Comedian Heather McMahan credits the 'power of women' for her booming career: 'It was a sense of relief. I'm not alone'

Heather McMahan never stops. In October 2023, as audiences tuned in to watch her first Netflix special, Son I Never Had, the Atlanta-based comedian was already working on her second special, Breadwinner, available Oct. 11 on Hulu.

"The first special was me introducing myself to the world," she tells Yahoo Canada. "The next special Breadwinner is all about how I'm in the thick of marriage. I had this big Italian wedding, how I'm surviving day to day. It's insane. It's my favourite piece of work yet."

With two wildly successful comedy tours under her belt, a popular podcast and a gig as the second-coming of Joan Rivers on the red carpet for E! News, McMahan’s schedule is jam-packed — just the way she likes it.

Ahead of the release of her second special, Yahoo Canada spoke to McMahan about grief, Hollywood disappointment and bringing her fans out to sea.

The gifts of grief

In 2015, McMahan moved back to Atlanta to be with her family following the death of her father, Kyle, from pancreatic cancer. She began posting videos to Instagram that helped her gain a loyal fanbase who recognized themselves in her grief and, later, her fertility journey, both topics she discusses in her standup and on her podcast, Absolutely Not.

"I was in the thick of grief when things really started to pop off for me on Instagram," she says. "I was just losing my mind and then the rest of the world was like, 'Oh this is hilarious.' When you're in the thick of it, you have to ride the wave. Once you crescendo off that wave, you go get yourself a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of wine."

Over time, McMahan's Facebook fan group became a meeting place for people (mostly women) to connect and share their experiences of joining "The Dead Dad Club," supporting one another through infertility, miscarriages and break-ups.

"This is a testament to the power of women and the community that we've built," she says. "Nobody wants to be the face of The Dead Dad Club. ... But this happened to me. ... The fact that people can connect to it, I have to take a step back and be like, 'This is the coolest community.'

"It's really reassuring to me as an artist just to know that I'm saying the right things and I'm glad that I'm sharing this stuff because clearly it's connecting with people. When you're going through it, through grief or IVF, it feels very isolating … to have the response be an outpouring of people who have gone through it, it was a sense of relief. I'm not alone."

Ask, believe, work your butt off, receive

McMahan is candid with her fans about her goals and dreams. From vision boards to speaking things into existence, McMahan knows what she wants. It's an unapologetic sense of ambition that fans have come to love — if you want something, you have to have the courage to claim it.

"Write it down. If you have a good idea, write it down. If you want something — write it down. Just put pen to paper. Half of it is that I think people get in their own way. Like Nike says, 'Just do it.' Just get up and do it — one foot in front of the other. Life isn't easy. If it sucks, it sucks. But at least you did it."

Roll with the punches

In 2020, McMahan and longtime collaborator Jen Zaborowski inked a deal with Peacock to create a half-hour comedy series called Good Grief based on her life. The series never came together and McMahan has been candid about her disappointment when projects don't come to fruition.

"It's really eye opening and a lesson for me is in television when you're working with these studs and producers, it's really not up to me. It's up to two dudes at the top making the decisions. Whereas for comedy, if I want to go do a show, I can put asses in seats and then I've got a show. ... In stand up, there's so much freedom. It's why I go back to it. It's my story, my jokes, it's my life."

What Would Joan Do?

McMahan has become a red carpet correspondent for E! News, following in the footsteps of her idol, Joan Rivers. She's covered the Emmys, the Oscars and the People's Choice Country Awards, calling it "one of the hardest jobs" for its fast pace and level of preparation required.

"You have to bring some levity to these awards shows. It's a bunch of rich people who've made something creative and we're all giving each other awards. I'm a fan of it. I am an artist. I love this shit. I eat it up. I just want to be able to have these honest, funny conversations with people who are about to get Emmys or Oscars," she says. "The whole evening is nerve wracking. You're trying to answer the perfect question. So when people come to me I want to giggle for a second."

Somewhere beyond the sea

McMahan's loyal fanbase is taking to the seas on the Absolutely Knot Cruise — a four day cruise from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. Fans had been urging McMahan to plan a getaway for years — she just had no idea it would take place on international waters.

"The idea came about and then it moved so quickly. The next thing you know, I was shooting the promo on the ship, we were selling cabins. ... I'm so excited. It's just going to be a great time for people to get together and just let it rip for four days. ... It's going to be unhinged."

The planned activities include a Pitbull impersonation night, a live podcast taping and stand-up by McMahan, Canadian comedian Steph Tolev, Becky Robinson and Adam Ray.

"I am just so excited to just see everybody let their hair down," she says. "Once you're on this floating ship in the middle of the ocean — anything goes. It's wild. It's the wild, wild west."

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