Speaking to comedian Heather McMahan on the red carpet might just be the key to award season success.
“I do think I’m a little bit of a good luck charm, because usually the people that come to me end up winning,” McMahan, 38, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her partnership with Stouffer’s Supreme. “I always say, ‘Stop by my booth because you’re obviously gonna win.’ Let me, like, rub your head or something. I’m a good luck charm.”
The comedian is an old pro when it comes to hosting, having appeared on E!’s Live From the Red Carpet various times in the past year. She even has some memorable interactions with stars — and yes, one of them took home an award.
“Sometimes, you only get 20 seconds with someone,” she told Us. “There were times where I was in the middle of a conversation, like Lamorne Morris — who ended up winning the Emmy for Fargo that year. I told him, ‘I could sit and chat with you all day.’”
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McMahan also revealed that she took her shoes off when talking with Ariana Grande and what it was like chatting with Nicholas Braun, who played Cousin Greg in Succession.
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
“He was so incredible, so funny,” she said. “Obviously, who didn’t love Succession? But that was one of those moments where I was like, ’This is the best job ever.’”
McMahan continued, “I’ve been in this business a while. I get to work with so many of my different peers, [but] to interview them on the red carpet, and seeing how nervous they are about getting nominated for awards that they put their heart and soul into, is pretty surreal.”
The gig is “really fun” for the comedian, but is admittedly the “toughest” part of her job.
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“You have to be a journalist,” she said. “You have to know your facts. You have to study. You really have to be on it.”
Courtesy of Stouffer’s
McMahan is currently on her Bamboozled comedy tour, but took a break to work with Stouffer’s Supreme to surprise families around the country with the last name Pantry.
“It’s been the coolest experience. Not only am I getting to introduce this new product, the Stouffer’s Supreme Shells & Cheese, but I’m also getting to give back to local communities,” she told Us. “I’m surprising families with the last name Pantry, showing up with a box full of Shells & Cheese. We’re also getting to go to local food pantries in their respective cities [for] a huge give back, which is amazing. We have 10,000 boxes of Stouffer’s Supreme to pass out across the country.”
McMahan was camera ready for the whole “wild ride” around America.
“I’ve been literally driving around in a giant box truck passing out macaroni and cheese,” she told Us. “I feel like I’m running a game show, and it has been lightning speed running from house-to-house and Pantry family to Pantry family.”
She noted that “one in seven people” rely on food pantries, so it’s also been an “eye opening experience” for McMahan. “It feels great to, like, really get in touch with communities,” she added.
