Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah And Tess Vergult.
Hi Hannah and Tess, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Tess and Hannah Vergult are sisters and co-hosts of What’d Mom Say, a comedy podcast where they invite local comedians, friends, and even their own mom to talk about their moms. From hilarious childhood memories to stories of grief and loss, everyone has something to say about their mom. What’d Mom Say explores the profound impact our mothers have on each of us, and invites a variety of Houston voices to share their stories.
Hannah: My sister Tess and I were born in Belgium and grew up in Houston. We’ve always been each other’s best friend, and as children we could keep each other entertained for hours. She and I have always been very close and love to make each other laugh. Our shared sense of humor is shaped by our parents, our grandfather, and the shows we watched together. What’d Mom Say is very much a love letter to our own mother and to the bond we have as sisters.
Tess: I’m a stand-up comedian here in Houston, and have been performing around the city for over six years. I’d thought about doing a comedy podcast for a long time. I was talking with my sister Hannah one day about something outrageously funny our mom said, and I was inspired to create a podcast called What’d Mom Say. I work with a lot of comedians, but no one makes me laugh harder than my sister. I knew I wanted to do this project with her. We used to put on little performances together to convince our parents to let us do sleepovers or just to entertain them. We’d end every show with a little song Hannah came up with. If you listen to the podcast, you can hear us as kids singing the tune from an old home video.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Tess: In the past six years of doing comedy, I’ve taken a lot of time to find my comedic voice and style before creating this podcast with Hannah. Comedy is a very male-dominated field, so navigating that as a woman has been challenging at times. Sometimes you’ll only see one woman booked on a show, so the pressure of proving that woman can be just as funny is on that comedian’s shoulders. We have amazing female comics in Houston, but it’s upsetting to see how few female voices there are in the scene. That’s why our podcast intentionally features a lot of female comedians and voices. It’s very special to me to have a platform that’s centered around women and our experiences. Even when we have male guests, the conversation is focused around the women who shape us.
Hannah: Filming yourself each week and sharing some of your innermost thoughts is definitely a vulnerable task. I’m a graphic designer by day, so I’m used to hiding behind my work. The main challenge for me has been finding the courage to put myself out there and not let my own insecurities stand in the way. Tess is used to being on stage every week, so I try to channel her confidence. It’s definitely helpful to have my sister as my partner in this. We’ve both been through struggles with unhealthy relationships and stressful jobs, and we’ve always been able to lean on each other. For me, my 20s was a period of time when I felt a bit lost and confined. Discovering my queerness and pursuing what I love has helped me break free from limiting beliefs. I don’t think any of us ever have life fully figured out, but it’s nice to come more into your own, and this podcast has helped me do that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hannah: I studied journalism in college because I’ve always been drawn to powerful storytelling. Now that we’re over thirty episodes in, I can say I’m very proud of the collection of stories and experiences we’ve shared on What’d Mom Say. On every episode, you can expect an intro with just me and Tess, where we read listener emails or Reddit stories and give our two cents. Then we bring on a guest to share about their mom. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, but we always get to hear a fascinating and impactful perspective. Our guests have shared about having immigrant moms, hippie moms, strict moms, menopausal moms, girlboss moms, Mormon moms, single moms, queer moms, and moms who passed too soon. We also have our own mom on the podcast from time to time, and it’s so fun and full circle to have her join us. Our mom is a singer/songwriter and life coach who is endlessly funny and gives great advice. She also sang and produced our podcast theme song, which you can hear every episode.
Tess: My comedy career has taken me all over Houston and on the road to perform across the country. For my material, I draw inspiration from my day job as a nanny, relationships and dating, and my mom, of course. My most fulfilling achievement as a stand-up is opening for so many of my favorite female comedians, like Beth Stelling, Rosebud Baker, and Corinne Fisher. I hope to inspire other women to pick up a microphone. I also have so much love and respect for the Houston comedy scene. We don’t get the same recognition as New York City or Los Angeles, but this city has a lot of talent. I’m very proud that our podcast is a digital footprint of Houston comedy. Hannah and I are also proud that we’ve created an inviting, cozy environment for our guests in a studio we designed and decorated together. As kids, we would have “sister sleepovers” at home as an excuse to stay up late talking and watching movies. We want to recreate that same feeling with our guests and make everyone we interview feel comfortable and safe to share.
Any big plans?
Tess: My career aspiration is to be a full-time comedian. Hannah and I would love to keep growing our listener audience and one day go on tour with the podcast. However, even if the podcast doesn’t grow big enough for a national tour, it’s wonderful to have this digital scrapbook of conversations with the people in our lives who mean the most to us.
Hannah: In February, we will celebrate one year of doing the podcast. We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone. We’ve featured our favorite local comedians, friends, and family on What’d Mom Say. While we love doing this, we’re also looking forward to branching out and having guests in different fields come join our weekly conversations. Consider this an open call for any Houstonian with mom stories to share. We’d love to hear from local entrepreneurs, entertainers, therapists, artists, authors, influencers, community organizers, or anyone with a unique perspective.
What’d Mom Say is published every Thursday on Spotify, Apple, Podcasts, YouTube, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. You can follow us on Instagram and TikTok @WhatdMomSay.
If you have any mom stories to share or would like to share your mom stories on the podcast, you can email us at whatdmomsay@gmail.com.
Every Tuesday at 10:30 pm, Tess co-hosts a weekly comedy show called C U Next Tuesday at the Secret Group. Follow Tess on Instagram @tessver to find out about her other performances in Houston.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatdmomsay/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ4PPQab6Ihhw_p3BqUQO-Q
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatdmomsay
