Benito Skinner's Overcompensating - Out May 15

On watch parties, frat bar pregames, Charli XCX , and the queer college experience.

Viral internet comedian Benito “Benny” Skinner, has found his voice over the past decade. From different social media character bits (like Cooper “The Gen Z Intern” or his Kourtney Kardashian impersonations), from guest-starring in HBO Max’s Queer as Folk, and to co-hosting the podcast Ride the Pod, Benny’s slowly infiltrated the algorithms of the chronically online queer and queer adjacent communities.

Benny's comedy has built a platform of queer authenticity, razor sharp-wit humor, and pop culture savviness, all of which led up to this very moment: Skinner created, wrote, produced and is starring in his new show, Overcompensating, which is distributed by A24 and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime on May 15. The show is based on Benny’s college experience where navigates his gay identity and untangles himself from hyper masculine culture.

Over the past month, Benito and fellow castmates hosted Overcompensating premiere watch parties across major U.S. cities, which included pregame events at local bars that are… how do I say it… traditionally douchey / frat bro / ABC Lululemon pants coded. (GENIUS MARKETING MOVE)

I, along with fellow besties, attended the Chicago watch party where we pregamed at (jumpscare warning) Sluggers of Wrigleyville followed by watching the first two episodes of Overcompensating at the Music Box Theatre. We got the chance to meet Benny and Wally Baram (yes, I did in fact go nonverbal), listen to a post-screening Q&A session, and meet fellow “Baronies” / members of the Army of Love (aka Ride the Pod listeners).

Let me just say…after watching the first two episodes… I smell an Emmy… I’m so serious. If I have to January 6th the Academy’s Headquarters, then so be it.

I felt a range of emotions watching Overcompensating. It felt like that Gwyneth Paltrow meme:

I laughed, I cried (a number of times), I danced, I sweat, I got… a shot, I ate, and I had any epiphanies.

Genuinely I was giggling and kicking my feet seeing the cast bring these characters to life, while clutching my chest during the tender moments on screen. It was this perfect balance of Amanda Knox jokes (omfg???), toe shoe references, and heartwarming vulnerability.

So much is working in Overcompensating’s favor. First off, the cast is STACKED—Mary Beth Barone (the other half of Ride the Pod) plays Benny’s older sister Grace; Adam DiMarco (from The White Lotus season two) plays Grace’s frat-star boyfriend Peter; Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) and Connie Britton (American Horror Story, Nashville) play Benny’s parents. Rising stars Wally Baram, Rish Shah, Owen Thiele, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Do, Holmes, and Nell Verlaque round out the knockout roster.

I had serious FOMO watching the cast’s chemistry on screen. If there’s a season two, I volunteer as tribute to be the production’s coffee intern.

And if the casting wasn’t enough, Benny recruited Charli XCX to compose the show’s original score. She broguht in collaborators like The Japanese House and George Daniel of The 1975, too. I could pick the Charli and The Japanese House synths in the background and it worked SO well to capture the range of emotions in the show.

The show hit home for me. Like Benny, I grew up in the closet and had to chameleon-ize myself. College was… an interesting time for me, too. I wasn’t fully out, found myself pledging a fraternity freshman year, and pretended to like Drake music and Inception a little too much. Amidst all the chaos, though, college was catalytic. I ended up finding the right people so I could find myself.

Overcompensating felt deeply personal and heartwarming. The queer-coming-of-age-college experience feels like uncharted territory in the media & film – these stories are often forgotten or afraid to be told. Benito Skinner made something really special, something I can bet will cut through the noise. Benny’s passion and excitement for this project was radiating off of him at the Chicago watch party, and I can only imagine where the show will take itself. I genuinely look up to him – whether that’s his finger on the culture, his comedic genius, or the courage it takes to share his story on this level.