EdFringe Talk: Grace Helbig: Let Me Get This Off My Chest

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“A cancer diagnosis is like a bird crashing through your windshield while you’re driving. Suddenly everything is a mess and you have to take your car off the road and figure out how to fix it.”

WHO: Grace Helbig

WHAT: “Grace Helbig has amassed millions of views as an OG YouTube star. As a comedian, New York Times bestseller, podcast host and true internet kid, she’s built a career on quick wit, awkward charm and heartfelt storytelling. But at 37 everything paused when she was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer. Let Me Get This Off My Chest explores her unexpected “hero’s journey” through breast cancer treatment. Grace is bursting out of her computer screen and bringing her signature comedy to the stage for a night of unpredictable laughs and unforgettable stories.”

WHERE: Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 19:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time stepping into the chaotic wonderland of Fringe. I feel so youthful and naive! I’ve watched a couple Youtube videos and have heard about its exhausting magic from other performers, but you have to see it to believe it. It seems like a Narnia for passionate weirdos and I can’t wait to hurl myself through the wardrobe.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Well, damn. I’ve learned A LOT over the last couple of years, against my will no less. My one woman show is all about my unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 and all the weird and wonderful things I experienced/learned throughout the treatment process. A cancer diagnosis is like a bird crashing through your windshield while you’re driving. Suddenly everything is a mess and you have to take your car off the road and figure out how to fix it. Thankfully, through some trials and tribulations, I was able to get my car fixed. And one of the biggest lessons I’ve continued to learn since, is about getting back on the road and learning to drive again. I drive differently than I used to, but that’s because I’ve gotten up close and personal with how my car works (or doesn’t). And one of the most potent salves that has kept me grounded through the whole experience has been comedy. Creating a lighthearted show from a very dark time has helped me keep the wheels spinning. Bringing the show to Fringe is a bucket list experience. It’s an incredible opportunity, and a huge step in getting my car back out on the road.

Tell us about your show.

Let Me Get This Off My Chest is my debut hour of storytelling about my experience being thrust into a healing journey after a surprise breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. The show was born from the journaling and vlogging I did throughout the treatment process. On top of being a breast cancer survivor, I’ve been an online content creator for seventeen years. This show also explores the pressure of identity and the way we present ourselves, or don’t, online. The show blends awkward charm, psychological insights into my own identity crisis, and reflections on social media, all while taking you through my breast cancer journey. Does that not sound fun???? I promise it’s fun. I’ve been taking it around in the states and now AEG has helped me bring it to Fringe.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

This is a vague and broad answer, but I think audiences should try to see things they wouldn’t normally expect themselves to see. When in Rome Fringe. There is art for everyone at this festival, I think we should be pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones.

I’m excited to see anything I can get myself into after the initial paralyzing shock from the overall overwhelm of the festival as a whole dies down – this includes some amazing women like Britt Migs in her show ‘Dolphin Mode’, Lily Blumkin’s character show ‘Nice Try’, and for something truly out of your comfort zone, a play by Laurie Magers called ‘Do You Accept These Charges?’ which is the actual story of her relationship with a guy in prison.

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