Mackenzie Jaquish | TABLE READ PODCAST

What this episode is about

Mackenzie Jaquish is a New York-based comedian and the lead producer at Pretty Funny Productions, a female-led comedy collective dedicated to highlighting women in comedy. In this conversation, she discusses her experiences in stand-up, improvisation, and production, including her rapid ascent in the industry and her commitment to amplifying female voices through various comedic platforms.

Key takeaways

• Laughter might be the best medicine, but 'table reads' are comedy's untapped prescription.
• Writing a sketch? Pro tip: let it reflect your unique voice, rivaling any dad joke!
• Like a viral TikTok, comedy thrives on relatability, unpredictability, and the courage to abandon dignity.
• Comedians need thick skin, but plastic armor against Gen Z's sartorial critiques is optional.
• Podcast table reads: redefining ‘highbrow’ entertainment one hilarious script and awkward bio at a time.

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Brooklyn Comedy Collective (BCC), Caveat, Jonathan Gaffney, Mackenzie Jake Wish
2. 5:00 – 10:00: The Old School Sketch Show
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Jen and Angelina fight, Julia Fox, Marley Cyrus
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Evan Rachel Wood, John Mulaney, New York Fashion Week
5. 20:00 – 25:00: And Just Like That..., Mary Poppins, Rolodex, Sex and the City
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Failure to Launch
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Amazon Prime, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Panic attack
9. 40:00 – 42:28: Figma Bar, Fort Greene

Notable quotes from "Mackenzie Jaquish | TABLE READ PODCAST"

• Yeah this is an episode of table read is an amazing podcast where we are just going to be plainly reading people's comedy.

  about Table Read Table Read · at 0:00

• Ears instead of I don't know like True Crime stuff yeah so my name is Jonathan Gaffney I am one of the hosts of this podcast and I have my co-host here I'm Sam locks I also produce this podcast that's it.

  about Jonathan Gaffney · at 0:50

• Produced over 30 shows within its first year wow quickly became the youngest producer at Shaw TV and had her own nine episode series produced through the network damn but it's…

  about Shaw TV · at 1:56

• Besties for Life yeah maybe though actually maybe yeah who we have here is Taylor Graves is an amazing impersonous person is it just impersonation impersonator she does The Impressions and yeah amazing.

  about Taylor Graves · at 3:37

• First and like foremost when I do anything else but I was given this opportunity to be in a show called The Old School sketch show which was like a very long-running show at the Pitt NYC it's a very cool show I really enjoyed the experience.

  about The Old School Sketch Show · at 5:43

• Use your accent today can you just talk like an American present thank you all right and member Julia Fox Julia left a note saying that her and Drake are getting back together…

  about Julia Fox · at 10:35

• Besides last time two members fought over a man it was it almost broke up the group hey we don't talk about the Jen and Angelina fight of all five exactly so let's all sit back…

  about Jen and Angelina fight · at 12:38

• We were kind of like you run into the Sex and the City cast all the damn time here because of freaking and just like that which is such a bad show and it's clear that they're…

  about And Just Like That... · at 22:31

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Sunny Atwal — Person · 4 mentions
• Jonathan Gaffney — Person · 1 mention · first at 0:54
• Sam Locks — Person · 1 mention · first at 0:59
  Jonathan Gaffney I am one of the hosts of this podcast and I have my co-host here I'm Sam locks I also produce this podcast that's it that's it yeah we're not gonna We're not gonna give accolades for ourselves.
• Mackenzie Jake Wish — Person · 1 mention · first at 1:29
  Excited to have on the show Mackenzie Jake wish is a new york-based stand-up comedian improviser producer writer and actor currently Mackenzie is the lead producer at pretty funny productions a female-led comedy.
• Taylor Graves — Person · 1 mention · first at 3:43
• Julia Fox — Person · 1 mention · first at 10:39
• Marley Cyrus — Person · 1 mention · first at 14:49
  You'll also notice people obviously it's a podcast and you can't see it I changed from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift like twice in this like the writing wise because originally I…
• John Mulaney — Person · 1 mention · first at 17:18
  In New York you run into Pete Davidson you're a New Yorker yeah or John Mulaney guys if I ran into John Mulaney I would be dead I ran into Seth Meyers yeah a few times oh my gosh why are you so obsessed with me.
• Evan Rachel Wood — Person · 1 mention · first at 18:48
  Celebrities but like my first month here people would stop me because they thought I was Evan Rachel Wood because she had like just moved back to New York and so I was getting…
• Angelina Jolie — Person · 1 mention
• Maury Povich — Person · 1 mention
• Nicolas Kim Coppola — Person · 1 mention
• Sam Bee — Person · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

