Rose Matafeo was almost finished making the final season of her exceptional rom-com series ‘Starstruck’ when she started to seriously question the show’s essential premise. The experience of going through a breakup while trying to find a satisfying ending for the love story at the center of her show has now inspired her latest stand-up special, ‘On and On and On,’ streaming now on Max. In this episode, Matafeo discusses what it was like to move away from the genre that has defined much of her career into something a bit darker and more nuanced on stage. The 32-year-old New Zealander comedian also reveals the high-concept show she almost made instead of ‘Starstruck,’ whether she can imagine returning to the characters of Jessie and Tom in the future, and why she decided to cut jokes at the expense of Taylor Swift fans from her new hour.

Follow Rose Matafeo on Instagram @rosematafeo 

Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein 

Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod

Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.