Hannah Gadsby is not great at quitting stand-up. The comedian, who famously threw in the towel during their groundbreaking Netflix special Nanette, followed that up with 2020’s Douglas. And lest you think that was some sort of “one final job before they leave the game behind” exception, Gadsby is getting ready to release yet another Netflix special, titled Something Special, on May 9. “I’ve dragged you through a bit of my shit over the years,” the comedian says in the special’s trailer. “This is going to be a feel-good show.” They refer to the hour hour as “a romantic comedy” about their wedding before pausing and adding, “Yucky!”
Filmed at the Sydney Opera House, the same venue where Gadsby filmed Nanette, Something Special was shot in fall 2022 on the heels of Gadsby’s Body of Work tour. It also arrives in the aftermath of a public feud between Gadsby and Netflix, during which the comedian sent a public message to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos on Instagram saying, “Fuck you and your amoral algorithm cult” in response to Sarandos using Gadsby’s name to deflect criticisms in the wake of Dave Chappelle’s transphobic material in The Closer. Since then, the pair appear to have come to terms on an agreement, as Netflix signed on to release this special as well as an upcoming compilation Gadsby is hosting featuring an international cast of “six new gender-diverse comedians.”
Something Special is directed by Jenney Shamash, who happens to have been Gadsby’s bride in the aforementioned wedding.
This post has been updated.
