Jessi Cruickshank

Last updated
Jessi Cruickshank
JessiCruickshank08TIFF.jpg
Jessi Cruickshank
Born
Jessica Shaia Cruickshank [1]

(1982-07-17) July 17, 1982 (age 43)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • podcast host
  • television personality
Years active1995–present
Spouse
Evan Gatica
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3

Jessica Shaia "Jessi" Cruickshank (born July 17, 1982) is a Canadian comedian, podcast host and television personality. [2] She is the former host of MTV Canada's program The After Show and its various incarnations including The Hills: The After Show and The City: Live After Show with co-host Dan Levy. She also hosted Canada's Smartest Person and The Goods on CBC.

Contents

Early life

Cruickshank was born in Calgary, Alberta, but grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. [2] Her mother is Joyce Resin who once hosted a CBC show called Alive: The Picture of Health. [2] She has an older sister named Amanda Grace, who works as a reporter and anchor for KING-TV in Seattle. [3] Cruickshank was part of her high school's all-male improv comedy group alongside comedians Seth Rogen and Nathan Fielder right before becoming a television personality, putting her comedic skills in use while reporting or interviewing celebrities. [2] She graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in English and drama in 2004. [4]

Career

Cruickshank's first acting role was in a commercial for Shoppers Drug Mart. [5] In her early teen years, she had a small role in the made-for-television movie called For Hope which was directed by Bob Saget in 1996. Before joining MTV, Cruickshank was a co-host on YTV for a show called Weird On Wheels. [6]

MTV

Cruickshank was one of the original seven co-hosts of MTV's flagship series MTV Live , which was then hosted by fellow MTV hosts Daryn Jones, Nicole Holness and Paul Lemieux until its cancellation in 2012. Cruickshank has interviewed an array of high-profile celebrities including the casts of The Hills , The City and Twilight , along with Adam Lambert, Bill Gates, Zac Efron, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Rihanna, Drake, Sharon and Bram of Sharon, Lois & Bram, and Bradley Cooper. [7] [8] [9]

Hosting and producing

Upon moving to Los Angeles, she filmed a show called Real Hollywood Survival Guide, which aired on MTV. [10] Cruickshank was also a producer at The Oprah Winfrey Network. [11] Cruickshank was the Los Angeles correspondent for the Canadian entertainment show etalk , during which she joined the etalk TIFF coverage team for several years. [12] Cruickshank went on to host various events and shows including co-hosting The CW show Oh Sit! , which aired on MuchMusic in Canada, the CBC shows Canada's Smartest Person and The Goods, and hosting the reunion special of the reality TV show Jerseylicious . [10]

Comedy

Cruickshank created the digital series New Mom, Who Dis? about her journey as a new mother in 2018. [13] In 2022, she toured Canadian cities with her first live comedy show, Up Close and Too Personal, and in spring 2025, she toured her second comedy show, Now That's What I Call Live!, across Canada. [14] She is currently hosting her weekly podcast show Phone A Friend, which debuted as the #1 comedy show across all podcasts. [15]

Philanthropy

Cruickshank was actively involved with the organization Free The Children as an ambassador, for which she filmed multiple MTV specials. [16] She spoke at and hosted multiple We Days and Free The Children events. [17] Cruickshank has also attended various speaking events and travelled internationally for organizations including Plan Canada and Global Citizen. [18]

Personal life

Cruickshank married her long-term boyfriend Evan Gatica in 2014, with her former co-host Dan Levy in attendance. [19] The couple has three children: twin boys and a girl. [18]

Filmography

Cruickshank played Kristin in The Rest of My Life , a TV movie concluding the ninth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation that aired in Canada on MuchMusic on July 16, 2010, and in the United States on TeenNick. She was also in the direct-to-video movie Virtuality that came out in 2010. In 2024, Cruickshank released her first stand-up comedy special entitled Minivan Money, which premiered on the global streaming platform, Veeps. [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cruickshank, Jessi (July 18, 2017). "On maternity fashion: A formal apology from a very pregnant Jessi Cruickshank". CBC Life. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Baird, Craig (May 20, 2025). "Jessi Cruickshank". Canadian History Ehx. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  3. ↑ Grace, Amanda (October 27, 2017). "Amanda Grace and sister talk 'unbreakable bond'". King5.com. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ Rundle, Lisa (February 12, 2009). "60 Seconds With Jessi Cruickshank - A Q&A with the MTV Canada host". University of Toronto Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ Eckler, Rebecca (August 19, 2010). "Goodbye to 'The Hills' and to us". Maclean's . Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Jessi Cruickshank Tickets". TicketSmarter. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Shedoesthecity Interviews Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank from Times Square". Shedoesthecity. December 1, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Jessi Cruickshank". eSpeakers. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Jessi Cruickshank meets Sharon and Bram". YouTube . 3 October 2018.
  10. 1 2 "The Talented Personality Jessi Cruickshank to Host the 2015 CCMA Awards Show on CBC-TV and CMT (Canada)". Canadian Country Music Association. August 13, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  11. ↑ Volmers, Eric (May 30, 2014). "Calgarian Jessi Cruickshank exploring Canada's smartest people". Calgary Herald . Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ "CTV's ETALK Continues Decade-Long Reign as the #1 Canadian Source for Coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival®". bellmedia.ca. September 18, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ McNeely, Jen (March 29, 2019). "New Mom Who Dis? We Chat With Jessi Cruickshank About Fake Instagram Motherhood, Hot Dad Roundtables, and Having a Postpartum Identity Crisis". Shedoesthecity. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Q & A with Jessi Cruickshank". This Is J. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Jessi Cruickshank – bringing laughter to Theatre Beanfield". The Montrealer. May 9, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Speaker Jessi Cruickshank". Kidscreen Summit. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  17. ↑ Demarco, Zoe. "Jessi Cruickshank is too busy raising socially conscious kids to waste time on mom shaming". WE.org. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Jessi Cruickshank - Television Personality - Comedian". The Spotlight Agency. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Jessi Cruikshank, former The Hills After Show host weds!". wedclips. July 20, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Comedian Jessi Cruickshank Announces 'MINIVAN MONEY' Special via Veeps". Mundane. Retrieved October 5, 2025.