James Mustapic in his show Abandonment Issues. Photo / Supplied
James Mustapic in his show Abandonment Issues. Photo / Supplied
Welcome to the second season of the Herald’s dating podcast: It’s A Date. Join Herald dating columnist Lillie Rohan as she takes notable Kiwis on a fantasy date, finding out about their relationships and love lives along the way.
James Mustapic’s TVNZ show Abandonment Issues caused a bit of a scandal.
It was a mini-series where the Kiwi comedian tracked down all his favourite Kiwi celebs which of course was hilarious for the viewers and most of the household names involved. But then there was Drew Ne’emia and well, let’s just say he didn’t give Mustapic a chance.
Has it differed the rising star from trying to land a sit-down chat with the former Sticky TV host? Nah, not at all. When there’s a will, there’s a way and this Dunedin alum has a “toxic and arrogant” plan to make it happen.
Drew Ne'emia, everybody. Photo / Warner Brothers Discovery
Worst date:
He’s known for making people laugh with his awkward sense of humour but Mustapic was left deflated after a date that went from zero to 100.
“He was really intense,” the star says, “kind of like what’s your dating history? And I was kinda like, okay, for a first date, I don’t really need this. And I was like, kept it very general,” giving a very brief and very general overview of his dating history, Mustapic was surprised when the person told him about his own dating history.
“He was like I get really, really emotionally attached to people, but also I have a big fear of commitment and I was like what are you doing here?”
James Mustapic in his TVNZ+ show, Abandonment Issues. Photo / Supplied
Dropping the L-bomb
Saying “I love you” is a milestone moment in any relationship. Mustapic and It’s A Date host, Lillie Rohan said it after 30 minutes because when you know, you know but usually the comedian keeps it to himself for a bit.
“I’ve never really said that I loved a guy before,” he says before recalling a story about his ex.
“There was one time I remember I did something mean to him, and then I went, ‘hehe love you’ and then I was like, ‘oh no’ and then I took it back. And then was just like ‘I mean, I like you’.”
Mustapic’s hit TVNZ mini-series followed the comedian as he sought out closure for his abandonment issues but these aren’t just any old abandonment issues. Revisiting the popular culture that shaped his childhood and how many of those celebrities have since disappeared into obscurity, Mustapic tried to track down the likes of Ben Lummis, Sue Nicholson Suzanne Paul and other beloved stars.
But with the show all wrapped up, he’s on to bigger and better things including the New Zealand Comedy Festival where he will perform his show Into the Multi-Media Verse which sees him travel to strange, new dimensions where he meets different versions of himself including Straight James, Psychic James, Goth James, and more.
Listen to the full episode of It’s a Date for more from James Mustapic and his plan to make friends with Drew Ne’emia, awkward dating stories and ‘problematic’ dating opinions.
