Maddy
“Guys always need a chessboard or something to distract from talking but women are just like, ‘I know we just met but can I tell you about how I threw away a pair of bloody underwear yesterday?’”
Maddy is a comedian whose range spans from stand-up all the way to improv rap battles on MTV. The pandemic has encouraged her to find new and creative ways to perform her comedy sets, extending her skills from the stage and onto multiple media platforms. She is laid back but also extremely driven, continually navigating the world of comedy and all it has to offer. Meet Maddy. This is her story.
Maddy hosting her podcast, @thattimeoftheweekpod
K: Please introduce yourself!
M: Hello! My name is Maddy Smith and I am a stand up comedian, castmember on MTV's Wild N Out, and host of my own incredible podcast That Time of the WEEK with Maddy Smith. Since quarantine I haven't been able to do live stand up or film for TV so I spend every day trying to figure out how to create content for the Internet. It's hard!
K: Describe yourself in your own words
M: Ok! Let's see, I am both hard working and incredibly lazy at the same time which is honestly a horrifying combo that has defined my lifestyle for years. I love the grind of being a full-time comedian and filling my days with projects and stuff but every day I wake up with dread for the next 20 years of my life. LOL! Is that too dark? I just really like to lie down and my whole career is about literally standing up. I'm also newly happy with who I am thanks to therapy and some self help books. Lol!
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
M: My favorite thing about myself is who I'm becoming after years of what I would describe as an emotionally tumultuous lifestyle. My post-college life is all a blur because of how drunk and depressed I was. Sometimes I look around and think, "Thank god I'm not 23 anymore." So yeah I like who I've become and I'm grateful it's not 2013-2017 anymore. I also love my closest friends and family who make me a better person every day!! :)
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
M: Honestly I think my entire industry crumbling due to COVID has made me stronger. Before 2020 I was filming a TV show twice a year, doing 5 stand up shows a night, and moving very quickly without catching my breath. I don't want to be a silver linings person because 2020 to now has been such shit show, but the shut down forced me to pick myself up and be funny in ways I had never explored before. Internet stuff, writing, starting a new podcast — all things that would've been overwhelming to me before. Also I think when something you've done every day for years is now gone — which for me was live stand up comedy — you're like, ok ... I think that's one of the worst (aside from obvious health scares lol) things that could've happened to me? And I'm still kicking ... and now I can ... only go up? It's relatively freeing.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
M: I would tell myself to like me! For so many years I ragged on myself for not being enough and now I'm like, damn, all I want to do is go back to high school or college and hang with my friends until 6 am and laugh at nothing.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
M: I'm not sure! I just know we're really funny and cool and I'm really happy to be a woman in comedy and there's nothing more fun than a bunch of women in one room. It's very safe. Lol! I worked in finance once and there were so many men around and it was incredibly unsettling. I love how we all for the most part kinda just get each other and can vibe for hours just talking. Guys always need a chessboard or something to distract from talking but women are just like, "I know we just met but can I tell you about how I threw away a pair of bloody underwear yesterday?" LOL! (too much??)
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
M: My sister Emily! She is super smart and is a nurse working on the AstraZeneca vaccine and she reads like 200 books a year. Every time I send her an article, she already read it like a week ago. We text a lot so if she was here now I would say, "Did you get my text?"
Follow Maddy’s comedy journey:
Instagram: @somaddysmith , @thattimeoftheweekpod
Find podcast episodes on her patreon: PATREON.COM/MADDYSMITH