Mae Martin

We officially review the Netflix stand-up comedy special Mae Martin: SAP, which was released on March 28th, 2023.

Those who might not understand might want to listen to Martin tell their side of the story and how they feel. It leads to this person introducing Mae Martin to the stage, who enters through a bunch of fake trees on the stage. I know that isn’t a hard recommendation, but Mae Martin’s style isn’t going to be for everyone. Mae Martin: SAP is about Martin talking about how the world has gone off the rails. I often preach about how I don’t love when comedians bring their politics or beliefs to the stage in a preachy way. This led to Martin’s first stand-up special with [Netflix](https://readysteadycut.com/category/streaming-service/netflix/), Mae Martin: SAP.

Their special also is produced by All Things Comedy, the company founded by comedians Bill Burr and Al Madrigal. Mae Martin: SAP Photo: Netflix. What Comedy ...

Martin acknowledges at one point they’re perhaps preaching to the choir in the theater, but perhaps more than a few viewers unfamiliar with Martin will happen upon their special and learn a thing or two, too. He also tweets [@thecomicscomic](https://twitter.com/thecomicscomic) and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: [The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/comics-comic-presents-last/id1016472604?mt=2). After all, after undergoing top surgery and taking low-dose testosterone, Martin claimed 2022 as the best year of their life so far. [Feel Good](https://decider.com/show/feel-good/) finally gets their first solo comedy special on the streaming giant, and uses the platform to remind us all of the need to, well, feel good. “It’s truly just the absence of agony.” Who are we to deny anyone that? Now 35, the comedian has learned to grow up without throwing the proverbial baby version of themself out with the bathwater, so to speak.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, comedian Mae Martin explained why they name-dropped Dave Chappelle in their Netflix stand-up special.

When the 49-year-old comedian was [assaulted](https://www.okayplayer.com/news/dave-chappelle-attacked-on-stage-during-hollywood-bowl-performance.html) onstage at Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival last May, the streamer released a statement condemning the act. “It’s a very difficult tone to hit because I do care about it so deeply, and could so easily rant for hours about how annoyed I am,” they said. “It just felt like I was trying to be coy,” Martin told RS. [The Closer](https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/dave-chappelle-the-closer-trans-backlash-netflix.html), where he joked at length about the trans community. “When you’re someone who’s part of the trans community, it can feel like a lose-lose,” Martin said. [Dave Chappelle](https://www.okayplayer.com/tag/dave-chappelle) in their new Netflix stand-up comedy special.

As Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais double down on transphobic material, LGBTQ+ comics like Martin, who is nonbinary, have been forced to use their platforms to ...

Martin's response to the debate that's overtaken comedy is by no means a distraction, but it is a detour, and in this case, it unintentionally undercuts the impact of the life-affirming special. It's so bleak" — the lesson to be found in the story of a Dutch mailman who buried letters and bills in the woods, and the "embarrassing" reality of human interaction. A special featuring a man who has been paid more than [$20 million](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-10-17/dave-chappelle-s-special-cost-more-than-squid-game) and given carte blanche to mercilessly mock a group of people will never be the same as an hour starring a nonbinary comic who feels they have no choice but to devote a chunk of their time to someone else's vile ideology. The overt optimism of Martin's conclusion doesn't jibe with the idea that wading into the discourse around gender identity is a "lose-lose" scenario, or their acknowledgment that it's a "fantasy" to believe a few minutes of Beauty and the Beast comedy will change hearts and minds. [Ted Sarandos defended](https://variety.com/2021/film/news/ted-sarandos-dave-chappelle-defense-1235088647/) the "highly provocative" special and pointed to Gadsby's comedy as an example of counter-programming for Chappelle's critics. They discuss the trauma associated with knowing the position in which they were conceived — "Nobody wants to be conceived doggy style. Martin is absolutely correct: Chappelle, in particular, has become fixated on gender identity and expression, to the point that transphobia has come to define his comedy. Having to respond to the garbage spewed elsewhere on Netflix denies them this right, which in turn denies audiences more hilarious punchlines about a Toyota Tercel fitting under the world's biggest moose, or the horrors of puberty. On the one hand, it's difficult to debate something that "personally affects you and [that] you care about" without getting emotional, at which point "you've already lost." In the middle sits the candlestick, Lumière, whose presence only adds to Gaston and Belle's fun. In a bit they previously performed at the On the other, remaining silent means these "big, multi-millionaire comedians" will continue to "punch down," which threatens to do real harm at a time when trans rights are under concentrated attack.

'Feel Good' creator talks about their debut Netflix stand-up special 'Sap,' trans rights, and how so many comedians these days are “being tricked.”

Even on my days off, I’m going to see comedy because I love the feeling of being in a group of people that’s all laughing at the same thing. Because as soon as I start talking about it, people are like, “Ugh, these people are constantly whining.” But it’s also a very crucial time to present a counterargument to the very loud people with huge platforms who are weighing in in bad faith about things that have real-life consequences. The best thing is when people leave your show and you hear them talking in the bathroom after and they’re feeling inspired to talk about their sap. I was already a fan of her brain and sensibility and I just instantly felt like I’d known her for years. It just felt like I was trying to be coy. “For about a year, I was doing a lot of improv and stand-up and that felt really good. It reminded me of what I loved about comedy when I was a teenager and that kind of silliness. And then I’d have to go up and I’d start off apologizing for who I am. I’ve always felt that comedy can often be a good indicator of where culture is at the moment. With topics ranging from a loving (and odd) nickname during teen rehab, to the relative height of the largest moose in the world, Sap leaves Martin’s public wounds behind for lighter waters. This feels way less stressful because it’s a show that I toured and I know it’s at least mediocre. [comedy](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/comedy/) for years.

Martin would rather talk about their dad's insane comments on their conception, but Chappelle just won't shut up about trans people.

In that same time frame, multi-millionaire comedians began a crusade against the transgender community, [seemingly in defense of their own “freedom of speech” on stages in front of adoring audiences and on eight-figure streaming deals](https://www.cracked.com/article_36073_eric-idle-is-tired-of-comedy-giants-like-dave-chappelle-crying-censorship.html). “But it’s also a very crucial time to present a counterargument to the very loud people with huge platforms who are weighing in in bad faith about things that have real-life consequences.” “It’s a very difficult tone to hit because I do care about it so deeply, and could so easily rant for hours about how annoyed I am,” Martin admitted. “I have this fantasy — it’s a really clear image in my head; it’s Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais, Louis C.K., throw Joe Rogan in there,” Martin begins before describing a vast medieval feast with mead and a whole hog in the theme of Beauty and the Beast, before a TV turns on to Martin’s special where their Lumiere explanation of nonbinary gender identity plays, before the four exclaim, “Oh my god! “But also, it’s not the most interesting thing about me,” they added of their gender. Martin also examines how, though the concept of the gender spectrum may seem recent to those who grew up with only the binary, various cultures included third or fourth identities besides male and female in their gender dynamics before most of them were erased by the spread of colonialism. Martin, meanwhile, identifies with Lumiere, who isn’t particularly masculine or feminine, but ultimately just wants everyone to have a good time and “be our guest.” Only briefly does Martin acquiesce to questions that have been hounding them since Chappelle and other massively successful comics picked the transgender community as their favorite target for tasteless bits about bathroom assaults and In their Netflix special Mae Martin: SAP, the nonbinary comic shies away from defining any part of their humor by their gender — in fact, it’s a topic they’d rather leave entirely unaddressed. [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/mae-martin-called-out-dave-chappelle-netflix-sap-stand-up-comedy-special-1234704683/) of their reticence to include the gender jokes in their special. As Martin points out, the “gender binary” isn’t exactly a scientific fact in the way that some comics assume it to be — Martin points out how intersex individuals make up as much as 1.7 percent of the population, so “what’s in your pants?” isn’t quite the conversation-ending question that transphobes think it to be. [Chappelle](https://www.cracked.com/article_33834_dave-chappelles-cursed-home-improvement-spinoff.html), a [Ricky Gervais](https://www.cracked.com/article_34115_will-dave-chappelle-and-ricky-gervais-have-their-eddie-murphy-moment.html) or even a [Joe Rogan](https://www.cracked.com/article_37038_not-even-joe-rogan-can-believe-the-shit-that-comes-out-of-his-mouth.html) — “let’s throw him in there,” Martin would say.

The comedian and Feel Good star returns with a stand-up set that is heartwarming, breezily polite and, yes, just a little bit sappy.

