Katherine Ryan has been hosting GLAMOUR's Women of the Year Awards – where we honour the year's biggest record-breakers, trailblazers and activists – for the past four years. Those four events have seen Katherine call out everything from politicians to the patriarchy (reader, she never misses); serve up countless fist-pumping moments ("Women's reproductive rights SO obviously make sense, yet we have to fight for them over and over. It’s like finding out some prick with a YouTube channel has started a campaign against chemotherapy and seatbelts"); and even host one ceremony virtually, pulling off the near-impossible task of cheering us up during lockdown (sorry, we should've prefaced this with a 2021 trigger warning).
Every year, it's a blast with Katherine at the WOTY helm. Not only is she outspoken on everything from misogyny to motherhood, she's also firmly on most people's list of ‘celebs we’d love to invite to a dinner party.’ Which is why we're presenting Katherine, unbeknownst to her, with her very own GLAMOUR Women of the Year 2024 Award – surprise, Katherine! – for ‘Feminist Hero’, because that's exactly what she is.
“I just absolutely love coming here, year after year, weaving violence against women into a comedy opening monologue,” Katherine joked, before adding: “I love being counted among these very incredible women.”
While she overcomes her shock backstage, here's Katherine reflecting on what it means be part of GLAMOUR's Women of the Year Awards, the changes of inclusivity in comedy, and the true meaning of feminism…
What does presenting GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year mean to you?
I innately compartmentalise, which allows me to plunge head first into incredible life experiences confidently without really understanding their significance until after the fact. It’s not until the end of the awards evening that can reflect and let the awe sink in over what the Glamour team manage to pull together year after year. I’m always blown away and inspired by the diverse group of high achieving and philanthropical women in the room. It’s been an honour to have presented The Glamour Awards for the past four years and I can’t wait to hear from the women being celebrated this year.
Katherine hosted GLAMOUR's 2023 Women of the Year awards in Gyunel couture.
Do you have a standout favourite moment from any of the WOTY events?
Meeting Lena Dunham at the 2023 Glamour Awards has been one of my standout favourite moments. There are impactful women who come along sometimes in the formative years of your life and manage to write on the canvas of who you are. Lena’s uniquely touching and dramatic comedy series, GIRLS touched me in a way that no other creative work had and she continues to amaze me. Always meet your heroes!
How is hosting the GLAMOUR Women of the Year empowering for you?
I’m a sucker for a matriarchy. As a young woman, I worked at Hooters - a restaurant which is seen by many to objectify its waitresses - but I just loved collaborating and cooperating with a tight knit group of women everyday. Was it sexist? Sure. But all I knew at the time is that there were no boys around and I liked that. Hosting The Glamour Awards is so empowering because back then, I never imagined a time when I could be among countless women that I admire and not have to serve anyone chicken wings.
When do you feel the most empowered?
Empowerment has never been an issue for me. I feel almost too empowered all the time. Touring shows - empowered. Writing stand up - empowered. Cooking - empowered. Doing the weekly shop - empowered. If anything, I could afford to be taken down a notch. It’s getting out of hand.
What does feminism mean to you?
Feminism is very plainly the political, social and economical equality of genders. I’ve seen the term weaponised, wilfully misunderstood, or shied away from. But that’s it. There has been so much progress towards equality but many women still give away their emotional and physical resources for free just to ‘be nice’. We are underpaid and undervalued in many ways. I think we are very powerful in our capacity for goodness and empathy, but we need to stop making so many compromises.
Who would be your chosen woman of the year and why?
My chosen woman of the year would be Taylor Swift. Then I could meet her and get my daughter off my back.
As you navigate success and the pressures that may come with your day-to-day life, how do you look after yourself and your mental wellbeing?
I don’t look after myself or my mental well-being. I am very robust in that way so I just lavish my kids with attention and I go to work and I feel very lucky to have so many blessings to juggle. Badly. I haven’t slept in three years because my children don’t sleep through the night and physically, I’m metamorphosing into my own father. I’m really happy and probably not on the edge of a breakdown but every three months of so, I’ll just cry at my husband.
Speaking of success, what would you say success means to you, personally?
Success to me is synonymous with freedom. That’s all money is. Freedom. Health is also freedom to move around and have autonomy over your own body. Being professionally in demand means I can make choices. When you consider your life, all that really matters to anyone is freedom.
What has been the biggest challenge of your career / journey to date?
My biggest challenges in life have been navigating miscarriages. In those moments, I feel connected to so many other women who carry on with jobs and families or who are simply alone and grieving in silence. I am essentially a fortress who feels no anxiety or stress apart from when I’m dealing with that kind of loss. The pain surprises me every time. I feel trapped in a hormonal snake pit that my usual gratitude and logic can’t help me escape from. And then, eventually I just feel better.
Is there a stand-out time for you that you were met with sexist attitudes in your career, and how did you overcome it?
I am retired from speaking about being a female comedian because whatever I say, it becomes a twisted tabloid headline that makes me sound like I randomly shouted ‘I HATE MEN’ out a window. I do, but I’ve largely forgiven them for all-male lineups and the unspoken rule that there could only be one woman on panel shows. It’s not the production company’s fault or the channel’s fault or the advertisers’ fault that AUDIENCES are sexist. Unfortunately women can be the most sexist audiences of all. Something emboldens them to approach a female comic after her show and say, ‘You know, I normally don’t find women funny…’. Don’t you? What a sad little life, Jane.
You’ve been known to put your head above the parapet and speak to injustices, sexism or abuse that you’ve witnessed in your industry - which is pretty brave - what drives you to do this?
I have impulse control issues.
Comedy is notoriously a male dominated space, even with the industry becoming more diverse and equal, how do you navigate that?
I see the comedy landscape changing to include a diverse spectrum of voices. I notice more women on lineups, but also representation from different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities, I see comedians with disabilities and neurodivergence. There really has been some great progress.
Who has been your greatest male ally in the comedy world?
Jimmy Carr has been my greatest male ally in the comedy world. He probably wouldn’t like people to know it, but he’s the wisest, most generous and helpful guy you could meet. If you’ve only even seen him on TV or on stage, find Jimmy Carr on a podcast and hear him speak softly and knowledgeably about any subject. He’s thoughtful and tolerant. He’s got a wide open mind and will stick his neck out for anyone to help solve their problem. It bothers me a lot when Jimmy inevitably finds himself in some joke controversy and comedians are hesitant to jump to his defence like Jimmy would do for them. He’s impenetrable though. He’s simply the king.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a woman in the comedy industry?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received from a woman in the comedy industry is when superstar Sarah Millican very generously came to see one of my early tour shows in Leeds. I asked her, ‘How have you walked through this theatre unrecognised?’ She said, ‘Hair up. Gob shut’. Simplicity at its best.
What advice would you give to young women trying to feel empowered in a man’s world? Or to your younger self even?
I would firstly disagree with any young woman who thinks she’s living in a man’s world. She’s part of a generation who are making their own world, and she has the influence to make it look very different to the one that I grew up in. That alone should be empowering enough.
