Jessica Chaffin

Last updated
Jessica Chaffin
Born (1974-01-05) January 5, 1974 (age 50)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active1999–present
Children1 [1]

Jessica Chaffin (born January 5, 1974) [2] is an American actress, comedian, and writer best known as part of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly with Jamie Denbo. She is also known for her recurring roles as Coco Wexler on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 , Marie Faldonado in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan and appearing in the films Spy and The Heat . She starred as Beth in the NBC sitcom Abby's .

Contents

Early life

Chaffin was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts. Her father is from a Jewish family, and her mother, who is of Scottish and English ancestry, converted to Judaism; Chaffin was raised Jewish. [3] [4] Her brother, Joshua Chaffin, is a writer for the Financial Times [ citation needed ] .

Career

She is a regular performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, often performing with her comedy partner Jamie Denbo. [5] From 2005 to 2008, Chaffin was known for playing Coco Wexler, the girls' dorm adviser on all four seasons of the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 . From 2008 to 2009, she also worked with Amy Poehler as a writer and voice actor on the animated series The Mighty B! playing several roles, including that of Portia's cousin, Chelsea. Then she popped up on various TV shows, including 90210 , United States of Tara , New Girl , Man with a Plan , Veep , Episodes , and Search Party , and in the movies Spy , Pitch Perfect 3 , and Fun Mom Dinner . [6]

Chaffin has made guest appearances on television programs such as Weeds , Entourage , and Curb Your Enthusiasm . In December 2009, her comedy pilot Ronna & Beverly (based on the popular stage show she performs with Denbo at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre) aired on Showtime. Ronna & Beverly was eventually turned into a six-part comedy talk show, which was co-produced by Paul Feig and premiered on September 10, 2012, on Sky Atlantic HD in the United Kingdom. [7] [8] Together with Denbo, Chaffin created the Ronna and Beverly podcast. A follow-up podcast, Ask Ronna, with Chaffin co-hosting with Bryan Safi was launched in 2019. [9]

Chaffin was a series regular on the first season of CBS sitcom Man With A Plan and starred in the NBC sitcom Abby's .

Podcasts

Ronna and Beverly

Chaffin and comedy partner Jamie Denbo hosted a podcast, Ronna and Beverly , on the Earwolf network from 2011 until 2017 wherein they interviewed celebrity guests, interacted with one another, and dispensed advice to listeners. [10] Chaffin and Denbo developed their characters in 2006 when they were asked to host an all-Jewish 'Kosher Christmas Show' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. [11]

Live performances from the pair were frequently advertised as "seminars" in which their characters discuss the fictional book they co-authored, "You'll Do a Little Better Next Time: A Guide to Marriage and Re-marriage for Jewish Singles." After introducing the book, either Chaffin or Denbo would often add the clarification, "It says Jewish in the name, but it's for everyone!" [10]

Episodes of their eponymous podcast were released every two weeks by Earwolf. Guests included people working in comedy, as well as actors, authors, and filmmakers. The podcast premiered on May 25, 2011. [12] In episode 161 on June 15, 2017 (not long after they started teasing the possibility of releasing weekly episodes), Ronna and Beverly suddenly announced they were taking off "for the summer." Since then, no new episodes have been released and the actresses have not appeared together in character. Jessica Chaffin has kept Ronna alive by appearing in character as a guest on other podcasts and by maintaining an Instagram account.

Ask Ronna

In November, 2019, Chaffin and co-host Bryan Safi premiered a new podcast called Ask Ronna , in which Chaffin continues to appear as Ronna Glickman. Safi and Chaffin's show focuses on requests for advice and questions from listeners, and often feature a celebrity guest. [13] [14]

