Wally Baram wasn’t looking to become an actress. She had her hands full as a comedy writer and stand-up performer, carving out a respectable niche in the entertainment world. Then her phone rang with an offer she hadn’t seen coming—a starring role in Prime Video’s Overcompensating.
The timing couldn’t have been stranger. Baram was in the middle of a heated argument with her boyfriend when she got the call. She hung up and went right back to the fight. What seemed like an overnight breakthrough was actually the result of ten years spent grinding away in comedy clubs and writers’ rooms, building toward a moment she never planned for.
Early Dreams and New Directions
Baram grew up in New Jersey in a Mexican-Syrian household, and her first big dream had nothing to do with showbiz. She wanted to be a cowgirl. She even signed up for equestrian classes as a teenager, but there was one problem—at just over five feet tall, she couldn’t quite manage the horses.
When that dream fell apart, she stumbled into comedy. She took a gap year before college to see if she could make it work. That year turned into a career, one that would eventually lead her far beyond the stages where she first started telling jokes.
Building a Comedy Career
The Stand-Up Years
Baram started doing stand-up as a teenager, working her way through open mics and small clubs. She enrolled at Barnard College to study economics, but the stage kept calling her back. After a year and a half, she dropped out to focus on comedy full-time.
It wasn’t an easy road, but she made progress. She landed a set on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and got recognized as a “New Face” at Just For Laughs, one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world. People were starting to notice.
Transition to Television Writing
Baram looked up to comedians like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, women who didn’t just perform but also wrote and produced. She wanted that kind of career—one where she could do a little bit of everything. So she started working her way into television, beginning with production assistant gigs and slowly climbing the ladder.
Her writing eventually landed her in the rooms for shows like What We Do in the Shadows, Shrinking, and Betty. She was building exactly the kind of multifaceted career she’d imagined, even if it meant years of hard work behind the scenes.
The Overcompensating Breakthrough
How She Landed the Role
In early 2024, Baram was hired to write for Overcompensating, a new comedy series created by Benito Skinner. When she read the script, something clicked. The character of Carmen—an awkward girl from New Jersey with frizzy hair and a desperate need to fit in—felt uncomfortably familiar.
Skinner saw it too. He told her she should audition. Baram wasn’t an actress, but she sent in a self-tape anyway, mostly just to humor him. Then came the callbacks. And then the offer. Even her lawyer was confused when the contract showed up.
About the Show
Overcompensating premiered in May 2025 and quickly became one of the most talked-about new comedies. Co-produced by A24 and featuring music from Charli XCX, the show follows Benny, a closeted college freshman played by Skinner, who strikes up a friendship with Carmen as they both try to navigate campus life.
Baram’s performance as Carmen has drawn praise for its mix of humor and heart. She plays the character as someone who’s earnest and vulnerable, constantly trying too hard to be liked. It’s a role that hits close to home for Baram, and that authenticity shows.
What Makes Wally Baram Different
There’s something refreshing about the way Baram approaches her work. She’s not afraid to look silly or embarrass herself, a skill she picked up from years of stand-up. Her comedy is physical and self-deprecating, and she mines her own life for material without holding back.
That willingness to be vulnerable is what makes her stand out. She doesn’t just play Carmen—she understands her. The performance feels real because it comes from a place of genuine experience, not just acting technique.
Life Beyond the Screen
Even with her rising profile, Baram hasn’t abandoned her roots. She still co-hosts a weekly stand-up show called “Park Slop” in the back of a Brooklyn pizza shop, where she performs for crowds who sometimes have to shout over people ordering slices.
She’s also a serious reader and film buff, with a particular love for the Criterion Collection. She knows the entertainment industry well enough to understand that success doesn’t last forever, so she stays focused on the work itself rather than getting caught up in the hype.
Looking Ahead
With Overcompensating earning strong reviews and a growing fanbase, people are already asking what’s next for Wally Baram. She’s hoping for a second season of the show, but she’s also keeping her options open—more acting, more writing, more stand-up.
Her path from a kid in New Jersey with cowgirl dreams to a rising star in Hollywood isn’t your typical success story. It’s messy and unexpected, built on years of work that didn’t always feel like it was going anywhere. But that’s exactly what makes it worth paying attention to.