• And Just Like That... — Company · 3 mentions · first at 22:34
• The PIT (People's Improv Theater) — Company · 3 mentions
• Table Read Table Read — Company · 1 mention · first at 0:00
• Pretty Funny Productions — Company · 1 mention · first at 1:36
  Stand-up comedian improviser producer writer and actor currently Mackenzie is the lead producer at pretty funny productions a female-led comedy Collective she started in New York the collective produces with comics.
• Shaw TV — Company · 1 mention · first at 2:01
• Brooklyn Comedy Collective (BCC) — Company · 1 mention · first at 2:36
  Built a strong following in NYC and you can catch her live at comedy theaters including the Brooklyn comedy Collective caveat the pit and Asylum New York City shows I hated that so much it's very cool never been working.
• Caveat — Company · 1 mention · first at 2:38
  Can catch her live at comedy theaters including the Brooklyn comedy Collective caveat the pit and Asylum New York City shows I hated that so much it's very cool never been working more comfortable you're like.
• The Old School Sketch Show — Company · 1 mention · first at 5:46
• Sex and the City — Company · 1 mention · first at 22:32
  Funny how that did just happen we were kind of like you run into the Sex and the City cast all the damn time here because of freaking and just like that which is such a bad…
• Failure to Launch — Company · 1 mention · first at 25:05
  You to join the cast for and just like that for season two so you in for a little Failure to Launch reunion all right did I get your voicemail again.
• Amazon Prime — Company · 1 mention · first at 32:53
  You won I won yeah I love my origin story I love it less that it got turned into on Amazon Prime show called The Marvelous Mrs maisel I hate when I tell people and they're like so maisel I'm like no it's different it's modern.
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Company · 1 mention · first at 32:55
  Story I love it less that it got turned into on Amazon Prime show called The Marvelous Mrs maisel I hate when I tell people and they're like so maisel I'm like no it's different it's modern it was 2016. yeah.
• Figma Bar — Company · 1 mention · first at 41:09
  Very like vibey like this in a way and then I have another show March 30th at figma bar in like Soho I should say that these this episode probably won't be out until like maybe…
• Asylum NYC — Company · 1 mention
• Corus Entertainment — Company · 1 mention
• Country music stations (Corus) — Company · 1 mention
• Instagram (Pretty Funny presence) — Company · 1 mention
• Jill Lindsey — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

• Rolodex — Product · 1 mention · first at 24:15
  Season two we're gonna need you to find even a bigger celeb to join the cast so you got to go through that Rolodex and find someone great shouldn't be a problem right not at all oh over it the agent hangs up the phone.
• Brie — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

• Taurus (astrology sign) — Concept · 6 mentions
• Jen and Angelina fight — Concept · 1 mention · first at 12:44
• New York Fashion Week — Concept · 1 mention · first at 18:35
  You move here the second you move yeah that's what New Yorkers do fashion shows it's New York Fashion Week this week I think is it this week oh my gosh I'm trying to think of like who I've run into I don't so much run into.
• Mary Poppins — Concept · 1 mention · first at 20:04
  Couldn't watch cartoons because I'm like how is that happening like the magic and Mary Poppins did not make sense to me that's I wouldn't accept it and that like it bleeds into…
• Panic attack — Concept · 1 mention · first at 38:34
  Moved to New York but this probably happened closer to like 12 months ago I was like having really bad panic attacks again which I hadn't had since I was like a little kid I…
• Viral (internet virality) — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

• New York City (NYC) — Place · 12 mentions
• United States of America — Place · 2 mentions
• Fort Greene — Place · 1 mention · first at 41:00
  Moment February 23rd at a really cute little spot called Jill Lindsay in Fort Greene nice very like vibey like this in a way and then I have another show March 30th at figma bar in like Soho I.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 yeah this is an episode of table read table read uh is an amazing podcast uh where we are just going to be plainly reading people's comedy um the idea for this show is that people are funny people are constantly writing comedy all the time and people have mountains and mountains of sketches um that they've written for teams classes theaters and shows that they're that they're trying to put up and we want this podcast to be a fun amazing space for people to just come and read their stuff um uh this isn't class we're not producers we're not giving notes um we just think that people are cool and people need to hear sketches on their way to work people need to hear sketches uh in their ears instead of I don't know like True Crime stuff yeah so my name is uh Jonathan Gaffney I am one of the hosts of this podcast um and I have my co-host here I'm Sam locks uh I also produce this podcast that's it