Yes, biological sex is real, and no, nobody is trying to stop you from saying it is; sex is, however, a different thing to gender, and so on. But others will be carried away by it, particularly in the context of the show’s closing minutes – about “the gender thing”. Viewers with a low threshold for schmaltz may struggle with Martin’s closing list of the good things in life (“Campfires, roasting marshmallows, the song Benny & the Jets by Elton John, yeah, hugs, and, um, sparklers, you know, Christmas lights…”). What makes Martin’s half-hesitant, shrugged-off routines effective is less the line-by-line writing than the arrangement: Sap is a collection of anecdotes and character-studies (and their Moon-obsessed dad is a fine comic character), which bounce off each other in pleasingly unexpected ways. (Off-screen, Martin came out as non-binary in 2021, and now uses the pronoun “they”.) “There is no real punchline to that story, it’s just a vignette, if you will,” is a typical riff-ending line here.

Mae Martin's new Netflix comedy special SAP is out in the world, and they're pulling no punches when it comes to the likes of Dave Chapelle.

[endless debate](https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/16/munroe-bergdorf-loose-women-toxic-trans-debate-brianna-ghey/) about whether trans people deserve to be happy, then hopefully it’s worth it.” [Martin](https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/05/27/mae-martin-charlotte-ritchie-feel-good-netflix-elliot-page-non-binary/) shared that at first, they tried tackling the topic while on tour without naming comedians like Chapelle, but felt they were being too “coy”. [Mae Martin](https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/03/26/mae-martin-anti-trans-comedy-netflix/) hopes by bringing up those who punch down in their comedy special, they can cut through the “endless debate”. [Ricky Gervais](https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/05/24/ricky-gervais-supernature-netflix-trans/) is another comic to be condemned for his cheap shots at trans people in his 2022 Netflix special, SuperNature. [Legislation](https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/03/14/tennessee-senate-pass-bill-trans-state-code-sb-1440/) targeting the trans community is snowballing across the US, while trans people in the UK, too, feel they are regularly being [used as a “political football”](https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/01/16/lgbt-labour-transphobia-definition-keir-starmer/). [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/mae-martin-called-out-dave-chappelle-netflix-sap-stand-up-comedy-special-1234704683/), Martin, who is [non-binary](https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/04/14/mae-martin-non-binary-feel-good-pronouns/), discussed why they felt the need to address the comics’ history of joking at trans people’s expense. [winning a Grammy](https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/06/grammys-2023-dave-chappelle-netflix-special-the-closer-transphobic-reactions/), performing to [sell-out crowds](https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/07/25/dave-chappelle-chris-rock-kevin-hart-new-york-madison-square-garden/), hosting [Saturday Night Live](https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/11/13/dave-chappelle-snl-monologue-transphobia-antisemitism/) and enjoying the promise of [even more Netflix specials](https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/12/02/dave-chappelle-netflix-specials-transphobia/).

Comedian Mae Martin released their Netflix Special 'SAP,' on March 28. The best joke from the special uses snow globes as a metaphor to illuminate the ...

“This is a little abstract, but don’t you think that, in a way, our brains and our minds are like our rooms, and we furnish our minds with experiences that we collect to then build what we think of as our identity and our selves?” they ask. It’s like a story about a party they went to five years ago, and you’re like, ‘Yes, and you are you as well. Martin’s snow-globes bit is like a metaphysical version of George Carlin’s classic bit “ Someone will be showing you their snow globe, and you’re trying to be a good listener. Martin is constantly interrupting themself and referring to the audience as “guys.” “I have so much to tell you, genuinely,” they gush at the beginning of their [stand-up special SAP](https://www.vulture.com/article/mae-martin-sap-netflix-comedy-review.html), out now on Netflix. “We’re like, ‘This is my room,’” they say, affecting a voice that’s a cross between a child and an alien.

The nonbinary comic says that fellow comedians who think the “woke left” is coming to “cancel” them are being tricked.

[The Closer](https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/11/dave-chappelle-uses-anti-gay-slur-makes-jokes-trans-controversy-new-comedy-set/), in which he defended author J.K. “Because it’s easy to dismiss queer people as being constantly up in arms about something. “I feel confident about what I’m saying, so I might as well just name them.” So if it’s in any way helpful for people to see someone speaking about their lived experience and cutting through the endless debate about whether trans people deserve to be happy, then hopefully it’s worth it,” they said. “I want to say to these heroes of mine, comedians who are starting to feel like the enemy has become this kind of woke left: you’re being tricked.” “In the past couple of years, there’s been people mistakenly equating equality with some kind of infringement on their right to free speech,” they said.