Maria Bamford: 'Why does everything have to be so good?' | Aug. 19, 2023

Maria Bamford is revered for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She starred in the surreal, semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy series Lady Dynamite, about a comedian who suffers a nervous breakdown, and is the star of three unconventional hour-long stand-up specials: Weakness is the Brand, Old Baby, and Maria Bamford: The Special, Special, Special! Maria was the first female comic to have two half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials. She starred alongside Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, and Brian Posehn in the Comedy Central series The Comedians of Comedy and Netflix’s Comedians of Comedy: The Movie. She also created and starred in the cult hit web series The Maria Bamford Show, in which she plays all the characters.

Maria is often recognized for her prolific voiceover work, including characters on Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, Summer Camp Island, Adventure Time, Talking Tom and Friends, Bob’s Burgers, Legend of Korra, Puss in Boots, CatDog and PBS’s Emmy-winning series Word Girl. She also stars as Tilly Mulch in Team Coco’s scripted podcast Frontier Tween. Maria played DeBrie Bardeaux on Netflix’s Arrested Development and recurred on the ABC hit series Fresh off the Boat. She is the 2014 winner of the American Comedy Award for Best Club Comic. Maria’s late night appearances include Conan, The Tonight Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

[Ameborl]

She's a real artist. Unique, brilliant.

[robertmoye]

How does she sustain such utter brilliance and comedic perfection of view askew observation, interpretation, and delivery? Maria Bamford is a marvel, a phenomenon, and a force of nature.

[hankdatank]

Maria is one of the most underrated comedians out there. Always funny.

[Ninabina]

I love Maria Bamford. Still one of the funniest comedians ever 💜

[jongo]

She just gets better and better. No mediocrity here. Talent and work ethic combined.

[cindywomack]

Im embracing my lifetime 2 stars! 🌠🌟🌟 Thank you, Maria!

[redred]

Most underrated comic ever. I love watching her mind work.

[rightweaponry]

She's a comedic poet cuz the way she puts words together is ELITE

[osovagabundo]

Every word perfectly inflected and delivered. Timing beyond compare. She’s going to be like Carlin in retrospective as more will understand her commentary on life. Just brilliant

[jaredoaks]

She ignites joy from the inside. Whether I laugh out loud or not, I’m happier having learned something. Maria is an educator who happens to work in comedy. ❤

[ricktheexplorer]

Wow, I haven't seen her in a long time; I can't afford cable anymore. Brilliant as always, good to see her!

[littleghostfilms]

"Einstein, Beyonce, The Muppets, Japan" killed me!!!🤣

[SoyBrig]

So GREAT to hear something again from Maria. She's always surprising and hilarious. Thank you, Maria!

[scottg]

Absolutely one of the most brilliant and unique comedians ever. I adore Maria Bamford. Her material, her delivery, her vulnerability, and her insights are the gold standard of comedy.

[ameliaq.]

Ironically, Maria Bamford is always a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ experience!

[jasonberezowski]

She's on a comedy Mount Rushmore. Sheer brilliance

[megankerins]

I fucking love this woman. So much. Two stars.

[reneenordeen]

I never get tired of Maria Bamford. She's farking brilliant.

[Didi_Meow_Records]

One of the very few remaining comedic legends of our time.

[JesgateOnDown]

Every once in a while I try to find words to describe one of the things she excels at (in the long list of things she excels at) & that's her use of exaggerated facial expressions. Sometimes they are at the forefront of the bit & you sit there wondering how something that seemingly simple works (& it doesn't always work) - which makes it all the more interesting when it does...
And just now I was thinking who else does that & the great Jerry Lewis came to mind. If you're old enough to have seen his movies & different tv appearances you know what I'm talking about. He could steal any scene with 1 or several facial expressions & posture (yes- I said posture/stance)
Styles of comedy are just fascinating, aren't they?!?