SIDE-NOTE.COM

No one is doing it like @marybethbarone. This year, it’s been hard to have an internet connection and not encounter her particular brand of brilliance. Maybe you met the comedian via her viral Golden Globes red carpet interviews, where she had The Rock offer to pick her up with one arm. Or perhaps you watched Barone’s hit Netflix special, Galaxy Brain, in which she delivered cutting takedowns of everyone from white liberals and Joe Biden to Katy Perry fans and men who don’t announce when they orgasm during sex.

Though for anyone who’s been paying attention, 2026 was simply the year that everyone else caught up. Barone has been charming for years, whether it be in her stand-up work, on her podcast with best friend Benito Skinner, Ride, or as Grace on ‘Overcompensating’. Blending hyper-niche pop culture knowledge with acerbic political commentary and personal vulnerability, Barone’s work has established her as a singular talent amongst her peers. And she’s only just getting started.

“When I’m feeling deep emotions, that’s when I want to start writing,” Barone tells SIDE-NOTE. “Do I think it’s the healthiest coping mechanism? Probably not,” she says, delivering the sarcastic punchline with a saccharine smile: “But I guess you just keep running until it catches up with you.”

MARY BETH BARONE FOR SIDE-NOTE VOLUME 6. AVAILABLE NOW EXCLUSIVELY AT SIDE-NOTE.COM.

Photographer @lucian_0 Stylist @nichhiawippell Creative Director @stephanie_huxley Hair @tomokokuwamura1207 Makeup @aiyokomizo Manicure @yukotsuchihashi Cover story by @courtneypearl Set Design @chanceybridges Production @pony_projects @pony_projects DOP @thenamesneema Post @rebekkaleejohnson

Mary Beth wears @loewe