Jenny Slate has been making people smile for years, thanks to her roles in movies like Obvious Child and TV shows like Parks and Recreation and Big Mouth. But now, the comedian has finally gotten a moment to let audiences to get to know her, without the veil of a character in front of her. In her Netflix special Stage Fright, Slate is completely and unabashedly herself, which is exactly what make it such a treat to watch. In fact, these 20 moments from Jenny Slate's first Netflix special are so relatable, I have never wanted to be best friends with a famous person more than I do now.
Stage Fright is not your average comedy special. While most comedians simply film themselves performing stand-up for their specials, in Stage Fright, Slate offers the audience an unfiltered look at her life through both her jokes and a documentary film involving her family. Her stand-up performance is intercut with interviews and real-life footage of Slate of interacting with her parents, sisters, and grandparents. She also spends time exploring her childhood room and contemplating her own neurotic tendencies. The result is a candid and heartfelt portrait of Slate, silly flaws and all.
Is there anything more relatable than home videos? Slate’s special is full of them, and it kicks off with an adorable video of her younger self performing an adorable violin solo. It gave me immense flashbacks to my own awkward middle school orchestra days.
Slate dances onto the stage at the start of her special, and she dances hard. In fact, she dances so hard she ends up out of breath standing in front of 400 audience members. Who among us hasn’t been there before (at least for the first part)?
I love a good self-love moment. Slate laughing at her own joke and calling herself her own biggest fan is the confidence inspo we need.
It's a universal truth is that the younger generation will always need to explain technology to the older generation. That’s what Slate has to do for her parents when they ask her for her Netflix password. I've never felt so seen.
Slate has a joke in which she imagines what her life would be like if she had a less silly name, like “Susan,” and the way she pretends to be “Susan” is priceless.
Slate's entire tour of her childhood room is so real, especially when she examines the sad poetry written on the walls of her closet. Audiences everywhere can relate to being embarrassed by their younger selves.
Slate's grandparents sound like the most adorable people in the world, and her impression of her grandmother telling her she's "good" is a true highlight.
I never thought to describe a person as a turtleneck before, but now that Slate has introduced the analogy into my life I'm never turning back.
Slate tries on her Nana's old dresses and models them in the bathroom for her mom, and in that moment, I felt like I was right there with her.
Slate is an eternal optimist and apparently her excitement keeps her from falling asleep often. Been there, girl. Been there.
Everybody gets wedgies, even comedians recording Netflix specials.
Slate's Jewish roots are a big part of her identity, and so she talks about it a lot during the special. One of the best stories comes when she reminisces with her sisters about the time their mom punished Slate during Hanukkah by locking her outside.
Ghost stories are almost always a part of growing up, and they were a very big part of Slate's childhood in her parents' (apparently haunted) house.
Puberty is a tough time for everyone, and Slate regales her audience with all the horrors of her late puberty.
"There's a lot of loneliness in here," Slate says as she sorts through a box of "things that made her mad" as a teen. She found a note about a guy named Mike who made her mad, but she had no memory of who Mike was.
Slate explains that she didn't have a lot of friends growing up, so to compensate, she dressed like a member of the band TLC and imagined herself as one of them. Who hasn't imagined a celebrity as their best friend? (Flashback to me saying I want to be Slate's bestie just a few paragraphs ago.)
Slate's idea of football sounds so much better than the real thing. She explained that she likes the sport because she imagines football players as sweet and gentle men who "rush after the toy" together. Cute.
One of Slate's most vulnerable moments is when she talks about her insecurities and her stage fright. "Right before I go on stage I am presented with this essential question, which is, 'Will they like me?'" she says. "And I know that they will once I start to talk. But I don’t earn the love unless I give something beautiful."
Everybody has a bad date story, but Slate's might take the cake. She tells a story about a blind date who showed up in full body armor, which she called "a real knightmare." TBH, I feel better about my love life now.
The entire special ends with Slate dancing in her parents' house with a blanket wrapped around her. It's silly and sweet, which perfectly encapsulates Slate.
You can watch Slate's Stage Fright on Netflix now.