1:07 that's it yeah we're not gonna We're not gonna give accolades for ourselves uh just know that we are the two co-hosts of this podcast um it's not about us it's about our cool guests it is um and we have two people here uh who are amazing comedians uh who are so excited to have on the show um Mackenzie Jake wish is a new york-based stand-up comedian improviser producer writer and actor currently Mackenzie is the lead producer at pretty funny productions a female-led comedy Collective she started in New York the collective produces produces with comics and the venues across New York City and strives to put female voices at the Forefront of every show through this Collective McKenzie has produced over 30 shows within its first year wow quickly became the youngest producer at Shaw TV and had her own nine episode series produced through uh through the network damn damn but it's not even done from there she left to

2:13 work for chorus entertainment as a digital content producer and a writer for their um country music stations um since you know she's put up stand-up shows in uh cities like Seattle Philadelphia Boston and Rhode Island and she has built a strong following in NYC and you can catch her live at comedy theaters including the Brooklyn comedy Collective uh caveat the pit and Asylum New York City shows I hated that so much it's very very cool never been working more comfortable you're like saves the whole thing it's for you take Parts out of it yeah this is not about taking part time no I just yeah I feel like a lot of the comedians that we're gonna have on uh as we read their bios we're going to be like Oh I'm gonna say something nice about you and all the comedians could be like stop it don't say nice things about me I'm a horrible person yeah it's like you're really funny and you're really cool and

3:18 it's like ah please don't um and yeah thank you so much for being on yeah thank you guys thank you both immediately I lose my voice as soon uh thank you for having us and obviously I brought along my best friend best friend besties for Life yeah maybe though actually maybe yeah who we have here is Taylor Graves Taylor Graves is um an amazing impersonous person is it just impersonation impersonator impersonator uh she does uh The Impressions and yeah amazing um uh she can find her on Tick Tock where can we find you on Tick Tock oh um Taylor G it's t-a-y-l-e-e-g I'm working with my marketing team on changing that just because I don't have a market you have a market um team of one uh but no I uh yeah it's it's tick tocks actually I used to hate it because I was like I'm not cool enough and now I'm like it's taken off so I like it yeah effectively still hate it I liked it at first and then it took three

4:34 months of my life away yeah because I was in bed watching him and I was like this is awful yeah when a Time sucks people who do like short content that tends to tends to go pretty well for them yeah yeah I don't know I feel like I would be so scared of gen Z or whoever the young people are yeah just being like you're not wearing 90s fashion or whatever it's cool they're not nice on no yeah no but it's gotten me really I got a thick skin because of it I just don't even look anymore I just don't look at the haters that's why you need a marketing team yes yeah the cool very young uh haters I thought you're about to introduce me cool oh my God all right cool so why don't we just read the first sketch yeah I feel like a little bit of like may I give backstory on yeah please um I'm like a stand-up comedian like first and like foremost when I do anything else um but I was given this opportunity to be in a show called The

5:49 Old School sketch show which was like a very long-running show at um the Pitt NYC it's a very cool show I really really enjoyed the experience um and they wanted me to write this sketch and it was really important to me that there was one in the show that was just all the females um and the females I was working with all like Taylor do a lot of Impressions um Sam I don't expect your Giselle bunch in to be amazing it's okay as I said before on pop culture but but yeah so this is um a sketch about all the hot successful women in the world uh getting together to date P Davidson nice I'm sure that's this is actually how it went who was the who was the director when you did old school sketcho I was sunny at wall okay yeah I like Sunny a lot he's a cool guy Sonny's a very cool guy he actually um was the first person I ever met in New York oh wow and when the pandemic was like starting to open back up

6:45 um the pandemic was starting to open back up after the pandemic um I was like so new to comedy at the time in New York and I didn't even know to like where to begin and I remember having a conversation with him being like well how do you get booked on shows and he was like well you do it this way you go to a show you meet the producer like this whole thing and I'm like a good Spiel I think there's an easier way yeah um the easier way which turned out to be the incredibly um not easier but just different way uh was me producing my own shows and now Sunny has like been in a lot of them which is very cool yeah it's very cool yeah it's definitely a lot easier to produce your own shows and comedy I feel like that's like kind of the back door trick a lot of people don't yeah realize until they're really way later into the game yeah and it's just a really great great way to like control your voice in

7:38 it yeah because I found out I was getting cast a lot in shows to be like the female like yeah they were gonna have like 10 male comics and then they're like we need one female and you will go after all of them and it's just like a great way to set yourself up for failure so that was like the plan um we're doing a podcast here's the thing my my iPhone uh is has toxic male energy yeah like three women can't have a conversation without your iPhone giving its input yeah my um my iPhone is the patriarchy and I'm extremely sorry hey gaslights and eggs it's a really bad dude um I like the idea that there's um all the hot successful women in the world get together to talk about the important stuff yeah um perhaps they do it monthly perhaps I do it weekly um I would like to think that they do though so that's what this sketch is about I'm so sorry there's not a part for you I don't know how to write for

