- Anna Akana says her stalker was more frightening than Martha in Baby Reindeer
A YouTube star who lived in fear after her stalker kept turning up at her LA home and leaving creepy ‘totems’ is taking her ordeal to Edinburgh Fringe.
Anna Akana, 34, will perform It Gets Darker at the comedy staple event as she makes a return to the stage after her harasser forced her to quit live performances.
But after the meteoric success of Netflix show Baby Reindeer, Ms Akana is tackling the tough subject in her latest show.
While praising Richard Gadd’s ‘fascinating’ show, the Los Angeles-based star told the Times: ‘I think it’s different when you flip the genders, because there is an implicit physical threat’.
She added: ‘I was never really worried that he was going to be in a situation that he couldn’t get out of physically.’
In 2020, Anna’s stalker began turning up at her California home following years of online threats and abuse.
Anna Akana (pictured), 34, will perform It Gets Darker at Edinburgh Fringe this August
Anna’s stalker began going to her Los Angeles home in 2020, following years of threats, and would leave strange items for her
Richard Gadd as Donny pictured in Baby Reindeer with Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer
‘He sent me letters or left totems, like bloody necklaces, random things. And finally I was able to collect enough of his rantings to get a restraining order,’ she said.
The 34-year-old was worried he would manage to break into her house and cause her harm.
She stopped performing stand-up comedy in around 2017 due to how serious the threats were becoming.
The American comic told New City Stage: ‘I kept getting these messages from a man who was saying that he was going to shoot me at a show.’
Her concerns were further fuelled by Christina Grimmie’s death in 2016 after she was shot when she was meeting fans after a show.
The actress has amassed 2.85 million subscribers on YouTube and has thousands of views on her videos
Anna’s tale comes after the recently released Baby Reindeer, however her experience differs somewhat to Richard Gadd’s – which is said to be the inspiration behind the hit-Netflix series.
Baby Reindeer hit the screens in April and follows an aspiring comedian and sexual assault victim who gets stalked by a woman he meets bartending at a pub.
But, while Gadd never publicly named his stalker, Anna’s is a matter of public record after she secured a restraining order against him.
She too hopes her story will make it into TV screens around the world, but recognises she might need to change various names and details for legal reasons if it were to go ahead.
The actress has amassed 2.85 million subscribers on YouTube and has thousands of views on her videos.
She regularly uploads videos about mental health related topics in a personable and often comedic way.
An Instagram post launching her show last year was captioned with: ‘After a stalker said he was going to shoot me at a show, I retired from the stage.
‘But armed with a restraining order & years of therapy, I finally feel good about coming back & cracking some jokes.
She regularly uploads videos about mental health related topics in a personable and often comedic way
‘Come check out my new work in progress show It Gets Darker
‘Warning: it is indeed dark, and it does in fact get darker.’
Her debut performance at Edinburgh Fringe will also feature how her father volunteered to serve in Ukraine and became the head of an organisation helping refugees, people without food or water, and bomb sites.
The final topic of her show will cover her younger sister’s suicide in 2007 – something she has previously spoken out on, including writing a book Surviving Suicide, and a video titled Please Don’t Kill Yourself.
She will perform at the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh on July 31 to August 24.