“I was exceptionally nervous, in a way that I was not expecting, to watch the special with my friends and people that I respect so much,” Berlant told me in a room stuffed with dragtastic feathered headpieces and jewel-toned gowns at Plaza, clad in Bottega Veneta herself. “Stand-up is an inherently embarrassing art form, and there’s nowhere to hide. I felt a little out-of-body watching it.”
Among those who gathered to cheer Berlant on at Plaza were various members of LA’s teeming music and comedy scenes. As former Hacks costars Hannah Einbinder and Meg Stalter reunited at the bar, Saturday Night Live alums Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant, and Molly Shannon mingled by the dance floor, and I made way too much eye contact with one Nathan Fielder.
Outside, guests like Ayo Edebiri, McPherson’s Muna bandmate Katie Gavin, comedian Robby Hoffman, and Hoffman’s wife, television personality Gabby Windey, considered the tuna on crispy rice and spaghetti served from an honest-to-God Parmesan rind (what else?) as they sipped spicy margaritas, danced to Donna Summer, and applied themed temporary tattoos.
When I asked Berlant how she celebrated taping the special at Plaza several months ago, she recalled: “Jacqueline Novak and I and our partners left here at, like, 1:30 a.m. and went to Swingers Diner.” In other words, it was post-Parmesan perfection.
Take an exclusive look inside Berlant’s intimate Parmesan after-party below.
