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Robyn Doreian
March 29, 2026 — 5:00am
Comedian Joanne McNally is best known for her award-winning podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me. Ahead of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the 42-year-old talks about the important men in her life, including her adoptive and birth fathers, first loves and why this year she’s going to make an effort to find love.
I was adopted as a child. My adoptive parents, Frank and Pat, raised me in Killiney, Ireland. Frank was from Lancashire, in north-west England, and was determined to meet an Irish woman. He met my adoptive mother at an Irish dance in London.
Frank was a sweet and kind man. He was good with numbers and spent a lot of time doing maths with me because I’m bad at it. He died when I was 16. After Frank died, I went a bit off the rails. I was a class clown at school and an attention-seeker; I thought I was going to be an actress.
I met my birth father in 2023, while doing my first Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It was lovely spending time with him as he has five gorgeous kids and a lovely wife. There was no ill will from either side – he’s really sound.
My first kiss happened when I was 11. It was with a boy who is now gay. We went out for quite an intense seven days; obviously, I thought I was going to marry him. His friends said he would like to meet me in the woods. We did so and engaged our tongues frantically until one of us could no longer breathe, then walked out separately and high-fived our friends. It was quite technical, I would say.
I had a huge crush on Titanic-era Leonardo DiCaprio. Back then, guys who looked kind of feminine were attractive to me. I know people slag him off for his dating choices, but he’s ageing very well.
In my 20s, I developed anorexia and bulimia. It was the era when Kate Moss said “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. Size zero was the goal, so weight was very much tied to success. I thought being thin would make me more attractive to men. It was a very toxic time for women’s bodies.
Relationships and boys were my priority. A lot of my value was tied up in what men thought of me. One relationship ended very badly, and I fell off a cliff emotionally. I needed a lot of help to come back from that. Rejection, it’s said, is worse than death; you question everything about yourself.
Humour in a man is massively attractive to me. I also like a driven guy, a man who gets stuff done, because I am problematically independent. I could be laughed into bed by a gargoyle. It’s all about the comedy for me.
After studying English and sociology at University College Dublin, I spent a year in Australia. I worked in phone centres, which I regret. I wish I’d got a job in a coffee shop or a bar.
The one thing I’d say about Australian men is that they’re very hot. There was a lot of torso in Australia that I wasn’t used to, and a lot of blond curls. But those kinds of men don’t go for women like me. If they’re that hot, they’re not going for just personality.
My most recent long relationship lasted two years. We’d met on Raya, the celebrity-dating app – not that either of us were celebrities, but we managed to wangle our way on. He lived in Ireland and I lived in London and as I spend a lot of time on tour, it wasn’t sustainable. It ended in 2024.
If I had to name a high-profile comedian I find attractive it would be Bill Burr. He has a lovely vibe, seems to have his head switched on and has no sexual allegations [against him], which is rare enough for male comics. Plus, he’s as funny as f---.
I am happily single but this year I’m going to make an effort because if you take your foot off the gas for too long, you can’t start the car again. I’d like to have a family, too, at some stage. But you have to put the work in. It’s not like they are just going to climb in through the window.
For support with eating disorders, call 1800 334 673.
Joanne McNally’s show, Pinotphile, is touring throughout April.
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