Michelle Buteau from The Circle is the hilarious host and commentator of the hit show, and it's time to share everything fans need to know about the comedian. The Circle season 3 is currently underway and Michelle is back with her hilarious one-liners and wit. Her clever quips and banter about contestants are always spot on, and her voiceover commentary has remained a highlight of the show. While the show primarily focuses on the contestants competing for the grand prize, there's a lot to know about Michelle and her long-lasting comedic career.
Netflix's popular social media show returned with another season of antics, surprises, twists, and turns. A group of contestants (or "players") chose to isolate in the iconic apartment complex, ready to flirt, befriend, and catfish their way toward $100,000. Michelle's role in the show is to host. However, she also pokes fun at the players through voiceovers. Michelle will comment on how players play the game, what they say, and what they're doing in their secluded apartments.
Unlike Matthew Hoffman's voiceovers on Love Island or the "talking air freshener" digital host Lana from Too Hot To Handle, Michelle is playing her most authentic self. She can step in front of the camera and fans immediately get a glimpse of who she really is. Still, there is so much to learn about the 44-year-old and what she does outside of The Circle.
She started her career in comedy after tragedy
Before joining The Circle, Michelle was a stand-up comedian. She quit her job as an editor at the local news station (WNBC in New York) after 9/11 to pursue comedy. She's never looked back. The New Jersey native did stand-up comedy for about five years before landing her first TV role with Comedy Central in Premium Blend in 2006. Michelle Buteau from the successful Netflix reality show told The Cut, "It took a good four or five years of doing this thing that I love to do, and having no idea where it would go and whether it could make me money." Michelle's career did eventually take off. She has made appearances in the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe, as well as Something Great, Key & Peele, Russian Doll, and other entertainment projects. She also has a starring role on the BET+ show First Wives Club, which was recently renewed for a third season.
She has an award-winning comedy special
She landed her first comedy special Welcome to Buteauopia on Netflix. The one-hour-long special was filmed in New York City's Sony Hall and premiered in March 2020. The comedy special airing on Netflix received positive reviews, and she won a Critics Choice Award. The Circle cast member is also the co-host of the podcast "Adulting" with Jordan Carlos. Michelle wrote a memoir, "Survival of the Thickest." On top of being an award-winning comedian and an actress, Michelle is a wife and the mother of young twins. Her twins Owen and Hazel were born in January 2019 via surrogate. She'd tried to conceive via IVF for years. In an interview with The Cut, she expressed that being a mom to twins and turning 40 gave her more ambition and made her a better comedian.
She was not sold on the concept of The Circle at first
When Michelle was first approached to host The Circle, she was initially hesitant. "A competition, and you can catfish people? Absolutely not, sir! Rude!" she told NPR. However, she has come around to the idea and is appreciative of the show. She told People, "The show is sassy like Big Brother with a dollop of Catfish, but not in a negative way." She considers the strategic The Circle show "important" and is thankful the series could be filmed successfully during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The fact that we can do that safely and not really see each other until the reunion-but by that time, we would have already done our quarantine time-is pretty amazing," she told Variety.
Netflix recently renewed The Circle for seasons four and five, and fans don't have to worry because Michelle isn't going anywhere. She has succeeded in making the show funny and entertaining, and fans can't get enough of her charm and charisma. Michelle has been in the entertainment business for two decades, and it's always great to see her onscreen.
The Circle season 3 is currently airing on Netflix.