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Melanie Bracewell | |
|---|---|
 Bracewell at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | |
| Born | (1995-07-19)19 July 1995 (age 29) Beach Haven,Auckland, New Zealand |
| Employer | MediaWorks New Zealand |
| Awards | Billy T Award (2018) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Relative(s) |
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| Notable works and roles | The Cheap Seats |
| Website | melaniebracewell |
Melanie Rita Bracewell[1] (born 19 July 1995) is a New Zealand comedian, actress, and scriptwriter. In 2018, Bracewell won New Zealand'sBilly T Award. She has hostedThe Cheap Seats onNetwork 10 in Australia since its debut in 2021, and was a contestant on the fourth series ofTaskmaster NZ.
Bracewell was born on 19 July 1995.[2] She grew up inBeach Haven in Auckland'sNorth Shore, and is a niece of Test cricketersJohn Bracewell andBrendon Bracewell.[3]
Bracewell attendedBirkenhead College,[4] serving as deputy head girl,[5] then studied Communication and Media Studies at theUniversity of Auckland.[6][self-published source?]
Bracewell became interested in comedy as a child and, as a teenager, wrote a comedic blog.[7][8]
Bracewell worked as producer of the breakfast show onRadio Hauraki and appeared as a contestant on the Australian TV quiz showHave You Been Paying Attention?[8][9] She co-hosts the Australian comedy television showThe Cheap Seats alongsideTim McDonald.
In 2019, Bracewell began writing for the TV showThe Project in New Zealand.[8] She has also written for the seriesWellington Paranormal.[10]
In 2020, Bracewell received international coverage when videos and photos of her impersonating Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern went viral. Ardern responded with: "You do my makeup better than I do."[11] Bracewell and Ardern later met and posted aTikTok video while Bracewell was dressed as Ardern.[12][13]
In 2020, Bracewell starred as Karen inThe Eggplant,[14][15] a New Zealandteen drama crime-comedy series released toTVNZ OnDemand andYouTube.[16][17]
Bracewell appeared on the panel showPatriot Brains in 2021.
In 2023, Bracewell andRay O'Leary hosted one episode of the podcastBananapod before it went into hiatus.[18] O'Leary later revealed that the podcast was a task forTaskmaster NZ, which is why no further podcasts were released.[19]
In 2019, Bracewell shared a screenshot on her Twitter account of a sexually explicit message which she said had come unprompted from someone in theReddit cricketing community. A Reddit user later found a post from Bracewell in asubreddit soliciting sexual messages. A moderator from the Reddit cricketing community then contacted Bracewell asking her for details of who sent her the private message. She subsequently apologised and admitted her post was a joke. After her apology, she received criticism on social media with some accusing her of lying about sexual harassment and stereotyping Indians.[20][21]
In 2014, Bracewell won 7 Days Comedy Apprentice; the following year she won the Raw Comedy Quest and in 2016 won Best Auckland Newcomer at theNew Zealand International Comedy Festival.[22]
In 2018, Bracewell received theBilly T Award for the country's best emerging comedian.[23][7] The same year she won Breakthrough Comedian of the Year at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards.[24]
In 2019, she was short-listed for the Kevin Smith Memorial Cup for Outstanding Artist Achievement, Best Female Comedian and Bizarre Moment of the Year at the New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards.[25]