Sofie Hagen
Danish comedian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sofie Hagen (born November 10, 1988) is a Danish comedian,[1] author, podcaster and fat acceptance campaigner. She has toured with comedy shows, released a book and hosted and co-hosted podcasts.
Sofie Hagen | |
|---|---|
Hagen in 2025 | |
| Born | November 10, 1988 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2010 - Present |
| Medium | Stand-up |
| Website | sofiehagen |
Early life and education
Hagen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 10 November 1988.[2][3] She was raised in Søndersø.[4] Hagen was estranged from her father from childhood.[5] She was primarily raised by her mother, with some help from her maternal grandparents.[4] However, her grandfather, Ib, was emotionally abusive.[6] In her 2017 Edinburgh show Dead Baby Frog, she talked about the abuse she had experienced as a child at his hands.[7]
Hagen has a sister.
From 2005 to 2008, Hagen attended Allerød Gymnasium, studying the STX, Spanish and Political Science.[8]
As a child, Hagen was "determined to become the world’s biggest Westlife fan" and wrote fan fiction about the band.[9] She admired Malcolm X growing up and wrote him letters, not knowing that he was dead.[10] She also loved Will Smith, from watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.[10]
Hagen watched comedy for the first time aged 15.[11]
Hagen struggled with her mental health from an early age due to trauma and the abuse of her grandfather. She has been open about self-harming as a teenager.[11] She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital aged 15.[9]
Hagen went to university in Copenhagen, where she studied Russian.[6] She studied to become an international social worker.[12] When she started doing comedy she was working for the Danish Refugee Council and Red Cross Youth Denmark.
Stand-up
Early career
Hagen started doing stand-up in Danish in 2010, in Copenhagen.[13]
After a break-up,[14] Hagen moved to London in September 2012 to perform regular comedy.[15] When she moved, she began performing in English.[16]
In 2013, Hagen attended her first Edinburgh Festival Fringe[17] where she featured in a few shows. She appeared at Rap Battles at Bannermans.[18][19] The Skinny gave the show a five-star review, describing Hagen as "hilarious, but if she looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth it's only because she has the ice-cold heart of a killer".[19] Hagen also featured in Damn Danes with Valdemar Pustelnik.[20] Three weeks, giving the show a 4-star review, described Hagen in the show as "cheerfully downbeat... [with] a wonderful knack for building audience sympathy, then crushing it for a laugh."[20]
In 2013, Time Out identified Hagen as "One to Watch".[3] Hagen won the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year the same year.[21]
In 2014, Hagen won the Chortle Best Newcomer Award for which she was nominated alongside Pierre Novellie, Tim Renkow and Jonny Pelham.[22]
2015: Bubblewrap
In August 2015, Hagen took the debut hour show, Bubblewrap, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[23] The show featured stories about the theft of a horse, teenage depression and mental health, fat-shaming, meeting childhood idols and extracts from her Westlife fan fiction.[23][24][25][26]
Hagen's show received a last-minute venue change, changing from a 70-seat to a 500-seat venue.[27]
The show won the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award (now the Edinburgh Comedy Award) for Best Newcomer.[28][29][30] She was also given the ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards.[31]
The show received 5-star reviews from:
- ThreeWeeks who described it as "consistent and well put together show, with the feel-good message of overcoming the negative body image pushed upon young people"[23]
- The Skinny who also voted her one of the "Three Top Newcomers"[18]
- The Daily Mirror who described her as "a really interesting new voice with something to say and a great way of saying it"[24]
4-star reviews from:
- Chortle[32]
- Time Out, (who elsewhere described her show as one of "12 newcomers to see at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe")[33] who described it as "candid" and "cunningly crafted"[9]
- Beyond the Joke, who described it as "hugely entertaining"[34]
- The Herald, who described it as "bursting with new ideas"[35]
- The Sunday Times[36]
- Fest Magazine, who described it as "a tightly wrapped, beautifully jewelled little investigation into female self-confidence and artistic awakening."[25]
Other reception:
- The Londonist described the show as "great"[37]
- The Guardian described Hagen as one of the "fringe's funniest newcomers", describing her show as "triumphant...in itself and in its message"[27]
- The Independent included the show in an article of "The best comedy shows to book now"[38]
- Broadway Baby gave the show a mixed review, both describing it as "charming", but also saying that "There’s an uneasy balance between the serious issues and her comedy set, and though blending the two together with such subject content may prove to be distasteful, you may pause to wonder if you are watching a stand up or a debate."[39]
- Broadway Baby described the show as "the most authentic and the most of human of any stand up...at Fringe".[40]
2016: Shimmer Shatter
In August 2016, Hagen took her second solo show, Shimmer Shatter, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[5][41] The show explored stories from Hagen's past and current life, including marrying a stick of wood, falling in love and dealing with introversion and social anxiety. Overall, Hagen described the show as being about sadness.[42]
Hagen attempted to make the tour welcoming for fans with anxiety by allowing them to make contact before shows to let her know their needs.[43] She also asked the majority of venues on the tour to provide gender-neutral toilets.
