‘I saw 9/11 from my New York school – it was the beginning of the end for me’

‘I saw 9/11 happen, I think that will do something to your brain,’ says New York comedian Rachel Kaly.

‘My school was very close by to it. We had to walk home after,’ Rachel, 28, explains to ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe show.

Rachel – who is kind of a big deal on the New York and LA comedy circuits and was named as Vulture’s 2023 ‘comedian to watch’ – is hoping to find such popularity in bonny Scotland with her show Hospital Hour.

In her debut Edinburgh hour, Rachel explores why she is mentally ill. Which brings us back to 9/11.

‘I remember the dust and ash, more so than what was my actual view of seeing that happen,’ Rachel recalls, adding that while a primary school kid can’t grasp the enormity of what happened, it changed her.

‘I don’t think I necessarily knew what was going on. But my mum was like, “That was the beginning of the end for you.” I’d had anxiety prior to that, but she said I was a mess after it.’

What followed was hundreds of visits to hospital for various psychological problems, also caused by a number of other factors.

‘I’ve probably been to hospital more than 300 times,’ she says. ‘I’ve had depression, anxiety, panic attacks for years, OCD, an eating disorder.’

Naturally then, Rachel has made an hour’s comedy show about her journey to mental ill-health.

‘Mental illness can be very funny,’ she says, with a dry New York accent that’s slow, precise, and deadpan. ‘There’s a warped idea going on. I think that in itself is pretty funny.’

While her dark sense of humour began as a coping mechanism for Rachel – who started doing stand-up comedy at nine years old – it has turned into something more.

‘Comedy has become important in helping me process. You have to sit with it and figure out how to explain it to people. It gives you clarification of what’s happened,’ she says.

‘There’s something about sharing it that helps me feel less alone too.’

While anxiety doesn’t impact her ability to get on stage and do comedy, parts of the entertainment industry are not ideal for someone struggling behind the curtains.

‘There are parts of being a comedian and in the entertainment industry that aren’t amazing to have mental illness, with so much attention and socialising where you are putting yourself out there, which can be challenging,’ she says.

Rachel performed her show for UK audiences earlier this year, and was pretty nervous – all prepared to change it up to cater for the different culture. But luckily, it was well-received.

‘It felt pretty similar [to US audiences]. Seeing other UK comics, they’re so funny and take big risks I think more than American comics. That made me feel like I can do whatever I want.’

The little old Edinburgh Fringe – which is actually the biggest arts festival in the world – is kind of a huge deal in the US too.

‘Last year everyone I know went. I felt like I was missing out. A lot of shows and comics have gone there and had success in the states because they went – whether it was they had a good run so got publicity, or the show became really good,’ she says.

So if you’re looking for a deadpan American at the Fringe then look no further: no topics are off-limits in a Rachel Kaly set… Even 9/11.