Heather McMahan talks Netflix special, Hollywood’s obsession with Ozempic, and finding humor in an essential part of femininity

Even if you’re not familiar with the name Heather McMahan, you probably recognize her face. That’s because at some point, there’s a good chance that her friend has sent you one of her comedic videos on Instagram. Maybe it’s a video about Old Girlfriend’s undying love for navy, or the (fake) argument you have before ordering spinach dip at dinner. — with the message, “Oh, this is us.”

McMahan, 36, spent years trying to find success as a comedian and actor in Hollywood before taking a break after his father suddenly passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2015. From her home in Atlanta, she posts her witty musings about her life, her funny stories, and her very funny observations about pop culture on Instagram.

She quickly found in McMahan the most hilarious confidante who always had the right thing to say about the mundane, strange or most tragic parts of women, and she attracted a fan base of primarily female millennials. From her experiences with infertility treatments and IVF (you’ll never stop laughing when you hear her talk about taking testosterone) to her sarcastic indignities when she says things about other people. He never shied away from making jokes about his personal experiences. “Perfect women” like Rebel Wilson and Adele are suddenly snatched away (“Hey, no one called me, I’m part of the same club,” she says, “now everyone Please let me know when you start losing weight.)

McMahan currently has over 750,000 followers on Instagram for his popular podcast. Absolutely not!, currently on tour nationwide. Now she’s gearing up for her biggest stage yet: Netflix. Her first comedy special, The son I never had! It will premiere on the platform Tuesday. The title of this special is an ode to her father and his pride in his daughter’s toughness in her youth, and how she finds humor in even the toughest parts of her life. It’s a noisy showcase of McMahan’s abilities.

“I talk about everything from my infertility to what it was like to be a chubby kid to what it was like to be a chubby kid,” she says. “At the end of the day, that joke is always on me. And I think it really resonates.”