Jul 17, 2020

Esther Povitsky Is the Queen of Anxious, Sad 90s Kids

Her new Comedy Central special Too Hot for My Name is the most hilarious thing you'll watch this year.

The fact that parents could find their own kids funny was a shocking revelation to Esther Povitsky. She’d gone out to dinner with her then-boyfriend, now-fiancée’s parents and found herself taken back by their reaction to his humor. Unlike her parents, his were actually laughing.

Esther’s parents, Morrie and Mary, are staples in Hot For My Name, which premieres tonight at 10 PM on Comedy Central. Her live bits are spliced by moments shared with her parents as she attempts to impress them with her achievements and her upcoming comedy special. They are not impressed at all.

“I really wanted people to see that I’m not the typical ‘grew up with parents who think you’re so great and so special’,” she explained. “This is something I’ve fought to show them. I have something to say.”

And she doesn’t disappoint.

Lately, Esther seems to be everywhere. She starred alongside Kat Dennings and Shay Mitchell in Dollface, a Hulu original about the trials and tribulations of modern friendships. She wrote and starred in Alone Together, a hilarious series about dating as an "average-looking" person in LA, where we also get a taste of the real Esther. And if you’re into podcasts, you’re bound to stumble into one that has her as a guest or even as a host. Esther’s humor is the kind that makes some people blush and others snort like pigs, but no matter which one, she has every single person in the room laughing.

Because Hot For My Name is her first special, Esther wants to make sure to leave a lasting impression. Not only do you get the shots of her on stage and with her parents, you also get moments shared with her live crowds and a music video at the end. She bares it all to viewers, hoping that by the end of the special they feel connected to her.

“I felt like there were other ways than just my stand-up to get the know me as a comedic person,” she said of the unique structure of the special. By adding these additional elements, Esther allows her audience to get to know her intimately. (And she gets to know them intimately, as well, by calling members of her audience on stage so she can search their purses.)

Esther’s self-deprecating humor and anecdotes about her personal life had me in fits of laughter. She’s relatable and entertaining.