Beth Stelling’s Landlord Special Delivers 2025’s Best Laughs
Kai Montgomery here, your reluctant guide to questionable life choices and killer comedy specials. Great, another comedian getting feisty with someone who holds the keys to her apartment. How original.
Beth Stelling, the Los Angeles–based stand-up veteran and TV writer, slipped under the radar earlier this year with The Landlord, a razor-sharp, 30-minute special that’s quietly become one of 2025’s best and most surprising comedy releases. In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Stelling admitted that the entire set grew out of her fraught, on-again, off-again feud with her former landlady. What began as a string of tense hallway run-ins—complete with raised voices, absurd demands, and a neighbor reduced to tears—blossomed into a tightly woven comedic narrative.
“I spent a lot of time wondering if they were messing with me so I would write something about them,” Stelling told The Post. That uncertainty proved fertile: she sifted through dozens of encounters—screamed-at tenants, roof drips that never got fixed, passive-aggressive notices plastered on doors—and honed the craziness into a show titled for the very person who drove her up the wall. The result is a relentless half-hour that never drags, thanks to Stelling’s signature deadpan delivery and vivid character work.
Stelling rolls through punchlines like “Every conversation is like falling in a prickle bush,” then pivots to sharply observant quips about money anxiety: “I have a ton of money in my checking account because I don’t come from money and feel safer watching a lump sum depreciate.” She even pokes fun at her own industry hustle, revealing how, while writing for hit shows like Crashing, The Last O.G., and Rick and Morty, she’d endure makeup sessions just to dodge awkward mental-health questions. It’s self-aware, it’s meta, and it never lets up.
Now streaming on YouTube, The Landlord has prompted Stelling to hit the road with fresh material, extending her résumé of specials which includes Simply The Beth on Spotify, Girl Daddy on HBO Max, and If You Didn’t Want Me Then on Netflix. She’s slated to land at Brooklyn’s Bell House on November 21 and 22, weaving new riffs into that trademark style of exasperated wonder at everyday absurdities.
Despite the niche premise, Stelling’s special resonates far beyond tenant-landlord drama. It’s a study in how to milk frustration for comedic gold without feeling vindictive or mean-spirited. Instead of ranting, she crafts scenes so vivid you can practically smell the mildew in the hallway and hear the high-pitched shriek of her landlady’s fury.
For anyone who’s ever been on the wrong side of a rent dispute—or just loves a perfectly edited set—The Landlord is a must-see. And yes, it’s technically about one woman’s ordeal, but it’s really a master class in structural economy: set it up fast, hit the highest emotional beats, and leave ‘em laughing before they realize they just spent half an hour reliving their worst neighbor stories.
Stay tuned for more from Kai Montgomery, because apparently we’re not done airing grievances about people who control your living situation. And there you have it—rent drama turned into top-tier stand-up. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
