I also don’t believe you have to grind yourself to death. Take care of yourself. Be a bitch who does it and does it on her own terms.

More From This Series

• 2023’s Comedians You Should Know Reflect on a Big Year 
• Zach Zucker Dares to Say Comedy Is About Being Funny
• Sophie Zucker Is Sick of the Irony
• We Promise Zach Zimmerman Was Invited

See All