Who are Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede? Here’s all the tea about the Eurovision 2024 presenters
Swedish-US actress and presenter Malin Akerman (L) and Swedish actress and presenter Petra Mede pose for a photo after the first rehearsal for the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (Getty)
The Eurovision 2024 grand final is just around the corner: it will take place on 11 May in Malmö, the gorgeous capital of Sweden – the host country of this year’s competition. But who are the presenters?
Each year, the host country puts up its own presenters to front the festivities, while contestant countries often have their own local hosts as well, who can provide vital context and, in the case of the UK’s Graham Norton: hilarious quips.
In 2022, for example, the contest was held in Turin, Italy, and the presenters from Italy were Alessandro Cattelan, Laura Pausini and Mika.
For Eurovision 2024, which boasts a wealth of LGBTQ+ acts, Sweden has put forward two presenters: Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede. But who are they? Let’s have a deep dive and find out.
Malin Åkerman
Malin Åkerman is an acclaimed Swedish-American actor who has appeared in many well-known movies, including The Utopia, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and 2009 superhero film Watchmen.
She received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II in Watchmen. She later spoke about how she felt like she was “out of her league” while making Watchmen and why the experience marked a major turning point for her career at that point.
She’s also been in some well known US TV shows, for example she earned critical praise for her lead role on ABC sitcom Trophy Wife, where she played Kate Harrison.
Åkerman also has a music background as well. For a short time in the early 2000s she was the lead vocalist for an alternative rock band called the Petalstones, but left to focus on her burgeoning acting career. She’s married to UK actor Jack Donnelly, who starred in the BBC series Atlantis.
Jack Donnelly has an impressive Eurovision connection: His mother was the choreographer of Bucks Fizz’s winning dance routine at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.
Petra Mede
Petra Mede is a stalwart of Swedish TV, with multiple presenter credits to her name. She’s an accomplished comedian, who has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in the past: in 2013 and 2016, to be precise.
Mede is certainly musical: she started as a dancer and then briefly worked as a backing singer for Celine Dion before turning her hand to comedy.
She’s presented Melodifestivalen in the past, which is Sweden’s national song contest where the Eurovision entry for the country is chosen.
In 2015 she and UK comedian and TV presenter Graham Norton hosted the programme Eurovision’s Greatest Hits, which was recorded in London and later broadcast in 27 countries around the world.
In an interview with the official Eurovision 2024 website, the presenters complimented each other. Malin described Petra as one of the funniest women she’s ever met. Petra returned the compliment, adding: “We love the craziness and the madness but sometimes me and Malin have to work against that energy, otherwise we would just be screaming all the time.”
What is Benjamin Ingrosso’s role in Eurovision 2024?
Benjamin Ingrosso is a Swedish singer-songwriter who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, with the song “Dance You Off”. He placed seventh in the final, receiving the maximum 12 points from the juries of eight countries.
Ingrosso will perform several songs as the interval act in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Grand Final will take place on Saturday 11 May.