The show received 5-star reviews from:
- Three Weeks, who said that Hagen displays a "confident ownership of her own pain" and is "brilliant at doing ‘creepy’ jokes without actually making people uncomfortable"[44]
4-star reviews from:
- Beyond the Joke, who named Hagen's show one of the "Ten Must See Edinburgh Fringe Shows",[45] and saying that "Hagen speaks to the scared geek in all of us...the laughter rolling around the room is the laughter of recognition"[46]
- The Skinny, who said it was "a warm, subtly empowering hour".[47]
- One4Review, who said "This won’t be the show that makes you laugh the most this Fringe, but it will make you think, make you feel better about the world, and will make you really like Sofie Hagen. This is a lovely, gentle show which feels honest and welcoming and genuinely heartwarming."[48]
3-star reviews from:
- The Guardian, having named it as one of "the shows we recommend",[49] gave the show a 3-star review, saying that it lacked the "bulletproof set pieces" and "raucous" laughs of her debut show, but that it "confirms her skill at structuring autobiographical comedy, and at combining confessional intimacy with some laser-guided gags."[5]
Other reception:
- Time Out named the show one of "Seven must-see comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe".[50]
2017: Dead Baby Frog
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In August 2017, Hagen took her third solo show Dead Baby Frog to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[7] This was Hagen's first paid show at the Fringe.[51]
The show was about Hagen's childhood trauma and emotional abuse from her maternal grandfather (or 'momdad').[7][52] The title references the boiled frogs experiment, first conducted by Friedrich Goltz in 1869,[53] that "“proved” frogs make no resistance if slowly boiled alive, just as Hagen's story illustrates how children might come to accept hostile environments as normal."[54] She also returns to the issue of fatphobia in her set, responding to another comic's dismissal of the idea at the last year's Fringe.[55]
On entry to the show, Hagen provided a flyer warning that the show was about emotional abuse.[53]
The show received 4-star reviews from:
- To Do List, who called it "a pretty personal show in which she does not hold back" and whilst some people might argue that it "feels like part therapy part comedy show...this doesn’t make it any less successful.[56]
3.5-star reviews from:
- Chortle, who described the show as "a speedy, feelgood hour, which might be surprising when you consider the horrid man at its heart."[57]
3-star reviews from:
- The Skinny, who said that Hagen "manages to tackle a tricky subject matter delicately without pushing it too heavily on to the audience."[53]
- The Wee Review, who said that "Hagen comes across as a thoroughly delightful person whom everyone is rooting for", but "the weighty themes of the show means that it’s more cathartic confession than comedy."[58]
Other reception:
- The show received a mixed review from The Guardian, who described it as "urgent, raw and confessional" yet "her jokes burn at a low flame, and can feel dutiful."[54]
- The List described it as "a compelling tale of resistance and breaking free from the shackles of tyranny"[59]
- The Skinny named it their number one pick for comedy at the Fringe 2017[60]
2018
In 2018, Hagen took her work-in-progress show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[61][62]
2019: The Bumswing
In 2019, Hagen took her fourth solo show The Bumswing to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The name comes from Swansea, i.e. Shame town, twinned with Skamby in Denmark, which is Hagen's home town.[63]
In the show Hagen mentions that her therapist has told her (after her previous show which talked about her childhood abuse) that repeating her trauma daily may not be healthy for her, so this was a lighter show.[64] Nevertheless, the show was about memory (false and absent) and trauma.[65]
Hagen won the Audience Award in the Comedy Poster Awards for her poster for The Bumswing.[66] The photographer for the poster was Matt Crockett. The designer was Haiminh Le and the designer of the jumpsuit was Jazmin Lee from Plus Equals. Hagen said that the idea for the poster was for it to be like a Magic Eye poster.
