Macey Isaacs

Macey doesn’t sugarcoat her choice when Valerie asks for one word to describe her past, landing on “difficult.” As a kid, even simple school projects felt overwhelming—like that infamous Mead notebook collage that her mom ultimately had to finish. Having raised a young adult, Valerie can certainly attest to watching a young person who feels that every ask is the most monumental request ever.

Looking back, Macey sees in younger herself a kid who took everything far too seriously and carried too much weight on her shoulders. The intensity of her youth connects directly with why comedy matters so much now: "I feel like I'm finally like, it's teaching me to enjoy life.” She contrasts her serious childhood with what she’s cultivating now on stage and in life—a sense of play, lightness, and room for joy.

Macey’s path to comedy didn't follow the “theater kid to stage” route. She grew up in sports, especially basketball (her Don't Tell Comedy Special makes a great reference to her younger days as an athlete), and only later realized how much that background helped her handle the mental side of standup—the bad sets, the misses, the need to reset fast.

Improv at the Groundlings came first, but it was a standup class in 2015 that culminated with a set at the Comedy Store’s Belly Room that made everything click. She remembers the moment driving home from class: “I had this feeling of like, 'Oh my gosh. I feel like everything is sort of leading to this moment.'”

The moments kept coming. Like Comedy Wham Presents, Macey just hit her 10 year anniversary in standup. For her, the milestone has become a turning point in how she sees herself. No longer carrying the difficult weight of the world, she's found comfort in claiming the label of comic.

Nowadays, Macey’s juggling a lot in a grounded way: she's building a new hour now that both her Dry Bar Comedy Special, Half-Sister and Don’t Tell Special are out; she's rebranding her podcast with her psychiatrist friend and co-host to That's Our Time; and, she's quietly set her sights on a writing a feature script that “no one asked for” but that she’s loving.

Macey talks honestly about envy, hustle culture, social media, and the weird rhythm of being married to someone with a “normal” job. She's got exciting projects ahead, she's touring and throwing in appearances in Austin from time to time (a double-header, in sports-speak, visiting with parents and performing comedy gigs). Despite the chaos, she finds this new collage of experiences more calming than her childhood memories. Her experiences in comedy may not earn her a basketball championship, but she's hitting all the right shots.