Rose Matafeo is a comedian, actress, and TV presenter from New Zealand. She was born on February 25, 1992. Rose became famous for her work on the comedy sketch show called Funny Girls in New Zealand. In 2018, she won a big award for her comedy show called Horndog at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.
Rose grew up in Ponsonby, Auckland. She went to Auckland Girls’ Grammar School and was the head girl there. Rose has two older brothers. Her dad is Samoan, and her mom is Scottish and Croatian. Her parents are Rastafarians, and they belong to a group called the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Rose says her upbringing was pretty relaxed.
When Rose was just 15 years old, she started doing stand-up comedy. She joined a program called “Class Comedians” by the New Zealand Comedy Trust. She won an award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2007 for her comedy.
After finishing the “Class Comedians” program, Rose won the award for best newcomer at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2010. She also hosted a popular show at the comedy festival called “Fanfiction Comedy” in 2012. Rose became well-known for her solo stand-up comedy shows like “Life Lessons I’ve Learnt from the 60s Based on Things I’ve Seen on Television” in 2011, “Scout’s Honour” in 2012, and “The Rose Matafeo Variety Hour” in 2013.
In 2013, Rose won the Billy T Award, which is given to promising new comedians in New Zealand. She won it for her show “The Rose Matafeo Variety Hour.” Her shows at the festival over the years included titles like “Pizza Party” in 2014 and a duo show with Guy Montgomery at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015.
Rose achieved a big milestone in her career when she won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show in 2018 for “Horndog.” She was the first person of color and the first New Zealander to win this prestigious award for a solo show.
Apart from comedy, Rose has been a TV presenter and writer. She worked on shows like “U Live” and “Jono and Ben at Ten.” She co-created and starred in the New Zealand sketch comedy show “Funny Girls” from 2015 to 2018. Rose has also acted in shows like “Squinters” and has appeared on British TV shows such as “Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier” and “8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.”
Rose made her US television debut as a comedian on Conan O’Brien’s talk show in 2019. She also directed episodes for the New Zealand TV comedy “Golden Boy.”
In 2020, Rose’s comedy special “Horndog” was released on HBO Max. She starred in her first feature film called “Baby Done” alongside Matthew Lewis from the Harry Potter series. The film was executive-produced by Taika Waititi.
Rose created and starred in a rom-com series called “Starstruck,” which aired in several countries including the UK, USA, New Zealand, and Australia. The show was co-written by Rose and Alice Snedden. A third series of the show was released in 2023.
Rose has also been involved in podcasting. She co-hosts a podcast called “Boners of the Heart” with Alice Snedden.
Rose Matafeo dated New Zealand comedian Guy Williams in the past. She moved to London in 2015 where she lived with comedian Nish Kumar and later with James Acaster, her boyfriend at the time. They broke up in 2017.
Rose has interests outside of comedy too. She enjoys watching mukbang videos, where hosts eat large amounts of food while interacting with their audience.
Rose supports the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and was set to host their campaign launch for the 2020 general election but had to step down due to a misunderstanding.
In summary, Rose Matafeo is a talented comedian and actress known for her witty humor and creative shows both on stage and on screen. Her journey from Auckland to international acclaim showcases her versatility and dedication to her craft.