Mae Martin to host Junos and celebrate Canada’s ‘bastion of sanity’ amid U.S. tensions

Mae Martin is photographed in Toronto on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Mae Martin says living in Los Angeles has made them feel especially grateful to have a Canadian passport.

“I land at Pearson Airport in Toronto and one of the first things you see is a big Pride flag. It’s like, whew! It’s a scary time in America right now,” they say.

They’ll soon have a good reason to fly home — the non-binary Canadian actor and comedian will host the 55th annual Juno Awards, organizers announced Thursday.

Martin says a sense gratitude and love for their home country will inform their approach to the ceremony.

“The crazier things get in America, the more grateful we are here for our little bastion of sanity,” they say during an interview in Toronto.

“I feel like we’re understanding how fragile that is and how easily you can lose that democratic common sense.”

At last year’s Junos, host Michael Bublé struck a patriotic tone during his opening monologue, pushing back against U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariff war and annexation threats by declaring that Canada was “not for sale.”

Martin says they aim to convey their affection for their homeland while keeping the show light and celebratory.

“Hopefully my immense gratitude and love will come through without also bringing us down by reminding everyone of the hellscape that the world is right now,” they say.

“It will just be a nice night of hugging each other with our words.”

The Juno Awards broadcast will take place March 29 in Hamilton, where R&B singer Daniel Caesar will receive the International Achievement Award and is also slated to perform.

Martin’s already got some hosting experience on their CV — they MCed the Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, which saw them perform a rendition of “Barbie” song “I’m Just Ken” jokingly retitled “I’m just them” and don a giant worm costume to audition for “Dune 3.”

They hope to be “less nervous” this time.

“You want to keep things moving along. You don’t want to be too self-indulgent because it’s really not about you,” they say.

Martin says they always look for opportunities to champion homegrown music. Their thriller series “Wayward,” which debuted at No. 1 on Netflix’s English TV list in September, features several Canadian needle drops from acts including The Tragically Hip and Sam Roberts Band.

“It seems like in every project I do, I’m just shoehorning in my nostalgic Canadian preferences, but it’s truly because I think it’s the best music,” they say.

“It must just speak to some internal colour palette in my soul because of growing up here.”

Martin says they also tapped Montreal indie rock band Half Moon Run to make music for their previous Netflix series “Feel Good.”

During last year’s Screen Awards, Martin joked that there was a lot of pressure on their “mild jokes” to save a troubled homegrown entertainment industry. However, they feel encouraged by recent calls to protect Canadian culture.

“The industry always goes through peaks and valleys, but it feels, like there’s an injection of confidence and energy into the Canadian entertainment industry. I feel that and I’m excited about it,” they say.

Other performers announced Thursday include roots/folk singer William Prince, while emo-punk rockers Billy Talent will be recognized with the Humanitarian Award at a gala celebration the night before the broadcast.

Joni Mitchell, a four-time Juno winner and 11-time Grammy winner, will receive a lifetime achievement honour at the ceremony, while pop singer Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Martin is a musician in their own right, dropping their debut album “I’m a TV” — a collection of hazy, yearning indie rock — last year.

Might we see them break out in song during the Junos, à la Simu Liu when he hosted in 2022 and 2023?

“I’m still writing my opening monologue, so I’m not sure. I don’t think I’m going to be doing any singing, but I might be frequently reminding people that I do that,” says Martin.

But never say never.

“We’ll see. It’d be nice to blend the two. I think that should happen more, even on comedy tours. I think people would be up for some earnest tunes as well. There’s a Canadian earnestness about me, for sure.”

Juno Week starts March 26, with live music and industry programming planned throughout the host city.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press