The show received 4-star reviews from:
- One4review, who described the show as "minimal" and a "Great show from a great comedian."[65]
- Broadway World, who said it was "a sweet comedy show with lots of laughs throughout and a great twist"[64]
Other reception:
- The List wrote "everything has a purpose in this beautifully created narrative with an apparently deliciously unreliable narrator." about the show, which Hagen described as being "about memory and swings specifically for bums".[67]
In 2019, Hagen also participated, alongside other comedians, in a benefit gig in aid of mental health charities, Mind and SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) on the anniversary of the death of Robin Williams.[68] She hosted the show alongside Nish Kumar.
On 15 August, Hagen also participated in Werewolf: Live - Charity Spectacular!, a charity show raising money for Kidney Research UK, hosted by Jon Gracey.[69]
2021
In 2021, Hagen took her work-in-progress show Optimistically Working On A New Show, In Case The World Doesn't End to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[17] She attended the Fringe without a preconceived concept or plan of what the show would be. The Fringe took place in light of the covid-19 pandemic, having been cancelled the previous year and held with social distancing guidelines in 2021.
2022: Fat Jokes
In 2022, Hagen took her solo show Fat Jokes to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[70] The show explored several themes, particularly fatphobia. She discusses "society's 'deeply ingrained' anti-fat bias and the way it marginalises people, particularly women."[4]
The show received a 3.5-star review from:
- Chortle, who said that "the individual elements of Fat Jokes work well, there’s not a strong enough narrative arc".[70]
3-star reviews from:
- The List, who describes it as a "Mixed bag of a show which both challenges and comforts her audience"[71]
2023: Banglord
In 2023, Hagen took her show Banglord to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The show was about how she hadn't had sex for six months and seven years, having affairs (one with a famous British comedian, and another cheating with another comic in Denmark), hiring a sex worker mistakenly thinking they were a sex therapist, being not the best person in relationships and not being treated the best in relationships, anxiety medication, and how they would make a good dictator.[72][73][74][75][76] Hagen started the show with showing the audience a breakdown of what would be discussed within the hour.[75]
The show was named in the British Comedy Guide's Best reviewed Edinburgh Fringe shows 2023.[77]
The show received 5-star reviews from:
- Funny Women, who said that "this show is a departure where the Danish comedian shares their love of gossip" and, in this show "Self-exploration has been replaced with sheer glee and it makes for an incredibly fun show where you will leave wishing Sofie was your leader."[78]
- The Wee Review[75]
- Entertainment Now[79]
4-star reviews from:
- Broadway World, describing it as "a solid hour that tackles topics that aren't really being discussed with sensitivity but also provides big laughs."[72]
- Fest Magazine, who describes it as "Frivolous in the present and often dark in its reaches into the past, Banglord roams just about everywhere tonally."[73]
- The i Paper (who also listed the show as one of "The best shows to see" at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023),[80] calling it "an enjoyable and intriguing hour."[76]
- One4review, who said "On the surface – dictators, duck feet and sex therapists – the show probably shouldn’t cohere as well as it did, but Ms Hagen is an excellent writer as well as performer, and so her narrative skill and her delivery make it work."[81]
2026: I Think Some of This Is My Fault
Television
In July 2016, Hagen appeared in the Channel 4 miniseries Outsiders.[82] It was first made as part of Channel 4's Comedy Blaps scheme for new comedy talent. The premise was about foreign young people moving to the fringes of London to share a flat. The script came out of improvisation from the comic actors. The Guardian described it as, in light of Brexit, speaking "to the weird sense of isolation that young remainers are feeling, adrift in a backwards, xenophobic world."[82]
Writing
In November 2015, Virago Press Hagen published an essay in the collection I Call Myself a Feminist.[83]
In January 2018, she wrote an article in The Guardian calling for people to stop dieting, labelling it as "boring", "triggering", and "neither feminist – nor healthy".[84] Hagen is part of the fat acceptance movement.
