- Comedian Vic Michaelis moves from Dropout’s Very Important People to a series regular role on Peacock’s Ponies.
- They describe Cheryl as a high-status-seeming character and draw parallels with their Host Vic persona.
- Michaelis still hopes to star in a disaster movie and jokes about launching an MLM to sell earthquake kits.
From web sketches to a Peacock series
Vic Michaelis first built an audience on Dropout with the improvised webseries Very Important People (VIP). After viral clips on YouTube and TikTok, Michaelis has taken a step into mainstream TV as Cheryl, an office manager and embassy wife, on Peacock’s new series Ponies. The show stars Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson and follows two women drawn into espionage after their CIA husbands’ deaths.
Why Ponies appealed
Michaelis says the script jumped off the page — vivid stage directions, tight jokes and unexpected moments of humor made the role irresistible. Cheryl is a character who believes she belongs at the top, and Michaelis relished playing someone who appears high-status but is constrained by circumstance. They contrast Cheryl with Host Vic from VIP: Host Vic craves success but lacks the competence Cheryl legitimately possesses.
On set with big names
This is Michaelis’s first time as a series regular on a high-profile network show, and they called it the biggest project of their career so far. They praised co-stars Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson for setting a positive tone on set and described the experience of attending the premiere with family as a meaningful milestone.
Keeping roots in improv and Dropout
Even as Michaelis moves into television, Dropout and VIP remain central to their public identity. They credit the streaming studio’s community for helping fans discover improv and sometimes inspiring viewers to take their own comedy classes. Michaelis values the direct, social-media-driven relationship they have with fans — a different kind of fame than traditional celebrity, they say.
More projects and a running joke about an MLM
Michaelis has stayed busy beyond Ponies: they appear in the Kickstarter comedy D(e)ad, are involved in Dropout’s D20 series, and will voice a character in the video game Star Wars: Zero Company. Offhand, they often joke about their dream of starring in a disaster movie — specifically wanting to be the person dangling from a building in a tornado poster — and tease plans to start a tongue-in-cheek multi-level marketing (MLM) operation to sell earthquake preparedness kits.
Looking toward Canada
Michaelis says they would love to make or star in Canadian projects and hopes to find work that allows them to live in Toronto. For now, they’re enjoying the new visibility Ponies brings while keeping one foot in the indie and improv world that launched their career.
Watch
Watch: Vic Michaelis leaps to prime time with Ponies on Peacock
Watch: Very Important People Season 3 trailer
Image Referance: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/vic-michaelis-vip-ponies-9.7059181