How a Dating Show Host Spends Her Sundays

Stef Dag, a 28-year-old comedian, is slightly cynical but also hopeful about finding love in New York.

“There are actually a lot of people out there who are cool and really want to find a connection, but just can’t seem to find it,” she said.

As the creator and host of the digital dating show “Hot & Single” — whose tagline is “the show where we find out if the problem is you” — Ms. Dag has tried to help others find that connection while turning the mirror on New York’s dysfunctional dating scene.

That has meant conversations with singles who still live with their exes, regular sperm donors who just want a sweet man to love-bomb, and polyamorous daters whose ideal partner will sit at home while they go out and see other people.

In two-minute videos posted to the show’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, which collectively have nearly 400,000 followers, Ms. Dag facetiously interviews local singletons about their biggest dating failures, quirks, kinks and toxic traits. She also recently started a weekly podcast.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Ms. Dag graduated from New York University in 2017 with what she describes as “a misguided dream that I was going to change the world with political satire.” Instead, she went viral interviewing her male friends about female anatomy on TikTok, and launched “Hot & Single” on Valentine’s Day last year.