/ Don't hate the media, become the media.
Jello Biafra

This women-created news satire stars comedian Maggie Metnick in drag as Chip Johnson, a red-blooded American male pundit on a mission to mansplain the news to women. From politics to sex advice, Chip is here to guide the girlies through a big man’s world. What begins as a self-serious cable news show unravels into a surreal exploration of Chip’s insecurities, the loneliness of modern masculinity, and the follies of the patriarchy. You’re welcome, ladies. As listed in TimeOut's Best Things to Do in New York.​

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Hello Maggie & Hunter, it is a real pleasure to get the opportunity to talk with you before your Edinburgh Fringe run, how’s your build up to the festival going, we hear you New York previews have been going down a storm?

Maggie: It is such a pleasure to talk to you! Yes! We just had our preview of the show and it went so well! Feeling so excited about sharing the character we’ve created with new audiences. 

Hunter: We are hard at work adding final touches to the show now. Since we cover news and politics, we often find ourselves rewriting parts of the show at the last minute, but the whole team is energised and rolling with the punches!

As this is going to be your fringe debut, will there be any slight nerves ahead of the festival, or is the team raring to go?

Maggie: Oh HELL yeah I’m nervous are you kidding? We all work so hard on the show and I am a bit of a perfectionist about my performance and delivery. I most of the time depend on Hunter and the writers to be confident in my comedic skills more than I am. 

Hunter: Feeling very nervous. It’s always a scary thing to put yourself out there to strangers, especially when we’re talking about women’s issues in the male-dominated comedy space. But we’ve also been making ourselves laugh constantly, which makes us so excited to share our wacky jokes and Maggie’s incredible performance with others!

What does Edinburgh Fringe means to you?

Hunter: Maggie and I met in the New York City improv scene, so being a part of a community of creators has always been extremely meaningful to both of us. To introduce our show and our team to a global comedy community is such an honor and a fitting next step for a production that has always been created from friendship and collaboration. 

Man Up has been playing to sold out shows in New York, and has a regular slot at the renowned Caveat Theatre in Manhattan, what has it meant to you both to get this type of recognition for such an original creation?

Maggie: It means everything. 

We have to also talk about Man Up being listed in TimeOut New York’s “Best Things to Do in New York”, what was the first thing you said to each other when you found out what TimeOut had said?

Hunter: I think we just shouted at each other in excitement. New York is full of amazing comedy, so to be counted as one of the best was such an honoUr for us.

The attention you’ve gotten for a Drag King show has really been unprecedented, though there are hundreds of incredible Drag Kings their shows/work don’t always get as much attention as they should. What do you think it is about Man Up, and Chip Johnson, that has made your creation stand out?

Maggie: It’s so true that drag kings aren’t given as much widespread recognition as say drag queens or other queer nightlife performers but I am seeing a really encouraging boom of new performers and creators in NYC and online. I truly believe that what we’ve executed so well with Chip Johnson, is striking the balance between a man with truly ignorant and abhorrent ideals with someone who is actually just a really sad guy who’s trying his best. Because if we just made someone despicable, no one would want to watch! But people leave saying “ugh I hate him but he’s also so loveable!” Not to say you need to accept anyone in your real life who uses his trauma as an excuse for bad behaviour, but it does make for a great comedic character!

Since your launched the show in 2020, and with so much popularity on social media, what has been the funniest comment you’ve gotten for Man Up?

 

Hunter: we made a video a few years back where Maggie improvised some unhinged and completely inaccurate birth control advice. We got lots of comments from moms saying it “gave them a good laugh while picking up their kids.”

 

Can you tell me a little bit about how Man Up: A Show for Women came about, what inspired you to create this show and its anchor Chip Johnson?

 

Hunter: I’ve always loved political news satires like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Last Week Tonight. Those shows are all embedded in the DNA of Man Up. But what first sparked the idea for Chip Johnson and our show was the Me Too Movement, and my frustrations around how powerful men in politics and the media spoke about it. That gave me the idea to create a news pundit character dedicated to mansplaining the news to women, and immediately I knew Maggie had to play him. I’m proud to have brought a fresh new perspective and twist to the political news satire genre. 

 

What was the process for you both creating this show, and what was it about the late night talk show format that made it a perfect vehicle for Chip?

 

Hunter: We always knew Man Up would be a late night talk show because we love having the live audience reactions to jokes. At first, it was just Maggie and me writing and producing the show, first at the People’s Improv theatre and then online during the Pandemic. Over the years we’ve brought on some amazing writers and collaborators who have elevated the show beyond what we could’ve imagined. It’s allowed us to keep upping the ante for each new live show, and culminated in us completely breaking our own format last year with a Christmas special featuring all of our old guests and original songs (directed by Maggie!)