8:50 men yeah you can be Pete Davidson in it he doesn't have any lines but I'm just gonna I guess I think this is how Pete I think Pete Davidson like man spreads a lot yeah he man spreads a lot he sort of just like leans back like this I don't really know how he acts kind of like does this with his face yeah he moves a lot yeah he kind of like has a lot of tattoos too maybe you should go get some tattoos there's a tattoo place right on the corner I should have really I should have prepped more for this podcast these are early days these are early days in our podcast don't know how close I should be to Mike I should have gotten tattoos David says how does Giselle talk oh she's German wait Brazilian though oh shoot Brazilian I'm sorry her last name is bunchin so it's German yeah but she has rhombus Brazil I don't know that's not an accent I definitely cannot do a Brazilian accent that is not something I

9:46 uh you know what though I'm gonna throw in a line here that like and don't use your accent this time I'll throw in that line for you do you want to do it uh all right so we all say the oh so interior hot successful women's headquarters gorgeous gorgeous girls are hydrated girls gorgeous gorgeous girls have stomach problems gorgeous gorgeous girls supporting each other thank you all for joining me for this emergency meeting of the hot successful Women's Club um I've called in only the single members of our group today as we have an urgent matter that pertains to all of you so before we begin let's quickly take attendance um vice president Kim Kardashian here uh Treasurer Gisele Bundchen please don't use your accent today can you just talk like an American present thank you all right and um member Julia Fox Julia left a note saying that her and Drake are getting back together for Valentine's Day so she actually can't

10:48 make the meeting all right fine uh Giselle can you take notes so that we can fill her in later uh okay so well as you all know Queen Elizabeth was next in line to date P Davidson and since her passing she has left us with an overage of four months that needs to be filled ASAP I will now hear your arguments as to why you should get to daytime next thank you president Cyrus uh I know my rental on him ended in August but this is my official petition to re-up my contract with him Courtney Courtney's wedding and Chloe's baby Tata daddy drama has left me without a storyline for the new season of the show since leaving Tom Brady I have given up a lot but nothing compares to what I gave up for the 15 years we were married we all know the side effects of steroids if anyone deserves a little bde it's me no wow those are all really great reasons for why you should date him next time as president I'll I'll make the

11:57 final decision I choose myself actually yeah what what the [ __ ] okay um I divorced Kanye West so that I could join this club and this is how you repay me don't even get me started with the bad marriages I was married to that meat head for the past decade okay please I'm the one that deserves him I can buy my own flowers but I also want him to tattoo my name on his chest I want The Best of Both Worlds ladies what are we doing this isn't the handsome men club we don't fight like this you're right besides last time two members fought over a man it was it almost broke up the group hey we don't talk about the Jen and Angelina fight of all five exactly so let's all sit back down take a deep breath drink our emotional support water bottles and work this out because that's what hot successful women do I have a thought what if none of us date him but the reason we invented Pete Davidson in the lab in 2014 was so that hot

13:13 successful women could stop dating men who aren't worthy we designed him to be the ideal piece of arm candy q but not distracting devoted but has a career of his own and willing to take any Instagram photo with you I know but I think he's starting to develop feelings and I think our Frankenstein is starting to become a real person all right well vice president can I I think you're gonna make the final call on this one

13:57 motion granted P Davidson will be set free from the hot successful women's mansion and be free to live his life as he chooses this concludes our meeting gorgeous gorgeous girls are hydrated girls gorgeous gorgeous girls have stomach problems gorgeous gorgeous girls support each other

14:24 I must say the gorgeous gorgeous girls thing yeah such a tongue twister I know but it's someone who is gorgeous and has stomach problems I find it very relatable it was like at the time that I was writing it was like one that trained around tick tock was like going off where they were like four just gorgeous girls sleep until noon um you'll also notice people obviously it's a podcast and you can't see it um I changed from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift like twice in this like the writing wise um because originally I played Taylor Swift in it but I don't sound like Taylor Swift and this is a podcast so I made that change like yesterday Miley yeah I mean either way also are you were you recently an old school sketch show is this like a recent sketch yeah it was recent it was about a month ago or I think maybe two at this point yeah yeah that makes sense yeah periodically wise yes this sketch is so much fun thank you

