Megan Marie Stalter (born September 15, 1990) is an American comedian, actress and singer.Zinoman, Jason. "Now Playing Nightly on Instagram: Sketch Comedy's Newest Star," The New York Times March 29, 2020. Stalter is known for her role as Kayla in the HBO Max comedy Hacks, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and for starring as Jessica Salmon in the romantic comedy series Too Much. In 2026, under the name Meg Stalter, she released her debut single "Prettiest Girl In America" and announced her debut album Crave.
Early life Stalter was born in Cleveland, where she lived until the age of 12. She then moved around with her family, and lived in Dayton, Huber Heights and Centerville, Ohio. She was raised in the Pentecostal Church. Stalter attended Wayne High School, where she was part of the drama club, and tried out for every play, but never got the lead. After graduating from high school, Stalter attended Sinclair Community College and later Wright State University, but left to try acting again. She began doing sketch and improvisational comedy in Dayton and moved to Chicago soon after to do comedy full time. Stalter often collaborates with her brother Nick.Garron, Taylor. "Meg Stalter Thinks the Villain From The Mask Is Hot," Vulture.com September 20, 2019.Escandon, Rosa. "29-Year-Old Megan Stalter Isn't Afraid To Beg," Forbes December 4, 2019.
Career She started doing improv in her early 20s in Ohio. "I was really, really bad. There was a man at the theater in Ohio who asked me to stop being in the show," says Stalter, "Ohio was pretty right." After a year, she moved to Chicago where she started to find her way in comedy. She also started posting videos online in 2018, on what would become The Megan Stalter Show. In 2019, Stalter moved to New York and got a manager. She quickly made a name for herself in the "alt-comedy scene", often performing more than three nights a week around Brooklyn. New York magazine named Stalter one of the "comedians you should and will know in 2019," and in 2020 The New York Times critic Jason Zinoman declared her "sketch comedy's newest star," writing, "In the constantly shifting ecosystem of young performers on Twitter and Instagram, the most vital voice to emerge during this anxious, isolating moment is that of Meg Stalter."Kroeger, Jake, and Anne Victoria Clark. "The Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2019," Vulture.com October 29, 2019. During the pandemic, she improvised as different characters on nightly shows on Instagram Live, which raised her profile rapidly. The Los Angeles Times compared Stalter to other self-distributed comedians such as Cole Escola and Ziwe.
On Social Media, a skit of Stalter went viral parodying rainbow capitalism with brands during Pride Month, with the opening line "Hi Gay!" becoming a popular meme.
In 2019, she joined the cast and writing staff of the reboot of The National Lampoon Radio Hour.Wright, Megh. "The National Lampoon Radio Hour to Feature All Your Favorite Comedy Babies," Vulture.com 19 Sept. 2019. She also hosted the webseries The Megan Stalter Show and the Forever Dog podcast Confronting Demons with Megan Stalter. She is the voice of Bonnie Davis in the Paramount+ original series Tooning Out the News and played Kayla in the HBO Max comedy Hacks. The Los Angeles Times called the latter role, as a "clueless Hollywood assistant brimming with self-assurance yet utterly lacking self-awareness," her breakout role. In 2023, she joined the cast of the film The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, playing park ranger Lisa, alongside X Mayo.
In July 2025, Stalter starred in Too Much, a comedy series created by Lena Dunham and released on Netflix.
In May 2026, Stalter released her debut single "Prettiest Girl In America" and announced her debut album Crave.
On June 2, 2026, Stalter released the second single from her debut album Crave, titled "Gay". On June 12, Stalter released another single, titled "Brr".
In July 2026, Stalter made her Broadway debut, taking over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! for a ten-week engagement.
Personal life Stalter is a practicing Christian. She is bisexual.
At the 2025 Emmy Awards, Stalter wore a bag with "ceasefire" written on it, calling for an end to the Gaza war. Following the killing of Alex Pretti in January 2026, Stalter stated that she supported abolishing ICE and that it was "what Jesus would do".
Her favorite pastime is painting.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes 2020 Little Miss Ohio Various characters 2021 Star-Crossed: The Film Heist Gear Driver2023 Sometimes I Think About Dying Isobel Cora Bora CoraAlso executive producer Problemista Lili First Time Female Director Davina Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain Lisa 2024 A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina's friend
Television YearTitleRoleNotes 2020–2021 Tooning Out the News Bonnie Davis (voice) 31 episodes 2021 Crank Yankers Female Jet Skier Episode: "Brian Posehn, Kevin Nealon, Quinta Brunson" Yearly Departed Self Comedy special 2021–2026 Hacks Kayla Schaefer 33 episodes 2022 Snack vs. Chef Herself (host) 8 episodes Queer as Folk Meg Episode: "Problemática" The Great North Jill (voice) Episode: "Bee's All That Adventure" 2023 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself (guest judge) Episode: "Old Friends Gold" 2025 Number 1 Happy Family USA Gina (voice) 6 episodes Too Much Jessica Salmon 10 episodes2026Big City GreensWendy Woolery (voice)
Theater Year Title Role Venue Notes 2026 Oh, Mary! Mary Todd Lincoln Lyceum Theatre Broadway debut
Music videos YearSong titleArtistRole2019"Cheerleader"Sir BabygirlHot Love Interest2021"simple times"Kacey MusgravesDiva2022"What I Want" MunaManager2025"TOO MUCH x London Bridge"FergieSelf
Discography Studio albums TitleDetails Crave Released: 2026 Format: Digital download, streaming
Singles Year Song Album 2026 "Prettiest Girl in America" Crave "Prettiest Girl in America" "Gay" Crave "Brr" "Gay" rowspan="2" "Brr" "I Need You" Crave"Little Black Dress"
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef. 2021Actor AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesHacks 2022 2024 2025 Critics Choice Awards Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema and Television Breakthrough Performance – Television 2026 Queerty Awards Vanguard Award Herself Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Hacks
References
External links Megan Stalter on IMDb Megan Stalter on Twitter Megan Stalter on Instagram