THE GREAT GADSBY

Comedy's enfant terrible Hannah Gadsby is relishing their anti-hero era

- JENNY VALENTISH

WE'RE ON our way to the photographic studio with Hannah Gadsby, their wife Jenney Shamash and their needy new pup Nuna in the backseat. Also with them is a gigantic bag containing tea, a teapot and a tea cup that goes everywhere they do.

Things have been surreal in Gadsbyland for the past five years. Since their Netflix special Nanette went interstellar in 2018, the comedian has had two further specials — Douglas (2020) and Something Special (2023) — and two world tours that bookended the pandemic. They published a memoir — 10 Steps to Nanette — that was a decade in the writing, gave a TED Talk, graced the cover of Variety and became headline fodder for their views.

Finally, the Nanette phase has come to a close. Which begs the existential question: where to now?

“This interview has happened at the perfect time because I’ve barely spoken in two weeks,” Gadsby says, looking to Shamash for confirmation. As Gadsby’s producer and wife, Shamash gently nudges entertainingly derailed conversations back on track. “I usually approach interviews with, let’s just see what they get on the day. But I prepared for this. In a sense, I’m learning how to be a professional.”

The Rolling Stone interview takes place at the headquarters of Token, a leading comedy agency in Australia. As is the case in the car, the air con is set to arctic, to peak Gadsby comfort conditions.

That’s good. Last time I interviewed them, in 2018, it was in a crowded café with a conveyor belt of journalists. For an autistic person, this promo set-up was less than ideal. One woman stopped at the table to offer her praise, then touched the arm of Gadsby, who seemed to hunch over in the booth one millimetre more.