 

Had you always intended for the show to be fully written by an all-women writing team?

 

Hunter: It was always a goal to have an all-women writing team, and we lucked out with four amazing writers: Nora Schmitt, Mackenzie Mentor, Nell Kessler, and Emma Campbell! Our writing team works nights and weekends to make Man Up what it is, and it’s a delight to have them in the writer’s room. 

 

Though this is a satire, during the creation of the show was there still some elements of self-reflecting gone into the way you?

 

Hunter: Oh absolutely. I think writing Chip has helped me come to terms with some old boyfriends! It’s also super cathartic for me to be able to find a way to laugh in a world where women’s rights are being stripped away more and more. It’s my own small way of speaking truth to power. 

 

Since working on Man Up together what would you say have been the most valuable lessons you’ve taken from this journey and what you’re going to carry through to?

 

Maggie: Honestly, this show has made me realize how me and Hunter are pretty badass. Staying up late, writing jokes that make us spit laughing, making fun of the powers that be, and producing and marketing the show entirely on our own in the straight male dominated comedy world with just the belief that if the right people see it they’ll love it…it’s not for the weak. 

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Also, that we as creatives who are also friends, can maneuver through disagreements healthily with great trust and repair skills! 

 

Hunter: Totally agree with that! We’ve been able to consistently challenge ourselves and because of that our show is always fresh and hilarious!

 

Because of the topical nature of the show does the material change daily or is there a set script that you work from?

 

Hunter: Yes and no! Occasionally, we have to do rewrites at the eleventh hour as the news changes (currently, we are reworking our section on the US election after the news broke that Joe Biden is dropping out of the race). But for the most part, we are satirizing something that (unfortunately) is timeless: men in power talking down to women. That, combined with the fact that our show is so character-based, means we make less last-minute changes than I imagine many news satire shows have to!

"Laughing and making people laugh is my favourite thing in the world." Maggie Metnick

But I guess as co-creator and performer you’re in a great position to offer some flexibility with the material during a fringe run?

 

Maggie: Haha yes sometimes I might think of an improvised moment the day of or during the show based on audience reaction and then I get to surprise Hunter and the writers.

 

Do you have some routines or superstitious before you head out on stage?

 

Maggie: Putting on my drag make up and suit is a nice ritual that helps me feel transformed. I’ll do a vocal and physical warm up and then often I’ll listen to Matt Berry from “What We Do In The Shadows” whose voice and speech pattern is one of my inspirations for Chip. 

 

Have you always had a passion comedy?

 

Maggie: Making people laugh was one of the first things I found out I was good at when I was very young! I also have always had a very loud laugh since I was an actual baby. Laughing and making people laugh is my favourite thing in the world. 

 

Hunter: Yes! Despite also being incredibly angsty and shy! I’m a secret goofball.

 

Maggie: How vital has it been for you to be able to use your creative platform to explore as a queer and neurodivergent narratives and opportunities?

 

Maggie: For me, my identity as queer, neurodivergent, and a performer all go hand in hand. All of these identities contain nuances where you have to learn how to exist in the grey area, that we all contain multitudes. Sometimes I get to play roles where it’s explicitly stated that the characters are queer or neurodiverse and that’s amazing. But regardless, me just being me as I work as a creative person provides representation that I wish I had when I was growing up. Most of what I write separately from Man Up are all about queerness and mental health. 

 

What more do you think venues, festivals, and shows can do to be more neurodivergent inclusive?

 

Maggie: I’m going to give you a really honest answer, and say I don’t know. I’m only just learning about what possible accommodations there are out there. Turns out there’s a lot and I had no idea! I guess I would say, make sure that there are neurodiverse and disabled folks on your decision making and leadership teams, and listen to them. We ALL benefit from inclusive spaces. 

 

Any tips or advice to offer anyone making their Fringe debut this year?

 

Maggie: Make friends! Be open! Make sure you’re taking care of your body and brain first!

 

Hunter: Trust yourself and the people around you!

 

And finally, what would you like your fringe audiences to take away from Man Up: A Show for Women?

 

Hunter: I want people to look at current events in a new way, but mostly I want folks to feel less alone and laugh their butts off! 

Maggie: I definitely want people to laugh at the men in power. And ideally I want people to notice how often misogynistic men get away with saying ridiculous things because they’ve framed themselves as “nice.” And of course if folks leave thinking “Damn, that Maggie Metnick is like a young Chris Farley,” that would be great too.