Menopause, motherhood, and horse pee…oh my!

In this episode of Moms Unhinged, Andrea sits down with Chicago comedian Avril Granato, who found her voice somewhere between midlife, motherhood, and a hormone patch she definitely didn’t read the fine print on.

Avril opens up about how her daughter pushed her into comedy and what it’s like starting stand-up in your forties. She also talks about marriage in midlife, why her husband suddenly started noticing her moods, and the moment she realized maybe, just maybe, the patch was working.

It’s real, a little ridiculous, and totally unfiltered—just like the stage.

In this episode:

• Growing up in Chicago and raising creative kids
• How her daughter convinced her to try comedy
• Acting classes on Zoom and surviving long COVID
• The menopause symptoms no one warns you about
• The hilarious vegan-meets-horse-pee revelation
• Why her husband keeps asking if she’s put on a “fresh patch”
• Finding the funny in the mess (and the hot flashes)

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Moms Unhinged Comedy
• Follow Avril on Instagram

Comedian and nurse Nancy Norton joins Andrea Marie for a brutally honest (and hilarious) look at motherhood, menopause, and midlife mayhem.

Nancy’s stories of parenting a teenage son, surviving hormonal chaos, and finding humor in the unglamorous parts of life prove why she might actually be the most unhinged mom in the room.

The two talk about what nursing taught her about patience, why laughter really is medicine, and how comedy became her outlet for staying sane—or at least pretending to.

In this episode:

👉 When your kid becomes your heckler

👉 How nursing prepared Nancy for the comedy stage

👉 Why laughter beats therapy (and it’s cheaper)

👉 What happens when moms hit midlife with a mic in hand

👉 The secret to surviving parenting: snacks and sarcasm

Because sometimes the only way to handle the chaos is to laugh louder than it!

Catching Nancy in an upcoming Moms Unhinged Show - https://momsunhinged.com/comedy-shows/

Mentioned In This Episode:

• S3 E27 Psychiatrist Neill Epperson, MD - The Fantastic Flex of Female Brains

→ Tromedy on Apple

→ Tromedy on iHeart

→ Tromedy on Spotify

• Visit Nancy’s website → NancyNorton.tv
• Follow Nancy on Instagram → @NancyNorton.tv

This week on Moms Unhinged, Andrea Marie sits down with Texas-based comedian Donna Lee, whose comedy career took a 12-year intermission while she raised her son and stepsons—only to come roaring back in 2024.

Donna shares what it’s like to return to the stage after a long break, the pressure comics face with social media today, and the hilarious stories of her Thai mom, her cowboy son, and why her family is comedy gold.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to start over, balance parenting with passion, or just need a laugh about approval-seeking gone sideways, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Donna Lee – Instagram | Website | Tiktok

What do you get when you mix an improv theater, a bakery named after your great-grandmother, and a pandemic yard-sign project? If you’re Emily Holden, apparently… stand-up comedy.

A 2024 Ladies of Laughter finalist and Atlanta comedy firecracker, Emily joins Andrea to talk about survival-mode parenting, starting stand-up at 42, and why bombing onstage is sometimes the best gift a mom can get.

Emily’s energy is infectious, her stories are unfiltered, and her timing will make you wish she lived on your block.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets: https://momsunhinged.com
• Emily Holden: https://www.emilyholdencomedy.com
• Follow Emily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilydholden
• Banjo Lounge: https://www.instagram.com/banjolounge
• Village Theater: https://www.instagram.com/villagetheatre 

Mandy Simonson has thick skin and a sharp wit—and she’s needed both. After ten years as a Bay Area police officer, surviving stage three breast cancer, and raising two daughters, stand-up comedy feels like the easy part.

In this episode, Mandy sits down with Andrea to share how her past shaped her comedy, from undercover train patrols and neon “dating vests” to chemo with a newborn at home. She opens up about divorce, resilience, and why she finally said yes to the stage at 48.

Motherhood, midlife, and comedy collide in the best (and funniest) ways when Mandy tells her story.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Mandy Simonson on Instagram: @musings_ala_mandy
• Love and Logic (Parenting Resources): https://www.loveandlogic.com/
• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows: MomsUnhinged.com

Homeschooling three kids while touring as a comedian? Holly Ballantine has lived to tell the tale.

This week on Moms Unhinged, Andrea chats with Holly about the unexpected perks of skipping carpool, the chaos of raising kids while her husband traveled internationally, and the night Chris Rock convinced her to try stand-up.

She also shares one of her most unhinged mom moments. It involves four kids under six, a doctor’s office meltdown, and a desperate $20 bribe for silence.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Follow Holly on Instagram
• 
  
• Holly’s website
• 
  
• West End Comedy Festival
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Follow Moms Unhinged for upcoming shows: Website | Instagram | YouTube

Remember that time you swore your divorce was going to go “smooth”? Merit Kahn does—and spoiler alert, it didn’t. But lucky for us, it made for great comedy.

Merit has been with Moms Unhinged since our very first show, and she’s back to share stories about vibrator jokes in front of her son, the infamous “Paperclip Incident,” and what happens when your kid walks in unannounced and you’re not exactly… alone.

We also talk about growing up with a gay dad in the 80s, why she built a full comedy club in her basement, and how finding the funny a little faster makes motherhood a lot more bearable.

Mentioned In This Episode

• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets
• Merit Kahn – OptimisticPersonalityDisorder.com

Motherhood has a way of keeping us humble. One minute you’re hosting NPR, the next you’re arguing with a nine-year-old about screen time on the streets of New York.

This week on Moms Unhinged, Andrea talks with comedian Ophira Eisenberg (Parenting Is A Joke, NPR’s Ask Me Another). 

Ophira opens up about juggling late-night comedy gigs with early-morning school runs, what travel looks like when your kid packs one sneaker, and why moms still get asked questions dads never hear.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Ophira Eisenberg – Website | Instagram | TikTok
• Listen to Parenting Is A Joke
• Ask Me Another – NPR show
• The Moth Radio Hour

Follow Moms Unhinged for upcoming shows: Website | Instagram | YouTube

Motherhood is hard. Like, cortisol-coming-out-of-our-ears hard. That’s why we created Moms Unhinged — a standup comedy show turned podcast where mom comedians tell the truth about parenting, relationships, midlife chaos, dating, divorce, and all the unhinged moments in between.

Hosted by Andrea Marie, founder of the Moms Unhinged Comedy Show, this podcast brings together 30 comedians from across the country to share stories, swap laughs, and remind you that you are not alone in the chaos.

Expect real talk, belly laughs, and the kind of honesty only moms can deliver. Whether you’ve seen us live or you’re new here, this is your backstage pass to the hilarity and humanity of motherhood.

👉 Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode, and share your own “unhinged moments” with us on social — because if we don’t laugh about it, we’ll probably cry.