American comedian Meg Stalter has found success in a very modern way — by going viral on social media. A character comedian, she regularly posts sketches to her Twitter and Instagram feeds, gaining thousands of interactions within hours. She has been compared to hyper inventive comic legends like Robin Williams and is quickly gaining fans worldwide. She was named a Comedian to Watch by influential comedy website Vulture and, in 2019, joined the reboot of the classic National Lampoon Radio Hour as a writer and performer.

In a lot of ways, Stalter’s success on social media was borne of necessity. In 2020, she was beginning to make an impression of the notoriously tough New York comedy scene when the coronavirus pandemic ruined everything for everyone. Faced with having to head back to her native Ohio, she began turning material out at a frighteningly prolific rate: she would stream live on Instagram for up to an hour a day, invent character after character for Twitter sketches, and even started her own podcast, called Confronting Demons.

Born in 1990, Stalter’s theatrical ambitions led her to her joining a local improv comedy group. When that didn’t work out, she moved to Chicago, finding a natural home in the city’s open-minded, DIY approach to comedy. Whilst there, she started her eponymous YouTube show, which began picking up thousands of views per episode. Her career really started picking up momentum, however, when she got the hang of using Twitter and people began recognising her in the street. Shortly afterwards, she moved to New York, where she remains today. As the comedy clubs begin to re-open, she will be one of the first on their stages.