Happy New Year — Thank You for Being Here

Happy New Year! 🎉I’m walking into this new year with a full heart and one big feeling: gratitude.

If you’ve been to a show, shared a clip, sent a kind message, or even just followed along quietly—thank you. Truly. Comedy is such a strange little job (standing alone under a spotlight, trying to turn real life into laughs), and it only works because people choose to show up.

This past year reminded me of something I keep learning over and over: community is everything.

I’m grateful for:

• Everyone who came out to see me perform (whether it was your first stand-up show or your hundredth)

• The friends who bring friends—because that’s how comedy lives

• The people who support my projects, even when they’re a little niche (Japanese American stories, bilingual chaos, and stationery joy… yes, all of it)

• The kind strangers who say, “I needed that laugh.” You have no idea what that does for me.

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And I have to say a special thank you to everyone listening to my podcast Nihongo to English. It’s such a fun, weird, joyful corner of my life—jumping between Japanese and English, laughing at how language (and our brains) work, and basically proving that “talking about nothing” can still somehow mean something. If you’ve tuned in, left a review, told a friend, or DM’d me a phrase you learned… I appreciate you so much.

New Year energy always makes people talk about becoming a “new” version of themselves. Honestly, I’m not trying to reinvent myself. I’m trying to keep showing up, keep getting better, keep telling the truth on stage—while staying playful, curious, and brave enough to try things that might flop (because sometimes flops become the best jokes later).

So here’s my simple wish for you in 2026:May you feel supported. May you laugh often. May you do more of what makes you feel alive.

Thank you for being part of my world. I can’t wait to share what’s next.

With so much appreciation,

Michelle MaliZaki