Megan Stalter: The Complete Career Profile
From nightly Instagram Lives in a pandemic to an Emmy nomination, a Netflix lead and Broadway. How a Chicago improviser became the face of loud, lovable cringe.
Megan Stalter, increasingly billed as Meg Stalter, is an American comedian and actor from Ohio who turned home-made character videos into a breakout role as Kayla on HBO's Hacks, a Netflix lead in Lena Dunham's Too Much, a Broadway debut and, in 2026, an Emmy nomination. This page is her full career biography, in order. For how her comedy works, why her characters land, and which videos and roles to start with, read our companion guide to Megan Stalter's comedy style.
Ohio and Chicago
Stalter was born on 15 September 1990 in Cleveland, Ohio, and lived there until she was 12 before her family moved to the Dayton area, where she grew up in the Pentecostal church. She did drama at Wayne High School, auditioning for every play without landing a lead, then attended Sinclair Community College and Wright State University before leaving to pursue comedy.
She started doing improv and sketch in Dayton in her early twenties, then moved to Chicago to do comedy full time, working in the city's improv and sketch scene. Our guide to the Chicago comedy scene explains the training ground. She often makes videos with her brother, Nick.
The videos and the pandemic breakout (2018–2020)
In 2018 Stalter started posting short character videos online, which grew into The Megan Stalter Show. In 2019 she moved to New York, signed with a manager and performed constantly in Brooklyn's alternative rooms; New York magazine named her a comedian to know. She also joined the cast and writing staff of a revived National Lampoon Radio Hour, and voiced Bonnie Davis on Paramount+'s Tooning Out the News.
When the pandemic closed live venues in 2020, she started doing character shows on Instagram Live, often nightly, and her audience grew fast. A Pride Month video parodying corporate "rainbow capitalism" made her greeting "Hi gay" a meme, and that year a New York Times review called her sketch comedy's newest star. She was one of the clearest cases of a comic whose career was made, rather than paused, by lockdown.
Hacks (2021–2026)
The co-creators of Hacks, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, cast Stalter as Kayla Schaefer, the assistant to Downs's talent manager Jimmy. Kayla is a nepotism hire, wildly unqualified, oversharing and fiercely loyal, and Stalter turned what could have been a one-joke role into one of the show's most loved characters. Much of the character's energy comes straight from her online work.
Hacks premiered in 2021 and ran for five seasons, ending in 2026 with the most Emmy-nominated season of a comedy ever. Stalter, who had been part of the ensemble's Screen Actors Guild nominations for years, earned her own first Primetime Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, for the final season. At the September 2026 ceremony she arrived dressed as a life-size Emmy statuette.
Over five seasons the writers gave Kayla more to do: her own ambitions, her own business ideas and a strange, devoted partnership with Jimmy that became one of the show's emotional through-lines. Stalter's improvisational looseness, set against Downs's tightly wound straight man, made their scenes a reliable highlight.
Faith, queerness and Ohio
Stalter talks openly about the things that shaped her. She grew up in the Pentecostal church, still describes herself as a practising Christian, and is bisexual. That mix of earnest faith, queer fan base and Midwestern background runs through her characters: many of them are sincere believers in something, whether God, a brand or themselves, and her comedy is notably free of contempt for sincerity. She has also used her platform for public statements, including at the 2025 Emmys, where she carried a bag calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Film work (2021–2024)
- Cora Bora (2023): her first film lead, as a struggling Los Angeles musician who flies home to Portland to save her relationship. She was also an executive producer.
- Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023): a supporting role in the Daisy Ridley drama.
- Problemista (2024): a role in Julio Torres's A24 film.
- First Time Female Director and The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, plus A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter (2024).
On TV she hosted Netflix's cooking competition Snack vs. Chef, guest-judged on RuPaul's Drag Race and appeared in Queer as Folk.
Too Much (2025)
In July 2025 Netflix released Too Much, a ten-episode romantic comedy created by Lena Dunham and Luis Felber. Stalter stars as Jessica Salmon, a heartbroken, workaholic New Yorker who moves to London and falls for an indie musician. It was her first lead in a series, and it showed that her heightened style could carry romance and sadness as well as cringe.
Broadway, music and 2026
2026 was Stalter's busiest year yet. As well as the final season of Hacks and the Emmy nomination:
- Broadway: she made her Broadway debut in July 2026 as Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre, for a ten-week run, taking over from Maya Rudolph.
- Music: as Meg Stalter she released the electro-pop single "Prettiest Girl in America" in May 2026, followed by "Gay" and other tracks, ahead of her debut album Crave, announced for September 2026.
- Voice work: she voices Wendy Woolery on Disney's Big City Greens.
Timeline of Megan Stalter's major work
| Year | Work | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–2020 | The Megan Stalter Show; Instagram Lives | Creator, all characters |
| 2020–2021 | Tooning Out the News | Bonnie Davis (voice) |
| 2021–2026 | Hacks (HBO Max) | Kayla Schaefer; Emmy nomination 2026 |
| 2023 | Cora Bora | Cora (lead), executive producer |
| 2023 | Sometimes I Think About Dying | Supporting role |
| 2024 | Problemista | Supporting role |
| 2025 | Too Much (Netflix) | Jessica (lead) |
| 2026 | Oh, Mary! (Broadway) | Mary Todd Lincoln |
| 2026 | Crave | Debut album (as Meg Stalter) |
Why she matters
Stalter is the clearest example of a new path into comedy: no late-night set, no special, just characters posted directly to an audience that found her on their phones. She showed that a comic could build a following in real time, through livestreams and short videos, and then carry that voice intact into prestige TV. Her rise sits alongside the broader shift we cover in comedy and digital media and in our list of emerging comedians to watch.
Frequently asked questions
Who does Megan Stalter play in Hacks?
Kayla Schaefer, the chaotic, nepotism-hired assistant to Paul W. Downs's talent manager Jimmy. She appeared across all five seasons, from 2021 to the final season in 2026, and earned her first Emmy nomination for the role.
What does 'Hi gay' mean?
It's Stalter's catchphrase, popularised by a viral Pride Month video in which her character parodies brands' hollow rainbow marketing. It became a meme and a greeting among her fans.
What is Too Much on Netflix?
A 2025 romantic comedy series created by Lena Dunham and Luis Felber. Stalter stars as Jessica, a New Yorker who moves to London after a break-up and falls for a musician.
Is Megan Stalter the same as Meg Stalter?
Yes. Her full name is Megan Stalter, and she is increasingly credited as Meg Stalter, including on her 2026 music releases and in much of her recent press.
Was Megan Stalter in Cowboy Bebop?
No. Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop did not feature her; her Netflix lead role is in Too Much (2025).