Sammy J: Made for mornings

A self-confessed nerd who made a name for himself in Melbourne’s comedy scene with a purple puppet called Randy is now the host of ABC Melbourne’s breakfast radio slot. Sammy J has swapped evening gigs for 3.30am starts in a bid to bring a touch of comedy to the morning news cycle.

“I like the energy of the morning,” says Sammy J.  

“Having spent years in comedy, I was an ill fit for the late nights and rock’n’roll hours that came with it. I was always the first to leave an after-party. But that said, I don’t think anybody likes the sound of an alarm at 3.30am either.” 

The father of two who lives in Melbourne’s inner north-east never planned a life on-air, but when the opportunity arose to take over from former hosts Jacinta Parsons and Sami Shah he couldn’t say no. 

“I had a fear going into the job initially because I don’t like to have an opinion on everything, but I have gotten over that over time,” he says. “And it’s not my job to know everything all of the time.”

We’ve come to love him for his catchy “first-time caller” radio jingle, roll with the punches when things don’t always go as planned (like the time he tried to get the Nationals politician Darren Chester to admit Barnaby Joyce would become leader of the party) and when music promoter Michael Chugg was stonewalling him in a chat about vaccines but was in stitches when Sammy J jabbed him with a joke about the Lord’s Prayer.  

“Before this job I was an ABC listener as well, so I know what’s it’s like to want to know something,” Sammy J says. 

“I do take a slightly defensive position as a host and it works for me. I am not an expert at anything really. I’m a comedian, but equally, the job is more than that and it’s not a comedy show,” he says.

Born Samuel Jonathan McMillan, but affectionately known as Sammy J, the comedian grew up between Mt Eliza and Frankston – scooting between his divorced parents in what he describes as working out OK.  

He remembers heading to Melbourne as a kid to see the Myer Christmas window display and later on the train as a teenager when he joined the United Nations Youth Australia editing their newsletter in 1999-2000. 

At school, he felt like an outsider, but used comedy to win friends. He admits by the time he got to year 10, he leaned into the powers of comedy and combined with his self-proclaimed “nerdinesss”, found his schtick. 

“Comedy was my saviour at school. It was my escape. I loved watching Lano & Woodley too. My daughters watch it with me now. I could probably recite every line from their shows,” he says.

Sammy J has accidentally become the pandemic’s comedian in these times – his regular skits on ABC TV sees him parody Aussie politics, Melbourne lockdowns and Olympians who went to Tokyo – the humour serving as sweet relief from the news grind. 

He goes that extra mile too – shaving his chest hair when mimicking an Aussie swimmer in Tokyo, and won us over with his Playschool skit – The Very Hungry Barnaby – showing us how an Eric Carle classic could act as a lesson in climate denial under an Akubra hat.

He works with writers James Pender and Chris McDonald for the weekly TV sketches.  

“We get together on Zoom every Monday morning and try to make each other laugh – there is no formula at all but that’s how the ideas come about,” Sammy J says. 

“Someone in the Zoom said, what if 2020 made a comeback? What about a funk song, and an hour later we had a draft of the song! Other times, by Wednesday the news has changed so much we’d have to start again and come up with a new idea,” he says.

He is proof that hard work pays off, as does a clever sense of humour. 

From dragging his keyboards up the stairs at the Comic’s Lounge in North Melbourne, to gigs at the Terminus, Clifton Hill to feeling right at home in the alternative comedy scene at Local Laughs in St Kilda East – Sammy has found a way to bring his audience to the airwaves now. 

“From a showbiz perspective, I firmly believe that it’s more about perseverance than talent,” Sammy J says. 

“I’m a prime example of that because anybody who saw me at an early career gig would never have thought I would go on to have any form of career, but I stubbornly persisted and in the process of wanting to get better, you do get better,” he says.

His morning routine doesn’t end with the radio show though – once home he’s in charge of homeschooling his two daughters – one in prep (aged 6) and the other in grade 3 (aged 9) while his wife goes to work.  

“My wife Hannah works as a doctor in mental health. We do the handover and I try and stay awake for the rest of the day,” he laughs. 

“In a life pre-COVID, I’d probably be off touring and away from home for a few weeks at a time, so being here every day and night has huge benefits, but it’s not easy either,” he says.

Becoming a parent has certainly helped put a new perspective on how much success he’s willing to chase.  

“I am ambitious but I don’t ever want that to come at the expense of being a good dad,” he says. 

“I’m grateful for whatever work I have, and it’s not all about me anymore and I’m OK with that.  I am also aware that my time in radio and when that’s up may not be up to me, so I am going with it.”

But it’s his casual cheekiness that’s winning listeners – many callers speed dial the show from metro Melbourne, regional Victoria and interstate to have a word with him on-air. 

“I am a smart ass and looking where I can subvert things,” Sammy J says. 

“I am terrified of upsetting people and that’s not a nice combination because on air I want to be polite and don’t want anyone to feel like I am taking the piss out of them. I’m constantly treading that line, but willing to test the waters in my chats and see how far I can push it.”