#Heather McMahan Talks New Netflix Special: “I’m Ready for My Melissa-McCarthy-in-‘Bridesmaids’ Moment”

In July 2019, comedian Heather McMahan was at a Lululemon-sponsored Malibu retreat when she got a phone call that changed her life — after a suggestion from Maria Shriver (who followed McMahan, also host of the Absolutely Not podcast, on Instagram), the Today show asked her to join Jenna Bush Hager as a fourth-hour guest co-host.

In her new comedy special, McMahan shares the full, unedited version of that story: when the invite from Today came in, asking her to jump on a redeye to New York while being practically incapacitated by edibles. “They haven’t seen the special yet, but I know Jenna is going to love that part of the story,” McMahan says with a laugh on the eve of Son I Never Had‘s release. “Hoda is the coolest, but I’m sure she’ll be like, wow, what a professional to come after [the] show after having been high for three days.”

In the ensuing years, McMahan has returned to the morning show nearly a half dozen times, in between two sold-out stand-up tours and building her podcast audience. Son I Never Had, which is streaming now on Netflix, is a project she considers to be another introduction of herself to a new audience. She tells stories about her childhood growing up in Atlanta, losing her father just one week after he was diagnosed with cancer — and doing edibles with professional athletes, of course. Below, McMahan speaks to The Hollywood Reporter about all of it.

Can you talk a little bit about the process of finding this special a home? Did the going out and selling it part feel stressful?

I’ll be honest with you, the second I walked offstage the second night of shooting, I had the biggest sigh of relief. I went into the corner and shed 30 seconds of tears. It felt so cathartic to know that I could do this. I have done my own shit for so long, so to be like, wow, I’m a producer? But then I had to go out and sell it. (Laughs) But all it was, is you send an email and hope that somebody opens it. I wanted to work with Netflix from the beginning because, to me, it’s a rite of passage for a comedian to have a Netflix special. It was just the coolest thing that they were excited about it.

Did you have a plan B that you would have been happy with if Netflix had passed?

I was totally fine putting it out into the ecosphere in whatever way I needed to. I wanted people to enjoy this special, and I wanted to show that you can open your own door of opportunity — and to open doors for others. But then when somebody decided to invest in it financially, of course, I was going to take that.

Since you shopped around a finished special, did that essentially eliminate a studio’s ability to give notes?

I’m sure there are caveats about what sort of material they would run but I didn’t experience that. Listen, I’m a little green in the business, so I don’t know if they typically have notes or make people change things. I remember I was in Italy to see Harry Styles, and I was at my favorite restaurant, this place called Trattoria Parione, and I was downstairs in the wine cellar. I finally emerged after like four bottles of wine to have my little vacation cigarette, and I’ve got about one hundred missed calls from my managers and agents. I was like, this is it, my career is over. Those nude photos of me on my husband’s iPad have leaked. But they were calling to tell me that Netflix loved the special. I was so overwhelmed, I went back to these three couples I had just met at the restaurant and was like, “Y’all wanna go clubbing to celebrate?”

I imagine you spent a lot of time in the editing booth, which is probably a new experience for someone who does mostly live shows — what was that like?

I am my own worst critic. There is nothing that anybody will ever be able to say to me that I have not already thought about myself. There were days in that editing booth, sitting with my girlfriend Jen Zaborowski who directed the special, I was like, oh God, I can’t wait to get my neck done. My catchphrase has always been ‘thick neck, thin ankles,’ and my buddy who does my botox also happens to be a plastic surgeon, and he recently told me it should be ‘loose skin, thick ankles. But I was also laughing my ass off because the show is still very funny to me even after all this time.

The show’s intro features your mother, Robin, who is going to be very familiar to your fans. Did you have to convince her to film that with you?

She more so demanded it. My family is so much a part of the special, so I wanted the introduction to represent that. I’m like, somebody has to meet the one parent I have left. She really came alive when the cameras rolled, she can find her light. She’s like Liza Minnelli. A fun fact is that she was a contestant on the very first season of Master Chef. But I’ve created a monster because we’re about to shoot my second special in a couple weeks and Robin is already like, “Who’s doing my glam?” I’m like mom, you’re not in this one.

Is your husband going to be in the next special, then?

The next special is basically a roast of the first year of marriage, what people don’t tell you about having an international wedding and what it was like to go on a 30-day-long honeymoon. I think [my husband] Jeff wants to go into witness protection after this.

How did you pick the location for the special’s shoot?

I picked the Lexington Opera House because — and this is cheesy as hell — but I’m an energy kind of person. I did a show there probably nine months before I shot the special and they had the kindest staff and it had really great energy. I also wanted it to be a more intimate venue. I play the Chicago Theater, I play Radio City, and it’s totally different when you can see everyone’s faces in the audience. I also wanted the location to be southern, because this is an introduction, for a lot of people, to who I am. I’m from the South and I wanted to tell stories about my super southern dad.

I know it’s early in the life of this special, but do you have a sense of whether its success might help you directly in other areas of your career?

Well, no one’s asked me to join the Illuminati if that’s what you’re asking. But obviously, work begets work. Three years ago, I put “Netflix comedy special” on my vision board, so I won’t apologize for saying that this is a really personal win for me. I just hope it opens more doors of opportunity.

What else is on your vision board that has yet to come to fruition?

My dream is to get more into television and film. I want to get into some character shit. I want to put on a wig. I’m ready to have my Melissa-McCarthy-in-Bridesmaids moment. Put me in a Costco vest and some sensible sandals and just let me go.

Before you go, given what a vocal Delta loyalist you’ve become I do think the people need to hear where you are, emotionally, with the pending changes to SkyMiles…

Here’s the deal. I’m on the road so much so I’m one of those people who will actually end up spending the amount of money they’re asking for. But only because it’s what I do for a living. But I think the changes are harsh. I mean, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Sky Club, so to think I might be limited to 10 times per year? I spend top dollar, let a bitch go get a cookie and a white wine. Don’t take that away from me. But listen, I’m so Delta loyal to a fault because I live in Atlanta, a hub. I will stick with them through the changes. I’m still out here praising the good word of Delta, so if they really want to give back, they could make me 360.

Is there anything else that you need to stay sane on the road?

A high thread count. That’s where I spend my money. I’m a St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton kind of gal. Shoutout Marriott Bonvoy. I need a shower with good water pressure, a mixture of firm pillows and 24-hour room service. I’m the queen of two a.m. club sandwiches after I come back from a night of shows.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Heather McMahan: Son I Never Had is currently streaming on Netflix.