15:21 great Scott second of all great Kim Kardashian that was such a good conversation no one can I mean if you're listening to this you can't see uh how good um Taylor was is Cam Taylor was I thought that I was just looking at Kim Kardashian um yeah Kim is here I was trying to do my best uh you know Pete Davidson over here I was just taken out of it because the cam was so good no problem third uh yeah it was a fun sketch fourth I wish that it went down like this I wish that there was a gaggle of extremely hot women amazing women just like carving the world up for their pleasure I hope it is that way yeah instead of what actually probably happened which is Pete Davidson being like Yo on instagram and then they're just like now you're married to him like I assume that's how you like date Pete Davidson yeah probably oh I don't know I've heard I had a friend when I first moved to the city um and like of course we like parted

16:28 ways because your first friend in the city never is your favorite actual friend um but she like met him once oh and he like was like hidden on her stop oh my God and she like had a boyfriend so she didn't say anything and I was like [ __ ] your boyfriend but like he was just like man brunettes with big eyes they always get me I wouldn't be able to he would never like me then but everyone at this table you're okay I had a I had a roommate once uh about a year ago like in the middle of the pandemic who like ran into him but he was like trying to not look like Pete Davidson but my roommate was like no I'm certain that was Pete Davidson I feel like he's the new like Mori like people used to say you'd run into Maury in New York you run into Pete Davidson you're a New Yorker yeah yeah or John Mulaney um guys if I ran into John Mulaney I would be dead I ran into Seth Meyers yeah a few times oh my gosh

17:33 why are you so obsessed with me what's the guy on CNN with the white hair Anderson Cooper yeah twice around uh like the Broadway area oh which was like super random yeah yeah well all the late night shows are near there yeah yeah I saw Anderson Cooper riding his bike yeah Seth Meyers I think also lives in the West Village probably yeah I like haven't seen any celebrities since like living here I've seen like the few like Sex in the City cast members yeah you said that you said that as if that's like what everyone experiences like because we all moved to New York and we all see the entire castle Yeah Sarah Sarah Jessica Parker will just walk up to you yeah and start unloading about her love life the second you move here the second you move yeah yeah that's what New Yorkers do fashion shows it's New York Fashion Week this week I think is it is it this week oh my gosh um I'm trying to think of like who I've

18:42 run into I don't so much run into celebrities but like my first month here people would stop me because they thought I was Evan Rachel Wood because she had like just moved back to New York and so I was getting that one like constantly to the point where it stopped me from going to Central Park oh my God because that's like where it was happening that's ridiculous yeah should we do the next sketch which is about Sir what this one is like I have one line at the end but it's mostly Taylor is such an amazing impressionist she can do like any voice you like Giver um which might be like a fun thing to try to do cool yeah no but the other thing that's great just to reiterate what I was saying before um is that like I don't know like people write stuff that you can't sometimes physically do yeah um because the the production value because of like whatever and so why not just you can still read it it's still

19:33 valid it's still fun yeah if you have uh you know a spaceship Landing in front of or just like something exploding or whatever it is if it's funny uh if it's written well just say it I love that but I think like I struggle with that when it comes to writing at all I can't write Something's Gonna explode unless I know how it's gonna explode in real life and that's something I've struggled with since I was like seven years old like I couldn't watch cartoons because I'm like how how is that happening like the magic and Mary Poppins did not make sense to me that's I wouldn't accept it and that like it bleeds into my writing though yeah that's really interesting because whenever I would like take a sketch class they'd always tell you to write with like a million dollar budget yeah and like really try to like do what seems impossible so everything I've ever written is just like I could never produce this I do not have the funds to

20:26 do it but that actually brings up like the crazy easiest thing about Canada versus America is like I feel like America's like what do you want to do like dream as big as you want like kids like million dollar budget you got it yeah whereas Canada they're like you're gonna write a sketch that's real cute who do you think's gonna watch it like like they make you ask those questions they're realistic about it to like a brutal point they're realistic about it damn so Kayla made you a good pragmatic writer because it's a good skill to have yeah Kayla is like don't be which like if you watch any Canadian content it's barely clearly within their limitations they're the smallest budget TV show s yes that's why move to New York like Sam B and and whatnot because oh I mean like makes sense smart and short of Canadians like my ears like Mike Myers we got all the big ones I mean the whole [ __ ] 's Creek started in Canada yeah it was a

21:30 Canadian before that was Christopher Guest all of his stuff wasn't it like yeah a lot of the same people Eugene Levy and yeah you're predestined for Success oh apparently yes I could use some of that like I was told that like all my stuff was amazing and it's like it's just never and then I care like I was like I'm gonna kill it in New York yeah but all the Canadians yeah all the Canadians are just like manage your expectations I'm happy now of what my life should be now you give me joy Canada thank you I'm finally figuring it out yeah many years later um standards all right cool let's go let's go we have another sketch here so do we have any Preamble for this guy yeah so this one like we were actually like it's funny how that did just happen um we were kind of like you run into the Sex and the City cast all the damn time here because of freaking and just like that which is such a bad show

