Hannah Berner was named one of Variety’s Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2023. Her hilarious Instagram Reels and TikToks populate everyone’s phones, and her two podcasts, Giggly Squad and Berning In Hell, have over 35 Million downloads. Her Fall Comedy tour is coming to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, September 3rd, at 8pm.
Hamptons.com sat down with Hannah Berner to discuss her Comedy, Podcasts, and Writing Process.
Take us back to the beginning. How did you get started in comedy?
I always dreamed of being a professional tennis player, but after playing tennis in college, I felt like I had a creative side to me that I wanted to explore. I was always goofy and silly, but I never thought I could make a career out of a sense of humor. I started working as a video producer and podcaster, and I also started tweeting on the side. One of my friends who was a comedian told me that all my tweets are actual jokes and that I should try standup. Caroline’s on Broadway reached out for me to do a live podcast show and my friend dared me to open with 10 minutes of stand-up. I took all my tweets together and performed for the first time in front of 300 people. Everyone said it was their favorite part of the night and I was hooked.
How did Giggly Squad come about?
I was deeply depressed during covid and the only thing making me laugh was Facetiming my best friend, Paige. We were laughing too much during our calls that we thought maybe we should go live so people can laugh with us. We decided to go live on Instagram at 10pm every day for 3 months and ended up creating a hilarious community of people who would watch and comment while we made fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves.
Berning In Hell is a hilarious podcast where all your guests face their demons. What demons do people in the Hamptons face?
People in the Hamptons face the demons of forgetting to reapply sunscreen! When did I turn into my mom?
I’m going to be on the road for this next year, so I am actually rebranding the podcast to a new concept called Berner Phone that I record with my comedian husband, Des Bishop. It’s our first creative project together so we are very excited. People leave us voice messages so it’s been cool to hear from people who have been listening for a long time.
Can you walk us through the writing process for your tour?
This may sound gross, but I love to “cut the fat.” I will think of new bits, try them on stage, and then cut what isn’t working as well as other jokes. I add, then cut, then add, then cut. I come up with some of my best bits just doing crowd work on stage when I feel more pressure to make the crowd laugh. Sitting down with a notepad and trying to come up with something funny is difficult for me because somehow I always end up scrolling TikTok.
What are some of your favorite topics to cover?
I love making people question traditions in relationships, beauty standards, and friendships. I also like opening up about my own struggles with depression and anxiety because the crowd always makes me feel less alone.
Do you have a pre-show ritual? If so, can you walk us through it?
I drink water, and then I pee, and then I repeat that 4-5 times because I have a phobia of having to pee when they call my name. I also love sitting in the bathroom and going over my notes. There is a lot of bathroom pre-show activity. It’s not very glamorous.
Any favorite Hamptons Hotspots?
I grew up going to Shelter Island, so I love Commander Cody’s for fried fish, SALT for drinks at their shipwreck bar, and dinner at Vinestreet. The calamari salad is my favorite, and I don’t even like salads. Right now, I live in Westhampton so I love getting a latte at Hamptons Coffee, pizza at Brunetti’s, dinner at Daphne’s, a flower pot dessert at Flora, and finishing the night off dancing at John Scotts.
Tickets are available at hannahberner.com
