Model and actress Charlotte McKinney steps outside her comfort zone as she embraces a new stand-up comedy career.
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“I don’t know what’s scarier: going up on a stage and doing stand-up comedy in front of a live audience or posting the clip after the fact on social media,” model and actress Charlotte McKinney (@charlottemckinney) tells me as we chat about her foray into the world of stand-up comedy.
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McKinney first made a name for herself as a bombshell through social media, so the platform has played an essential role in her success. Of course, it comes with its hardships. “I struggle a lot with anxiety, and I’m finding ways to filter out the things that hinder my progress,” she notes. Social media is one of those, and McKinney shares that hopping onstage and performing a comedy sketch may very well be preferable.
She got her first taste of the spotlight during an appearance on David Spade’s show Lights Out on Comedy Central.
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“This was before the pandemic, and David Spade was performing with Whitney Cummings. Suddenly, their team put a microphone in my ear and threw me onstage at The Comedy Store, an iconic place to do comedy,” McKinney recalls. “I was like, ‘OK, whatever, let’s do it.’ As I got out there and performed, I realized it felt natural and could be something I wanted to do more of. People were impressed with my improv throughout the performance, making me think more about getting into the field.”
McKinney toyed with the idea of dipping her feet into comedy throughout the pandemic, and after, she decided to dive in.
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“I’ve been doing it for about three years now,” she shares. “I think with comedy, your first couple of years are a lot of bombing and figuring out what you’re doing to get the hang of it fully. Historically, I’ve been private when it comes to the comedy space. I don’t share much online, and I’ve kept it to myself. But now, I’m in a place where I want to put myself out there.”
The model and actress notes that comedy has given her a place to have a voice in her career for the first time, and it has been exhilarating.
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“It’s been empowering and cool to try something new, write comedy and do something totally new,” she says. “Failure is a part of it, so learning to fail and learning that things won’t always be perfect has been a big lesson for me.”
Drawing inspiration from real-life experiences, McKinney pokes fun at her industry and the ups and downs throughout her career and personal life.
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“My humor is definitely self-deprecating. I like to poke fun at myself, so I pull only from my own life. I don’t speak on things I don’t know about, such as politics. I work with writers to pull out the jokes, but now I’ve also been writing my own sketches, which has been so fun,” she says.
Typically, she performs twice a week at comedy clubs, working hard on perfecting her craft and letting herself go. She looks up to fellow female comedians like Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman as sources of inspiration.
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“I love how they don’t give a flying F and are so true to themselves and say whatever they feel. I’m trying to learn how to have thicker skin and act more like them,” she admits. “Learning to let go has been hard for me, but it’s oddly therapeutic too.”
McKinney has also embraced this philosophy in her life off the stage.
“As I’m turning 30, I’ve had plenty of advice given to me, and I’ve had time to reflect,” she shares. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that if people aren’t showing up for you in life—whether it’s friends or relationships or colleagues—you must find a way to let go. For so much of my life, it’s been people-pleasing and begging people to do things, be a certain way or show up for me. If people show you their true colors, take them at face value and protect yourself.”
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She explains that taking care of herself is something she’s recently come to prioritize. Whether it be hitting a hot yoga or Pilates class for her mental health, soaking in the sun and swimming in the ocean, writing comedy or going to therapy, it’s essential to find things that ground her and ensure that her mental health is her No. 1 priority.
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“I’m trying to be more of a voice in this space as I feel that reaching out for therapy and asking for help is so important and should be normalized more. Everyone has anxiety or stress, and one of the first things I do every morning is control my running mind and center my thoughts,” she says. “I’ve been sober from alcohol for years, and working out is important for my everyday mental health. Writing comedy has also been an outlet for me. My lifestyle can often be unstable with my schedule, so I’m learning to slow down and take more time to myself and show myself love.”
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McKinney has also forced herself to push herself outside her comfort zone and try new things. In addition to her stand-up comedy career, she has a slasher film, Stiletto, coming out alongside Gigi Gustin and Colleen Camp.
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“That was on the opposite end of the spectrum for me,” she says, laughing. “But it was so much fun! I got this offer and thought, ‘This is so different for me.’ But again, I’m at this stage in my life where I’m saying yes to everything that is different and trying it. It was surprisingly cathartic to let loose and scream bloody murder. The experience was a lot of fun, and we had such a great cast. I’m looking forward to hopefully doing more in the horror genre.”
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Keeping with the theme of making people laugh and bringing joy to others, McKinney also hosts a Roku kids’ show, Laugh-Tastic.
“I love working with kids and bringing joy to others, so this was the perfect opportunity for me. I’ve done charity work over the years with organizations like Best Buddies, so combining kids
and comedy is such a fun opportunity for me.”
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Continuing on this trajectory, we will undoubtedly see more of McKinney on the big screen and on comedy stages throughout the country.
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“I’ve looked at my stand-up career as something that is extremely uncomfortable for me in the past few years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to do stuff that’s uncomfortable, that makes my skin crawl, that makes me change, that challenges me,” she asserts. “If you’re not willing to fail in life, you’re not willing to change or grow as a person. I’m trying something new, and people can either get with me or get out. Right now, I’m getting out of my comfort zone and learning to enjoy it.”
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Photography by: Photo By: Pablo Costanzo