22:39 um and it's clear that they're just like digging into the bottom of the barrel to put people on that show and so you and I were talking and my favorite impression that you do Taylor is Sarah Jessica Parker and I was just like I want to write a sketch um where you're her so it's it's like a little one I would see it more as like probably something you would put on Tick Tock um but I thought why not why not try it so I finally wrote for a boy I hope you're really excited uh I'm I'm my heart is pounding with adrenaline like [ __ ] pumps let's go I I already felt powerful as a silent Pete Davidson before I have two power oh you know what actually Sam you could be the agent that way you have a part in this yeah yeah yeah I feel like he talks all right all right all right I don't know how we really talk let's go introduce the sketch all right this is interior Sarah Jessica Parker's home a phone rings

23:35 hello lover is Sarah Jessica Parker here how can I help you today hey Sarah it's your agent Martha calling we gotta talk about the I'm so sorry it's actually really hard to read without my glasses okay there's gonna be some glare we gotta talk about it and just like that season two are we talking about how super duper excited you are not exactly since you couldn't get Kim catril control back for season two we're gonna need you to find even a bigger celeb to join the cast so you got to go through that Rolodex and find someone great shouldn't be a problem right not at all oh over it the agent hangs up the phone and Sarah Jessica Parker starts going through her own phone ring ring ring ring hi Jen it's me Sarah Jessica Parker you remember from like the other biggest show in the 90s hello okay bye-bye ring ring ring ring Matthew how are you doing all right all right okay let me cut to the chain okay I need

24:59 you to join the cast for and just like that for season two two so you in for a little Failure to Launch reunion all right all right all right all right all right all right did I did I get your voicemail again ring Nicholas Kimmy ring ring ring ring okay you're my last call I know this feels like a step in a different direction for you career-wise I don't know what that was go rear wise but honestly you're the biggest liar on the planet right now and how acting is lying so I I think this would be a perfect for you what do you say I say um what an inspiring step forward and blackout let's give a round of applause for that sketch as well very nice oh Taylor fgp is so good who's not watching for those just listening for the listeners not the Watchers but even the Watchers I guess too like when I I was asking I was like should I bring my yeah yeah I have this crazy wig but I think it actually distracts so I think it's

26:42 good that I did but her hair is like such a main part of it right yeah but I get it yeah oh my God that was so much fun that was so much fun so much fun listen well we have you both here I just want to ask you some really maybe like a a serious question or two is that okay um should we discuss it first yeah best friend Taylor what do you think I think yeah still talking to the microphone I'm new um

27:25 um I just want to know how both of you got into comedy and where this journey started for you because you're our two guests and uh we should uh humanize you a little bit you're not you're more than just great and funny people you want to know a little bit more about you you want ladies first I'm not a lady um well I'll be I guess I'll be I'll be brief um I saw as an actor for a long time like you know the stage and um I was like everyone was like you're you're funny and I was like no no it doesn't be taken seriously and then um but growing up like Lucille Ball was always my influence so it's it's just kind of weird that I in my 20s was like no I don't want to do that for some reason and then um I'm gonna get dark a little bit dark here but I lost my dad a couple years ago and my dad was like a huge comedy guy and he was always like you I really would love for you to do more of that and I was sort of finding my way

28:28 that way anyway because the pandemic and I feel like it was like an open Avenue for people to like create stuff online so I started doing that and then when I lost him I was like oh this feels like the only thing I can like it just felt like a calling you know and so I just kind of kept going in that direction and then making a lot of stuff online and then started as a result doing some live performances too and doing taking more improv and doing more sketch and characters I love doing characters um like original characters too um but yeah that's kind of how my journey was I'm sorry if that was too dark no no no no no I mean actually how dare you be vulnerable on this podcast yeah that was wow you're talking about your life you're answering the question against yourself

29:18 it's absolutely amazing and thank you for sharing that that's really really I'm really sorry to hear that you lost your father yeah no it's okay I mean he was so funny like he was just like a real creative like weirdo is the only thing you could well that I turned to like other people's comedy was like all I could I was like I need to laugh and it's like truly just like the best thing in the world yeah yeah hell yeah laughing is the only thing that when you're doing it physically can't think of any of your other problems right yeah so it does become like this weird form of like relief and therapy and like a way for you to connect back with your father so yeah that was a great answer Taylor you did so good you honestly answered it's why we're all such like you know dark depressed Comics you know you can't have the light without the dark exactly yeah exactly and so um Mackenzie what about you I mean like

