 |
| Jackie Kashian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 20, 1965 South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
| Medium | Stand-up, Television |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Alternative comedy |
| Subject(s) | pop culture, Personal life, video games |
| Spouse | Andy Ashcraft |
| Website | www |
Jackie Kashian (born July 20, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian.
Kashian, who is of Armenian and Irish descent, was born in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised by her father, Elliot, and her stepmother, Nancy, along with her four older brothers and one older sister. She graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1983. [1]
Kashian discovered her love of stand-up comedy while attending The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was soon given stage time at a club operated by Bill Kinison, the brother of Sam Kinison, five nights a week.
She has also acted, appearing in the TV series Murphy Brown (1988) and in films such as Bam Bam and Celeste (2005) and Looking Forward: 2016 (2018).
Kashian has had a half-hour special on Comedy Central and has appeared on CBS, NBC, and the nationally syndicated Radio/TV show Bob And Tom . She tours internationally, spending approximately 25 weeks a year on the road, and has entertained US troops stationed in Africa and the Middle East several times. Her album It is Never Going to be Bread was named as one of the top comedy albums of 2010 by Amazon.com. [2]
After living in Minneapolis, Kashian moved to Los Angeles and resides in Van Nuys with her husband, Andy Ashcraft. She has a strong personal and professional relationship with Maria Bamford and they often perform together, both in Los Angeles and on the road.
In August 2006, Kashian began hosting a podcast, Dork Forest Radio, later The Dork Forest, with new episodes being released once or twice a week. Initially on the BlogTalkRadio network and co-hosted by comedian Joe Wilson, it was for several years transmitted live from her house in Van Nuys and, after leaving BlogTalkRadio, pre-recorded in her living room for transmission. The show features "dork on dork dialog" between Kashian and her guests about their favorite obsessions—commonly referred to by Kashian as 'dorkdoms'. Guests have included Paul F. Tompkins, Jen Kirkman, James Urbaniak, Jimmy Pardo, Aisha Tyler, and Mary-Lynn Rajskub. Fans of the show refer to themselves as "Rangers Of The Dork Forest". In 2010, the podcast changed from a live format to pre-recorded, with superior audio quality and a new theme song, "Welcome to The Dork Forest", written by Mike Ruekberg. In 2011, Kashian recorded her first Dork Forest with a club or theater audience attending, with subsequent "live" episodes including those posted on August 12, 2016, and September 7, 2016.
In early 2016, Kashian and fellow comic Laurie Kilmartin began a new podcast produced by Nerdist Industries called "The Jackie and Laurie Show". The podcast later became independent and moved to the Maximum Fun network. The two primarily discuss stand-up comedy in LA and on the road, occasionally covering harassment and the unequal treatment of female comics, Kilmartin's job as a staff writer on the late-night circuit, and Kilmartin's multi-generational family living situation.
Samuel Burl Kinison was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distinctive scream, similar to charismatic preachers. Initially performing for free, Kinison became a regular fixture at The Comedy Store where he met and eventually befriended such comics as Robin Williams and Jim Carrey. Kinison's comedy was crass observational humor, especially towards women and dating, and his popularity grew quickly, earning him appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. At the peak of his career in early 1992, he was killed in a car crash, aged 38.
William Michael "Bil" Dwyer is an American stand-up comedian, game-show host, actor, and writer. He is perhaps most well known as the host or play-by-play announcer on series such as BattleBots,I've Got a Secret, and Extreme Dodgeball, as well as several iterations of VH1's I Love the '70s, I Love the '80s, and I Love the '90s, and a 2006 appearance on Last Comic Standing. His debut comedy album, Am I Yelling?, was released in September 2020 by comedy label Stand Up! Records.
William Frederick Burr is an American comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. He has released multiple stand-up comedy specials, including You People Are All the Same (2012), I'm Sorry You Feel That Way (2014), Walk Your Way Out (2017) and Paper Tiger (2019). He received a Grammy Award nomination for Paper Tiger, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the dark comedy series Immoral Compass (2021–present). In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him at No. 17 on their list of the "50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time".
Josie Isabel Long is an English comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.
Jacqueline Laura Hoffman is an American actress, singer, and comedian known for her one-woman shows of Jewish-themed original songs and monologues. She is a veteran of Chicago's famed The Second City comedy improv group.
Jennifer Ann Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian and screenwriter, podcaster, and actress. She is known for her regular appearances as a round-table panelist on Chelsea Lately for 70 episodes from 2008 to 2014.
Laurie Kilmartin is an American comedian and writer best known for being a finalist on Last Comic Standing season 7. She was also a staff writer for Conan O'Brien's show Conan.
Mikelle Budge, known professionally as Mary Mack, is an American comedian, musician, and writer. Mack currently stars as Jessica Wearsprada "Jesse" Opposites in the animated sitcom Solar Opposites, which debuted May 8, 2020 on Hulu/Disney+. She has released seven albums of her stand-up.
Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing as a contestant on Show Me the Funny in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats (2011–2017), Fake Reaction (2013–2014), Mock the Week (2015–2019), The Lodge (2016), Stand-Up Central (2017), The Mash Report (2017–2022), Plebs (2018–2019), Strictly Come Dancing (2022), and Knuckles (2024). She has also presented the television shows Snog Marry Avoid? (2012–2013), Live at the Apollo (2016–2018), and The Great Pottery Throw Down (2022).
Nikki Glaser is an American stand-up comedian, actress, podcaster, radio host, and television host. She was the host of the television series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser, which premiered on Comedy Central and Much on February 9, 2016. She is the star of the 2022 reality show Welcome Home Nikki Glaser? on E!. She hosted the Reality TV dating shows Blind Date (2019) on Bravo and FBoy Island (2021-) on HBO Max & The CW and its spinoff Lovers and Liars on The CW. She was announced as the host of the 2025 Golden Globes on August 28, 2024.
Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium content YouTube channel, a news division, and a television version of the original podcast produced by and aired on BBC America.
Alia Janine is an American comedian and former pornographic film actress.
James P. Connolly is an American comedian and tv/radio host known for his frequent guest appearances on Larry Charles' Dangerous Word of Comedy on Netflix, America’s Got Talent, and on several SiriusXM Comedy Channels. In 2002, Connolly was named Grand Comedy Champion on Next Big Star, a television talent show hosted by Ed McMahon. He is one of the most played comedians on Sirius XM Comedy and a sought after host for Fortune 500 companies and global events.
Mo Alexander is an American stand-up comedian and actor originally from Memphis, Tennessee. He has been headlining in comedy clubs and festivals since the mid-1990s. He has released six comedy albums, including 2022's Mo' Possum Blues on Stand Up! Records.
Suzi Ruffell is a British comedian, writer, and actress.
Catherine Bohart is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in the United Kingdom.
Amber Preston is a stand-up comedian originally from North Dakota and Minnesota and now living in Los Angeles.
Jimmy Shubert is a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia now living in Los Angeles. He is known for being part of Sam Kinison's "Outlaws of Comedy," as a 2014 finalist on Last Comic Standing, and for acting roles on shows such as The King of Queens, Entourage, and ER, and movies including Go and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Whitney Chitwood is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. Her debut album, 2019's The Bakery Case, was produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel for Stand Up! Records. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.
Tony Sam is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and Emmy-winning television producer from Chicago, now living in Los Angeles. In 2015, LA Weekly named him one of 10 Comedy Acts To Watch.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