2019: Happy Fat
In 2019, Hagen had a debut book Happy Fat – Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You published by 4th Estate.[85] The book documents her experiences growing up as a fat child and adult, including dieting, seeing food as both an expression of love and a punishment, difficulties with plane seats and public toilets, dating and sex.[4][86] It mixes this with political commentary, statistics, scientific studies and interviews with activists.
Key to the book is the idea that "fatphobia is a product of capitalism – designed to keep us consuming diet products and miracle foods; and patriarchy – which demands women exert an impossible level of self-discipline around their looks”[4] and so, to "challenge fatphobia is to challenge capitalism and to see fat people in the context of other marginalised groups".[4] These ideas come from the fat liberation movement in 1960s New York.
2024: Will I Ever Have Sex Again?
In her second book, Will I Ever Have Sex Again?, Hagen discusses being celibate for several years after experiencing rejection, humiliation, and sexual assault. The book was published by Blink in May 2024.[87][88]
Podcasts
Hagen has a long history of making podcasts.
2013–2016: Comedians Telling Stuff
Hagen hosted Comedians Telling Stuff, a podcast series where she asks six questions of six comedians.[89] The show began in August 2013 and ran for nine seasons before ending in 2016.[90][91] Guests have included Susan Calman, Nick Helm, Richard Herring, Michael Legge, Josie Long, Colin Mochrie, Pappy's, Katherine Ryan, Ian Boldsworth and Arthur Smith, as well as younger comedians and comedians from Denmark.[92]
2015–2016: The Guilty Feminist
In 2015, Hagen co-founded the The Guilty Feminist podcast with Deborah Frances-White.[93] To quote the show, the podcast explores "our novel goals as 21st-century feminists and our hypocrisies and insecurities which undermine them".[94] Hagen was a co-host from December 2015 to December 2016.[95]
In 2016, Hagen and Frances-White took the podcast to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with special guest Susan Calman.[94] The show was given a 5-star review by One4Review, who said they'd "never heard an audience so absorbed or concentrate so hard at a Fringe show – or even in a university lecture – as this audience did to the issues presented."[96]
2016–2020: Made of Human Podcast/Who Hurt You?
In 2016, Hagen created the Made of Human comedy podcast, in which she interviews various comedians.[97]
Hagen has interviewed many guests for the podcast including Cameron Esposito, Aisling Bea, Mark Watson, Lolly Adefope, Hari Kondabolu, Nish Kumar, Katherine Ryan, and Sara Pascoe.[98]
The New Statesman named Made of Human one of their top ten podcasts in 2017.[99] The Blurt Foundation named Made of Human one of their top 10 podcasts in 2018.[100] Hannah Parkinson from The Guardian interviewed Hagen about Made of Human when she visited Edinburgh and named it a top podcast from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[101]
In 2020, Hagen changed the name of the Made of Human Podcast to Who Hurt You?.
