Music

Wayward star Mae Martin confirmed as Juno Awards 2026 host – everything you need to know

Jan 16
Written by Emily Maskell

Comedian Mae Martin smiling at the camera

Comedian Mae Martin to host 2026 Juno Awards. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty)

Non-binary comedian and Feel Good creator Mae Martin has been announced as the host of the 2026 Juno Awards. They also shared their excitement about honouring Canadian art, including hit series Wayward (which stars Martin in a lead role) and Heated Rivalry.

The 38-year-old Canadian will helm the 55th annual Juno Awards, known as Canada’s Biggest Night in Music. The awards, presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, will be presented on March 29. The event will take place at the TD Coliseum venue in Hamilton, Ontario.

The gig will also mark Mae Martin as the first comedian to host solo since 2009, when Russell Peters took to the stage alone.

Martin follows in the footsteps of Michael Bublé, who hosted the show for the third time last year. Before him, Nelly Furtado hosted in 2024 and Simu Liu hosted in 2023.

Martin will be stepping onto the stage of the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards just two years on from their Juno nomination for comedy album of the year for SAP.

‘Canadian content has global appeal’

“I remember coming here when I was 13 to be on a radio show and how nervous I was,” Martin told CBC News following the announcement.

“I’m slightly less nervous today at age 38. So I hope that by the time I host the show, I’ll be feeling looped up and warm.”

Speaking about their goal for the show, Martin noted they hoped the “audience gets a little raucous.”

Martin also shared their perspective on the current state of Canadian art. Martin’s own Netflix miniseries thriller Wayward has a strong 76 per cent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Then, of course, there’s the mammoth popularity of the Canadian sports romance Heated Rivalry. The show is Crave’s most-watched original series to date.

The show has garnered a massive, dedicated fanbase and has also been a smash hit, scoring 99 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Martin said they felt a “huge sense of pride” celebrating Canadian creations. They shared: “It just takes a handful of things to break through and show people that, yeah, Canadian content has global appeal and what hard-working artists there are here.”

“I think the worse things get around us, the more we rally together and realize that we actually do have a really distinct cultural identity,” Martin also added.