About this episode

Mike talks with director Ro Haber about the documentary We Are Pat, exploring the legacy of gender ambiguity in comedy.

Thirty years ago, Saturday Night Live's "It's Pat" turned gender ambiguity into a recurring punchline. Today, the question of what to do with that legacy — and who gets to answer it — is anything but simple. Mike talks with director Ro Haber about We Are Pat, their feature documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it earned a Special Jury Mention for Best New Documentary Director. The film follows a cohort of trans and non-binary comedians as they reimagine and rewrite the original Pat sketches, using camp and humor to reclaim a character whose popularity once hinged on making others uncomfortable. Julia Sweeney (Pat herself) joins the conversation, along with contributors including Molly Kearney, Murray Hill, Nori Reed, and Sabrina Wu. Haber and Mike dig into how comedy functions as both a tool of oppression and a radical force for change, and wrestle with the harder questions the film poses: how does art age, and can narratives that once mocked us be genuinely reclaimed? We Are Pat is now streaming on Prime Video and available to rent or buy on Fandango at Home. Follow the film on Instagram at @wearepatdoc. Become a supporter of this podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Mike

Guest: Ro Haber

Topics covered

• gender ambiguity
• comedy
• trans and non-binary representation
• documentary filmmaking
• cultural legacy
• reclaiming narratives

Keywords

• We Are Pat
• It's Pat
• Ro Haber
• Julia Sweeney
• trans comedians
• documentary
• comedy legacy
• gender identity
• cultural critique

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Saturday Night Live, Tribeca Film Festival, Prime Video, Fandango

Books & works: We Are Pat, It's Pat

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