30:11 mine's not that deep no no no no no um I mean I think it like probably originally started just being like the awkward kid and um as soon as you're able to make an adult laugh it's like feels electric right like it feels like oh my gosh what else have I been doing with my time recess no this is what I'm doing now um and then my whole life I was always kind of like the funny friend the the like oh like building on McKenzie and like conversations because she can like make anyone laugh kind of thing um and then I started dating a guy a little bit older than me a little a little living your age guys I was 20. um so he was like 31. and little big difference he was a stand-up comedian oh and he had like this we thought that you were going to say something really cool like he had a lot of money or something he worked for uh confesses me to this day yeah I'm not gonna convert more deny if it was Pete Davis I know but he had like

31:25 this joke notebook and I remember one day we were like hanging out and he was like showing me it and I was like well what if you just like said it like this instead because like this joke wasn't working for him and then that became like our thing like he'd be like this joke's not working can you help me um and then literally one day I showed up at his apartment and he didn't live there anymore um and he'd like moved classic male comedians that you're dating he like moved and what yeah he left um like hardcore ghosting yeah we were like together um and like I like it just got into like my brain of like and now you're gonna have to defeat him in comedy English him yeah um and like we connected again like two years ago obviously I forgot it I haven't been like the past five years like scheming yeah like um but we connected like about two years ago now and he was like I'm like in such all of

32:23 you like you like you're this comedian in New York and like he hasn't done it in like years and wow so I won [ __ ] oh my God comedy is also about winning that happens with male comedic Comics that you're dating I also dated a male comic when I was in college yeah and I think he stopped doing comedy uh I think he had to move back to where he was from and so you won and so I won you won I won yeah um I love my origin story um I love it less that it got turned into on Amazon Prime show called The Marvelous Mrs maisel I hate when I tell people and they're like so maisel I'm like no it's different uh it's modern it was 2016. yeah yeah so that was it yeah amazing um again sometimes comedy is about vanquishing your enemies and it's always about it one other question to ask both of you and it's about your method how you get into this stuff um what really gets those juices flowing um do you run alone do you write with

33:27 people um where does your comedy sort of come from are you more of like a you know you have an experience and it Sparks something that's a very long question I keep asking more questions you know what what is your favorite color like what you know what John what inspires you uh what's your sign just any of that oh my God any any of that stuff what's going on what are you doing later this sort of television shows are you watching you can answer any of those questions the person like we I will answer those I have nowhere to be like if you guys want me to say or answer questions I'll do that all day um Taylor why don't you go first because I actually have the darker answer this time I think you should go first okay all right we have a rhythm here yeah okay yeah oh my gosh all right so there okay so the questions okay so um where do I get my inspiration is that kind of like a question yeah yeah

34:24 because you're like method method got it okay so I think I mentioned so I started off really doing in person Impressions and I actually was doing that like my whole life not realizing it like I'd be at like you know I was working in a bar for years and people were like do Meg do Francie do you know all the people I worked with and I would just do it and I never thought like I'm just an observer I think and I'm very like a physical comedian so I feel like I always pick up on mannerisms that people do um so I'm just always observing and I don't even plant like I think I'm not just like I don't go to a coffee shop and like observe people I don't I think that's cool but I don't do that I just kind of like pick up on like tendencies that people do and so that's one thing that's one method that I have for Impressions um and you know I'm not gonna say that I can do everyone I mean obviously like

35:11 there's some voices that I'm like oh I really gotta work on that but you really can do a lot like it is incredible what you can do like a fun game would be like who can't you do um yeah that would be a fun game that would be failing publicly but I'm cool with that I'm fine with that um you know obviously like sometimes like men are a little harder sometimes but I find that like I can I like doing them because like I feel very free to not like especially when I'm like home and I have wig and I take my makeup off or I put like crazy eyebrows on like I feel so cool be like I feel free not being like looking nice you know I think there's just like a real freedom in that which also comes I think Lucille Ball really influenced me in that because he was so beautiful but like could be so not and I think that that's just like so fun to do not saying you're beautiful I'm just saying that like you are first of all

36:03 don't say that oh my God I'm not beautiful like I think it's cool that especially at that time she was able to be like yeah you know whatever yeah so okay all right long-winded answer um what and then you said oh writing so I've started to do a little bit more like actual writing for original characters and a little stand up and I find that my best way of doing anything is just as it comes to me I just write it write it down the second again yeah and I think everyone probably you know has that as well but um you know finding a way to either compare myself I have this bit right now where I'm like comparing myself to Brie cheese it's it's funnier but you know Finding like an angle that way or I've been listening to a lot of other um you know comedians talk about their method and I feel very like imposter syndrome so I always try to listen to other people and I'm a Taurus shut up wait what's your birthday May

