Justine Stafford

Irish presenter, writer and comedian

Justine Stafford

Citizenship| Irish
Occupation(s)| Presenter, writer, comedian, podcaster

Justine Stafford is an Irish comedian, writer, podcaster and television presenter.

## Early and personal life

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From Kilbeg, just outside Nobber, in County Meath, Ireland. Stafford grew up on a farm. She has one brother, called Lorcán. She attended Kilbeg National School where she was introduced to a short-film project for primary schools called Fis Films for which she won a national prize in Dublin. She began making her own comedy films after receiving a Camcorder the following Christmas, aged 11. From 13 Stafford suffered from anorexia and around this time won an award at Ireland’s Youth Film Festival called Fresh Films, held in Limerick. Stafford subsequently was the Irish representative taking her winning short film to an international youth film festival held in South Korea.[1] In March, 2021 Stafford herself co-hosted the Ireland's Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards online.[2]

## Career

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### On-line

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Stafford studied film and broadcasting at the Dublin Institute of Technology after which worked for the radio station FM104 and spent five years at JOE.ie as senior social creative and content creator.[3] She became a comedic presence on social media,[4] including for posts based on comedically creative Halloween costumes,[5] social commentary,[6] and satire on popular television programmes.[7] Since June 2021 Stafford has co-hosted, with Martin Angolo and Dermot Ward, the podcast The Substantial Meal. With shows available online as well as performed at live events and festivals, Stafford described the format as “three friends recreating the atmosphere of being in a pub by sharing embarrassing stories, giving life advice and solving the world's big problems.”[8]

In 2024, Stafford narrated the RTÉ Doc on One podcast series The Real Carrie Jade.[9][10]

### Film and television

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In 2019 Stafford was a finalist in Irish TV's Stand Up And Be Funny competition.[11] In 2021 Stafford co-hosted television food game show Battle of the Food Trucks with James Patrice on RTE Player. The series was renewed for a second season that aired in 2022.[12] In 2021 Stafford also had a role in Irish film Poster Boys, starring Keith Duffy, amongst others.[13] In 2022 Stafford appeared with Emma Doran and Michael Fry on the RTÉ 2 sketch series No Worries If Not![14] The series was, according to RTÉ director of content Jim Jennings, "a vehicle for young comedy talent", with a sketch comedy format that may have been enhanced, Stafford noted, by the COVID-19 pandemic that had "created a rich period for the phenomenon of the online comedy video".[15] Stafford also appeared on both series of RTÉ player comedy series Darren & Joe's Free Gaff in 2021 and 2022.[16]

In February 2023 Stafford appeared on a Valentine's Day special edition of the Late Late Show and added "an honestly impressive and possibly Guinness Book of Records-worthy number of innuendoes into such a brief window",[17] and "salty double-entendres".[18]

## References

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1. ^ Smith, Mary Cate (14 January 2023). "Comedian Justine Stafford: 'More often than not, I am surprised positively by people'". Irish Examiner.
2. ^ McGrath Bryan, Mike (31 March 2021). "Watch: Young Filmmaker of the Year spreads her wings with a look at teen romance and mental health". Irish Examiner.
3. ^ "Comedy creator Online funny woman Justine Stafford hopes to open up debate about mental health". Meath Chronicle. 9 August 2021.
4. ^ Murphy, Lauren (17 September 2022). "5 Funniest Irish Comedians on Instagram". RTE.ie.
5. ^ "'Puns are my life' - Justine Stafford goes full Halloween with brilliant costumes". Extra.ie. 31 October 2022.
6. ^ "Irish comedian Justine Stafford sums up Dublin housing crisis in harsh tweet as rent continues to soar". Dublinlive.ie. 12 September 2021.
7. ^ "Irish comedian's hilarious Line of Duty impressions hailed by viewers of hit cop drama". Irish Mirror. 16 April 2021.
8. ^ "Gift of the gab takes centre stage at the MindField arena". RTE.ie. 2 September 2022.
9. ^ "The Real Carrie Jade". Doc on One. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
10. ^ "The Real Carrie Jade: RTÉ's gripping podcast about the pathological liar Samantha Cookes is hard to turn away from". The Irish Times.
11. ^ "Sinéad Quinlan crowned Ireland's new queen of comedy". Chortle.co.uk. 8 December 2019.
12. ^ Russell, Chrissie (26 June 2022). "Social media stars James Patrice and Justine Stafford on confidence, cooking and fronting Battle of the Food Trucks". Independent.ie.
13. ^ McEvoy, Adam (9 July 2021). "Stars step out as Irish movie Poster Boys hits the big screen". Extra.ie.
14. ^ "Justine Stafford: 'When you work online, it can start to feel like something you can't escape'". Business Post.
15. ^ "RTÉ brings online comedy stars to RTÉ2, hoping their fans come too". IrishTimes.com.
16. ^ "They're back! Darren & Joe return with series 2 of Free Gaff with a host of familiar faces". RTÉ.ie. 2 August 2022.
17. ^ "Late Late Show recap: John and Vera's vow renewal redeems a chaotic Valentine's special". Irish Examiner. 11 February 2023.
18. ^ "Couple married for almost 60 years renew vows on Late Late Valentine's Special". Independent.ie.