Megan Stalter Brings Cleveland Roots to Big Hollywood Moments

 Megan Stalter’s late-night interviews and red carpet moments are all parts of the bit.

At the Las Culturistas Awards in 2025, she wore a corset made of Diet Coke cartons in a joking attempt to get a brand deal. She appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert wearing a ridiculously long blond wig and a tank top that read “Meg Stalter: Prettiest Girl in America.” In January, she and fellow Hacks castmate Paul W. Downs went viral for their Critics Choice Awards outfits: near-perfect dupes of the orange ensembles Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner wore to the Marty Supreme world premiere.

“My really close friend — I’m not gonna name any names — but she let me borrow this dress,” Stalter said in a red carpet interview, then smirked at the camera. “Fits like a glove.”

She hopes you get her sense of humor.

“I love making fun of the industry,” Stalter says. “It’s really fun to make fun of things that you’re a part of.”

The rising actress and comedian is best known for her performances as the talent manager Kayla on HBO hit series Hacks, which is set to premiere its fifth and final season on April 9, along with her starring role as Jessica in the Lena Dunham-created rom-com Too Much. Before her burgeoning career in Los Angeles, she got her start in Chicago and New York City’s comedy scenes.

Long before that, she was making home videos with her siblings and cousins in her hometown of Cleveland and, later, Dayton, where she grew up. (For the record: She says Cleveland’s cooler.)

She regularly visits Northeast Ohio; her father, Dave Stalter, owns Voodoo Monkey Tattoo, and he inked Stalter’s three tats. There’s a rabbit head, a wolf head on a bee’s body (a matching set with her sister), and, alongside a shimmering star done by her brother Nick, the phrase “Baby, I’m a Star.”

She traces that stardom back to her roots in Ohio, and her family members’ unique senses of humor.

“My parents aren’t together, but they’re both really funny in really different ways,” Stalter says. “I’m really lucky that I grew up in such a funny, creative family.”  

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.

Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, featuring immersive stories, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.