2018: Secret Dinosaur Cult
In 2018, Hagen created the Secret Dinosaur Cult podcast with fellow comedian Jodie Mitchell.[citation needed] Their episodes were recorded in front of a live audience in London, at their so-called cult meetings. The podcast ended on April 11, 2020, after 48 episodes, due to COVID.[102]
2020–2023: Bad People
From 2020 to 2023, Hagen co-hosted the BBC Sounds/BBC Radio 4 true crime podcast Bad People with criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw.[103][104] The Guardian described the two hosts as "loquacious and funny", with Shaw sharing "some fascinating information between their bants".[105]
Help Hole
2026–Present: Sofieland: The Bunker
Awards
| Year | Status | Award | Awarding Body | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Finalist | Funny Women Awards | [106] | |
| 3rd | New Comedian of the Year | Leicester Square Theatre | [107] | |
| 2013 | Winner | New Act of the Year | Laughing Horse | [21] |
| 2014 | Best Newcomer | Chortle Awards | [108] | |
| 2015 | Best Newcomer | Fosters Award (now the Edinburgh Comedy Award) | [29] | |
| Winner
(of 10) |
Editors' Awards | ThreeWeeks | [31] | |
| 2016 | Nominee | Danish Comedian of the Year | [109] | |
| 2019 | Winner | Audience Award | Comedy Poster Awards | [66] |
| Shortlist | Panel Award | |||
Politics
Fat and fatphobia
Hagen has spoken openly about her experience of being fat.[110][111] The List describes her as "on a mission to proudly reclaim fatness as an identity that needs not only accepted but embraced, and she wants fat people to feel safe in her audience."[71] She disagrees with the body positivity movement, saying that it "is just another way of asking women to smile" and is tied to consumerism.[112] She rejects the idea that we should all love our bodies (which often leads to feeling like a failure), and prioritises "body neutrality", which "focuses on respect and acceptance of your body".[4] For this reason, she decides to use the word "fat" to describe herself, seeing it as a neutral descriptive word, contrasting with "overweight" and other terms that see being fat as something negative and needing to be changed.
In 2018, Hagen commented on a campaign by Cancer Research stating that obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking saying that it was "damaging and fatshaming" and would increase the stigma fat people face.[113][114] Cancer Research replied saying that they did not intend to fatshame anyone, but have a "duty to inform" people of the links between obesity and cancer.[113] Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert also commented: "This is not about fat-shaming. It is based on scientific evidence and designed to give important information to the public."[113]
In 2019, Hagen recorded the programme Sofie Hagen: How To Love Your Fat for BBC Radio 4.[115] It covered fatphobia, and what it means to love your body.
Live performances
Tours
Festivals and shows
| Year | Title | Venue | Festival | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Damn Danes | The Counting House | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | With Valdemar Pustelnik | [116] |
| Crying Duck Crash Lands... | Bar 50 | With Amir Khoshsokhan, Matthew Comras, George Colebrook | |||
| Rap Battles | Bannermans | [19] | |||
| 2015 | Bubblewrap (Preview) | Balham Free Fringe Festival | [118] | ||
| Bubblewrap | Liquid Rooms | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [23] | ||
| 2015 | For Robin Williams: A Benefit Gig in aid of Mind and SAMH | Cabaret | [116] | ||
| 2018 | Assembly | ||||
| 2019 | |||||
| 2016 | Work-in-progress | Anglers (Teddington) | [119] | ||
| The Guilty Feminist With Sofie Hagen and Deborah Frances-White | Gilded Balloon | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | With Deborah Frances-White | [116] | |
| Shimmer Shatter | Liquid Rooms | [5] | |||
| 2017 | Dead Baby Frog | Bedlam Theatre | [116] | ||
| 2018 | Sofie Hagen Tries Something (Preview) | Berlin Fringe | [120] | ||
| The Counting House | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [116] | |||
