If you saw those viral Jacinda Ardern lookalike TikTok videos during lockdown, you probably witnessed the fine work of Melanie Bracewell. With a resemblance to the former New Zealand PM, and a knack for amusing social content, Mel became an online sensation a few years ago – but her comedy goes further back.
She grew up in the Tumblr era where she garnered 200k followers by the age of 16, before doing her first open mic routine at 19. Since then, the MAFS-obsessed Kiwi comedian has carved out an incredibly impressive, high-profile career in Australia. You may recognise Mel from her hosting gig on The Cheap Seats and regular guest spots on Have You Been Paying Attention?, but some could argue the stage is where she truly shines when she delivers her solo stand-up routines.
In May, Melanie is hitting the stage during Sydney Comedy Festival with her show, A Little Treat. We caught up with the comedian to hear more about the content she’s got in store. Check it out below:
Melanie, thank you for joining us at Missing Perspectives. To start, can you tell us a bit about your journey into comedy? What inspired you to become a comedian?
I would say my journey into comedy was unconventional. I started a blog on Tumblr called “meladoodle” that ended up reaching 200k followers when I was 16. I’ve always loved comedy so much. I grew up on Monty Python and Flight of the Conchords. When I was 19, I finally got the confidence to do an open mic after getting to the finals of a comedy competition where you had to submit a “funny video”. Even with all that validation, I was terrified.
A huge congrats on A Little Treat. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired the name and concept for this show and what audiences can expect when they come to see you perform?
The name was inspired by the fact that it’s a phrase I use almost every day. I always think I deserve a little treat. It wasn’t until recently I realised this reward system for completing tasks was probably a symptom of the undiagnosed ADHD.
With your twenties coming to an end, A Little Treat seems to be a reflection on the last decade of your life. What’s one major lesson or realisation you’ve had over the last decade about yourself and being a woman in comedy?
I started comedy 10 years ago and it’s changed my life drastically. People are surprised to find out I was quite shy at school. I would be very silly with my close friends and in drama class, but if you asked my orthodontist he’d say, “What? Melanie? Performing??”. I’ve mainly learned to forgive myself a lot more. I make bad decisions and ruminate on them. Now with comedy, bad decisions are just future material!
You’ve also been doing more TV work recently, including The Cheap Seats of course, plus Taskmaster NZ and Have You Been Paying Attention?. What’s something about working in TV that our readers may not know about? We’re here for any juicy secrets or cheeky goss!
Tim McDonald once slapped an intern because she got his coffee order wrong. He’s that kind of guy. Nah, it’s really quite like any other office. I think people would be surprised that Tim and I write The Cheap Seats. I think some people would assume we turn up and read an autocue. We’re very anal! Also the best part of doing TV is sitting in the makeup chair with a hot towel after the record and taking off my false eyelashes. Oh also, most of my hair isn’t real.
@meladoodle Met a fan #jacindaardern ♬ original sound – Melanie Bracewell
Could you describe the process of preparing and performing stand-up comedy on a stage, and could you share how it differs from doing comedy on TV? Which do you prefer?
There’s something really satisfying about writing a stand-up show. It takes a year of thinking, writing, trying things out. I always love writing a show with a really satisfying ending that wraps everything up together. It’s a real mission, but it feels so great when you pull it off. The crowds are like, “Ooooooh” and that’s the best. That being said, the beauty of TV is really not being able to prep too much. Especially with our show, we can’t predict the news so we have to work with what we’ve got. I really enjoy the challenge of both.
You’ve been open about career, relationships and dating in the past – both in your comedy and online. How do you decide how much you want to share about your personal life, especially when there’s so much pressure on social media to share and document every detail of our lives?
I have always documented my life pretty publicly. In my regular life, I would be very private but then I’d get on Tumblr and make jokes about dicks.
I think the trick is always remembering that I chose this career, my loved ones did not. Luckily my partner Shaun loves being part of my shows. I do have to run things by him, and he always approves. Sometimes he’ll give me a great line about him.
I do think you need to keep some things private. That being said, my credit card number is 9273 0965 3425 1788. (Just kidding, although if that random sequence of numbers matches a stranger’s card reading this, that would be beautiful).
Of course, we’ve gotta ask you about the Jacinda Ardern skits. What inspired you to first do them? Were you expecting the incredible reaction you received, and what was Jacinda Ardern like in person?
It was lockdown, Jacinda was on television at 1pm every day. I was just recording fun videos and ended up getting a lot of comments about our likeness. Then I decided to lean into the look with makeup and it went nuts. I did not expect it at all! I had the BBC calling me, it gave me great relief to have some form of attention.
With the Australian Federal Election coming up, can you see any Aussie politicians you could perhaps impersonate or make comedy around?
Hmm, do I have a potato big enough to put on my head? I am yet to nail the Aussie accent though, so that might have to wait until next election.
For other young women hoping to forge a career in comedy, what advice would you offer them?
Do it! Write stuff for online. Do an open mic! We don’t have as many role models growing up, so I do think it takes an extra push for women to give it a go. I honestly believe women are just as funny as men, if not funnier. We just get socialised out of it.
@meladoodle Why is there always m night shamalayan levels of twists and turns. Its the HOWEVER for me #MAFS ♬ Dramatic music with impressive flute melody – Punkish B
Finally, if you could have any famous person attend your Sydney Comedy Festival show, who would it be and how would you roast them?
Please. Any cast member of MAFS. I don’t care what season. I am obsessed with them all. I wouldn’t roast them because the editing team already has.
Melanie Bracewell’s show, A Little Treat is on Saturday, May 3 during the 2025 Sydney Comedy Festival at Enmore Theatre. Ticket details are available here.
Top photo source: Live Nation
