Mackenzie Thomas is a writer and comedian from New Jersey who currently studies Comedic Arts at Emerson College in Boston. Along with writing and joke telling, Mackenzie is always freezing cold and very scared. You can find Mackenzie at any local CVS or on her Instagram @mackenzie
Was there a moment in time when you you realized you were a creator/maker/artist aka you?
Totally. I realized I wanted to pursue comedy after watching Saturday Night Live for the first time when I was twelve. At the time in my life that I found the show, I was extremely lonely, but after watching it, it made me laugh so hard I didn’t feel as alone. After finishing that first episode, I decided that it was my new mission to make other people happy like the show had made me. My whole career is inspired by that brief moment of happiness.
Is there a relationship between your identity (queer/gender/ethnicity/otherwise) and the work you make?
Completely. I’m biracial. I have a black mom and a white dad. My biracial identity is a huge part of who I am. Earlier in my life I was super insecure about being biracial, but more recently after pursuing comedy I’ve been able to incorporate my identity into my act and it’s been super rewarding. I’ve been able to celebrate who I am and make people laugh at the same time, it’s everything anyone could ever want!
What do you want the beauty/fashion world to look like in 10 years?
I want the future to look like the future. I want space suits.
What is inspiring to you right now — other makers/artists/musicians/ideas/cultural trends?
Lots of things inspire me, so I’ll give you a list: Bill Hader, Patti Harrison, my YouTube recommended list, Doctor Phil, Brockhampton, Frank Ocean, my Air Max 90s, Rashida Jones, my boyfriend, the Frog and Toad books and this amazing piece of French toast I had the other day.
Why is glitter such an important part of your life?
Glitter looks good on anything, so when I wanna look good I put on a little glitter. It’s subtle, but also over the top, and that’s why I love it. I try to incorporate it whenever I can—glitter eyeshadow, glitter lip gloss, glitter nails! Glitter is PERFECT to me.
As a comedian what do you think is the best joke? Take that question and run with it, literal or metaphorical!
Honestly, everything is a joke if you want it to be. There is a joke in everything that happens to you, you just have to look for it.
Who are your fashion/beauty icons? Whose look inspires you?
Rashida Jones and Grimes come to mind when I think about certain styles or looks like inspire me. I want every outfit I wear to be somewhere in between those two women. Both of them have this amazing confidence in how they look and I wanna be like that! I’m completely obsessed with both of them.
What was your first “makeup moment” and what do you wear today?
I've never been great with makeup, I've always relied heavily on YouTube tutorials and my own creativity when it comes to applying makeup. When I was younger and first started wearing makeup, the only look I cared about achieving was the perfect winged eyeliner. I used wake up early for middle school and sit on my floor for hours trying to get the perfect wing. I tried every hack out there and nothing ever worked. Now, I still wear winged liner daily, but now with the addition of clear glitter
If you were to be related to any object in the world, what would it be?
A Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Tell us about an exciting and/or new work/project/thing you’re working on; how did it originate? How is it related to other work you’ve done?
Right now, I’ve got a project out called “A Collection of Stories” that is a podcast I’ve been working on periodically since the beginning of 2018. It’s a podcast devoted to the stories from my life that are too long to be mentioned in a standup set or Instagram caption. It can be found on my Bandcamp.
What is next for you? Do you have any hopes, dreams, plans you are excited about?
Hopefully I’ll graduate college, move to New York and really start laying down the ground work for the future of my career.
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