| 2019 | The Bumswing | Pleasance Dome | |||
| Werewolf: Live - Charity Spectacular! | Underbelly | Cabaret | |||
| Secret Dinosaur Cult Live | Bedlam Theatre | With Jodie Mitchell | |||
| Mark Watson and Sofie Hagen will each do 30 minutes of not-really-jokes-yet | Monkey Barrel | With Mark Watson | |||
| 2020 | Vault Festival (London) | ||||
| Glasgow International Comedy Festival | |||||
| 2021 | Optimistically Working On A New Show, In Case The World Doesn't End | Monkey Barrel | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | ||
| 2022 | Fat Jokes | Monkey Barrel | [70] | ||
| Leamington Spa Comedy Festival | [116] | ||||
| Harrogate Comedy Festival | |||||
| The Lemon Tree | Aberdeen Comedy Festival | [121] | |||
| 2023 | Banglord | Monkey Barrel | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [116] | |
| Hay Festival | |||||
| 2024 | Sofie Hagen Does Something Old, Something New, Nothing Borrowed, Lots of Blue | Monkey Barrel | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | ||
| 2025 | Sofie Hagen Tries To Write A New Show (And Needs You To Be There) | The Bill Murray | [122] | ||
| 2026 | I Think Some of This Is My Fault | Monkey Barrel | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [116] |
Audiography
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2016 | Comedians Telling Stuff | ||
| 2015–2016 | The Guilty Feminist | ||
| 2016–2020 | Made of Human Podcast/Who Hurt You? | ||
| 2018 | Secret Dinosaur Cult | ||
| 2020–2023 | Bad People | ||
| Help Hole | |||
| 2026–Present | Sofieland: The Bunker |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Other Role | Channel | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | BBC New Comedy Award | Self | BBC Radio 4 | Episodes 1: "Heat 1", 9: "Wildcard Vote 2013" | [116] | |
| 2014 | Episode 8: "London Heat 2" | |||||
| Britain Versus The World | Guest | Series 1, Episode 2 | [123] | |||
| 2015 | Fresh From The Fringe | Episode 2 | [124] | |||
| The Now Show | Self | Writer | Series 47, Episode 4 | [125] | ||
| 2017 | The Museum Of Curiosity | Guest | Gallery 10, Episode 4: "Meeting Fifty-Nine" | [126] | ||
| 2019 | Sofie Hagen: How To Love Your Fat | Presenter | Writer | [127] | ||
| The Arts Hour Holiday Comedy | Self | BBC World Service | Stand-up | [128] | ||
| 2020 | Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life | Guest | Writer | BBC Radio 4 | Episode 2: "Summer" | [129] |
| 2021 | My Teenage Diary | Series 10, Episode 5 | [130] | |||
| 2024 | Kiri's Comedy Club | BBC Radio Wales | Series 2, Episode 2; Series 3, Episode 3 | [131][132] |
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other Role | Channel | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Alan Davies Après-Ski | Guest | BBC Two | Episode 1 | [116] | |
| 2015 | Stand Up Central | Comedy Central | Series 1, Episode 3 | |||
| 2016 | Live From The BBC | Self | BBC Three | Series 1, Episode 5 | ||
| Outsiders | Sofie | Writer (additional material) | Online | 3 episodes | ||
| 2017 | The Nightly Show | Guest | ITV | Episode 34 | ||
| Ouch Storytelling Live XL: Awkward Moments | Host | BBC iPlayer | ||||
| 2018 | Roast Battle | Self | Comedy Central | Series 1, Episode 4 | ||
| Comedy Central At The Comedy Store | Guest | Series 5, Episode 4 | ||||
| Dave's Advent Calendar | Self | U&Dave | Episode 23 | |||
| Sofie's Sex Stories | Host | Comedy Central (Online) | Never made | |||
| 2019 | Comedy Central Live | Self | Writer | Comedy Central | Episode 3 | |
| 2020 | Fat Chat | Guest | Comedy Central (Online) | Episode 3 | ||
| 2023 | OnlyFans Creative Fund: Comedy Edition | Host | Online | Episodes 1–3 |
Personal life
In December 2024, Hagen moved back to Denmark.[133]
Hagen has been open about her struggles with her mental health through childhood and adulthood, as well as her use of therapy for several years.[citation needed]
Hagen is bisexual[134] (or pansexual).[74] However, she has said she has insecurities about her queerness because the majority of her relationships have been with cis men.
Hagen is also nonbinary, stating "My pronouns are whatever. She/they/he, whatever you want."[135]