37:05 8th my birthday is May 8th no it is what year were you born uh 1998 1986. oh my gosh I'm so much older than both of them it's not just funny it's about Discovery it's about discovering it's actually yeah you're like friends for life now obviously I'm sorry 27th I love an April Taurus they're always a little bit more fiery yes the longer you get into May the more like lazy you get like it goes from like grounded to like lazy because you're liking just deeper and deeper we're like halfway through the midpoint so we're like more grounded but then the later maze are just like oh like get out of bed man it makes a lot of sense actually because everyone's always like you're don't seem like a Taurus to me because they're like you're kind of neurotic you know you're right I don't but that makes sense because you said earlier and you're but you're very trustworthy um again we've known each other for like an

38:05 hour but you can just tell I can just tell it's an instinct I have as a Taurus um yeah so I yes um so what I do when I again I've been doing stand up for like five years and I've always been like good at it um like just like these are the jokes that I'm telling and whatever and then about two years I keep saying two years because it's been two years since I moved to New York but this probably happened closer to like 12 months ago um I was like having really bad panic attacks again which I hadn't had since I was like a little kid I had them a little bit during the pandemic but not a lot I was having these like really bad panic attacks like the world just felt like it was falling apart and I remember just being like fully closed I was about to go to an open mic and I was like you need to like stop having this panic attack or you won't get to the mic and you need to get to the mic and so I just

38:57 like got in my bathtub and my apartment and turned the shower on looking like fully closed I've been there yeah and I just like cried and it was like releasing it all and very helpful I got to the mic and I'm like do you guys ever cry while laying down in the shower I'm like I Gotta Laugh that I've like never gotten before and I like really worked on that joke and it's become the joke that has gone like viral for me the most it's your opening joke I've like done it whenever I'm like in an awkward situation on stage because those still happen I'll like I'll just do it I like just lay down on the face I'm like you guys ever do this in the shower um it's like an easy go-to but from that experience I'm like oh when you're going through stuff is the time to write comedy yeah because it's the way to look at it differently I think that's how male Comics perceive it and they so they constantly try to go through stuff yeah

39:50 it's like really amazing women don't have to worry about that at all the trick is to make sure that you write it when you're in that when you're in that stage absolutely yeah and like getting to do that mic immediately after was such like a blessing it felt a bit like a curse but I was like no because I got to immediately Do It um and I have that recording which is great um yeah and just ever since then if something bad's happening I'm like this is trying to pick up a pencil right now oh yeah and it's also like we're saying the best way to like distract from what's going on is to be like but it's all it's all a freaking joke actually yeah everything in life is actually made up uh yeah yeah none of this is real yeah and so why not just be hella funny hella funny um well again thank you so much for both coming on these do you guys have anything coming up or where can people find you again one more time plug

40:48 yourselves as hard as you can before we sign off um well I have I've I have two shows at the moment um February 23rd at a really cute little spot called Jill Lindsay in Fort Greene nice um very like vibey like this in a way um and then um I have another show March 30th at uh figma bar in like Soho I should say that these this episode probably won't be out until like maybe I'll have more and then just follow it hopefully there will be more because I love performing we'll see um so yeah and then Taylor G yeah yeah um you can find me everywhere pretty funny comedy we actually just bought the domain name pretty funny comedies exciting um and yeah we're on Instagram we're on Tick Tock we're on YouTube We're on everything you can also find me at my home address no I'm kidding you can come to my front door I'll talk to you I live at 205 25th Street always down well thanks so much we don't have a

41:56 catchphrase there's no we don't have an exit thing that we're going we have not planned anything that we're gonna say to end the podcast um but once again thank you so much yeah thank you and podcast adjourn podcast chant

Questions about this episode

What is "Mackenzie Jaquish | TABLE READ PODCAST" about?

Mackenzie Jaquish is a New York-based comedian and the lead producer at Pretty Funny Productions, a female-led comedy collective dedicated to highlighting women in comedy. In this conversation, she discusses her experiences in stand-up, improvisation, and production, including her rapid ascent in the industry and her commitment to amplifying female voices through various comedic platforms.

What is mentioned in this Table Read episode?

42 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including New York City (NYC), Taurus (astrology sign), Sunny Atwal, And Just Like That..., The PIT (People's Improv Theater), United States of America. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Mackenzie Jaquish | TABLE READ PODCAST"?

The episode runs 42 min; the transcript is about 7,228 words in 42 timestamped sections.

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