Comedian Hannah Gadsby Is Wifed Up Who's the Lucky Gal?

Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby Is All Wifed Up — Who's the Lucky Lady?

May 9 2023, Updated 1:28 p.m. ET

They're the genderqueer comedian from Down Under and they're taken, for good.

Perhaps you're familiar with Hannah Gadsby (they/them) and their equally hilarious and soul-baring debut Netflix special, Hannah Gadsby: Nanette, which premiered in 2018. "Had I known just how wildly popular trauma was going to be in the context of comedy, I might've budgeted my s--t a bit better," they joked in their follow-up special, Hannah Gadsby: Douglas.

Hannah has single-handedly redefined comedy as we know it.

Their critically acclaimed Netflix stand-up specials introduced the genderqueer comic from little Smithton, Tasmania, Australia, to the world, and now we're all listening in awe. But after hearing Hannah spill their pain to us in the most eloquent and hysterical way possible, we're just glad that they've found happiness. They secretly got married back in January 2021. Who is Hannah's wife?

Who is Hannah Gadsby's wife?

Despite the Emmy- and Peabody-winning comic being an open book onstage, Hannah kept their relationship private until they officially tied the knot. "I would like to introduce all y’all to Jenney Shamash. She is a producer extraordinaire. She is very funny and is really talented at reciting facts. It is a joy to behold," Hannah wrote in an April 2021 Instagram post, which featured the married duo happily chowing down on ice cream cones.

"We got married in January and we are very chuffed about it. For the record: This is me gushing. I am full of very positive feelings. This is a nice story. My heartfelt thanks to everybody who voted for marriage equality. #married #really? #yeahtotally," the post continued.

Marriage equality in Australia passed in late 2017, two years behind the U.S. Their wife, Jenney Shamash — who's worked as a producer in both London and New York — produced Hannah's 2020 sophomore Netflix special, Douglas, which earned Jenney an Emmy nomination.

It was in Douglas that the world-famous Hannah revealed their autism diagnosis to the world. "It shifted the way that I understood myself. I was always operating on the false premise that everyone saw the world like I did," they told NPR in 2020.

"People on the spectrum ... sort of feel like an alien being dropped in from outer space, and you can't quite connect properly. Being on stage and making a room full of people laugh, felt like a connection I hadn't been able to establish in any other environment," they added.

Hannah Gadsby discusses their marriage at length in their 2023 Netflix special.

In the years following their wedding, they've had to put up with a lot, including hate and transphobic remarks from fans of comedian Dave Chappelle, who infamously described himself as a TERF and openly transphobic in several Netflix stand-up specials.

In an ironic twist, Hannah would subsequently sign a multi-title deal with Netflix that includes a special that showcases gender-diverse comics in the streaming service's apparent attempts to backtrack on their giving transphobes a platform.

As part of that deal, Hannah is featured in Something Special, a Netflix comedy special that began streaming on May 9, 2023. In a deviation from their previous content, Hannah uses the special to discuss more positive things in their life, including the fact that they've got married. They discuss several facets of their queer romance with Jenney, including the hurdles they faced in planning a gay wedding.

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