Chaffin, as Glickman, is a purveyor of artisanal coffees in conjunction with the Ask Ronna podcast. [15]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
2007Wild Girls Gone
2008LongwindedGalShort film
2010MA MenJoan HarrisVideo short
MA Men 2
2011The Real Housewives of South BostonChaffin
The Real Housewives of South Boston: Christmas Special
2013 The Heat Gina
2014 Girltrash: All Night Long Officer Jackie
2015 Hello, My Name Is Doris DIY Kate
Spy Sharon
2016 Hickey Barb
Ghostbusters Waitress
2017 Fun Mom Dinner Jen
Pitch Perfect 3 Evan
2020 Desperados Debbie
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1999 The Amanda Show The Dare Show Contestant, FBI Agent (segments)
2000 Upright Citizens Brigade Junkie CheerleaderEpisode: "Thunderball"
2002 All That Security GuardEpisode: "Kenan Thompson/LFO"
2003 What I Like About You GeenaEpisode: "Loose Lips"
2005–08 Zoey 101 Coco Wexler 13 episodes
2005 Las Vegas Maggie SteinEpisode: "One Nation, Under Surveillance"
2007The Very Funny ShowMike's Mother, various2 episodes
2008 Weeds Crackhead2 episodes
Entourage Barbara's AssistantEpisode: "Seth Green Day"
Held UpSharonTelevision film
2008–09 The Mighty B! Chelsea, Virginia, Passerby #2, Joey, Receptionist, Black Widow #1 (voices)5 episodes
2009 Curb Your Enthusiasm HostessEpisode: "Funkhouser's Crazy Sister"
Ronna & BeverlyRonna GlickmanTelevision film
2009–10 90210 Ms. Geiser (Field Hockey Coach)3 episodes
2010–11 United States of Tara Mrs. Fox4 episodes
2012 NTSF:SD:SUV:: EdithEpisode: "Sabbath-tage"
Ronna & Beverly RonnaComedy talk show
2 Broke Girls Druggie GirlEpisode: "And the Egg Special"
Eugene!Painted LadyTelevision film
2013 Arrested Development Junkie2 episodes
Comedy Bang! Bang! Jane RizzoliEpisode: "Andy Richter Wears a Suit Jacket & a Baby Blue Button Down Shirt"
Ghost Ghirls Jessica ClemensEpisode: "Ghost Writer"
Childrens Hospital HypnotistEpisode: "Blaken"
The League Mrs. ShapiroEpisode: "The Automatic Faucet"
2013–14 New Girl Bertie4 episodes
2014 The Crazy Ones ElaineEpisode: "March Madness"
Sam & Cat Coco Wexler Episode: "#FirstClassProblems"
Silicon Valley Episode: "Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency"
The Hotwives of Orlando RuthEpisode: "Intervention Party"
2014–17 Episodes Nina / Woman5 episodes
2015 Other Space General HaysonEpisode: "Into the Great Beyond... Beyond"
Another Period Pussy Von AndersteinEpisode: "Divorce"
You're The Worst DiEpisode: "A Right Proper Story"
2016 Mike & Molly AllisonEpisode: "Cops on the Rocks"
Difficult People JoanieEpisode: "Italian Piñata"
2016–17 Veep Congresswoman Gellardi5 episodes
Man with a Plan Marie Faldonado11 episodes
2017 I'm Sorry NurseEpisode: "Pilot"
Search Party Crystal4 episodes
2017–present Big Mouth Shannon Glaser (voice)16 episodes
2019 Abby's BethMain cast; 10 episodes
Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ RonnaEpisode: "Missing Dean"
Podcasts
YearTitleEpisode
2011–2017 Ronna & Beverly 164 episodes
2012 How Did This Get Made Episode 33: Abduction
2013–14 The Dead Authors Podcast Chapter 17: Agatha Christie
Chapter 37: Truman Capote
2014The JV ClubEpisode 140
2014 Totally Laime Episode 236: Murder Car!
2015Reading AloudEpisode 13: (with Kevin Sussman and Robey Clark)
Episode 32: Book Club 11: All the Light We Cannot See
2015 Womp It Up! Episode 12: Spotlight On: Donna "Pep" Delpepio
2015About Last NightEpisode 97
2015–16 Spontaneanation Episode 8: A Superyacht
Episode 20: Death Valley
Episode 25: 10th Circle of Hell
Episode 28: One Hour Photo Shop
Episode 44: The One Beauty Parlor In A Small Town
Episode 48: Laundromat
2016 Hard Nation Episode 9: Megyn Kelly Is Inside the Boys Club
2016 Sklarbro Country Episode 237
2016-17 Bitch Sesh: A Real Housewives Breakdown Episode 15: Hearing Is Believing
Episode 25: All the Countess's Men
Episode 35: Body of Evidence (w/ Lindy Jamil Gomez)
Episode 68: Reunion
Episode 85: Farm-to-Table Manners
2017 Throwing Shade Episode 305, 301
2017 Hollywood Handbook Episode 206
2017 Never Not Funny Episode 19xf
2017Next Level with Chris TallmanEpisode 8
2017Lovett or Leave ItEpisode 15
2017Minor RevelationsEpisode 43
2017The KibitzEpisode 19
2019Throwing ShOscars6 Episodes (as Ronna Glickman)
2019–Present Ask Ronna with Bryan Safi (as Ronna Glickman)
2020Throwing ShOscars(as Ronna Glickman)
Writing
YearTitleMediumNotes
2003Aerobic StripteaseVideo documentary
2008–9 The Mighty B! TV16 episodes
2010 90210 TVEpisode: "Meet the Parent"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Besser</span> American actor and comedian

Matthew Gregory Besser is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, writer, and one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2000. He hosts the improvisation-based podcast Improv4humans, previously on the Earwolf network, but now solely operated by himself and Brett Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Huebel</span> American actor and comedian

Robert Anderson Huebel is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant and for his role of Dr. Owen Maestro on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He also appeared as Russell on the FX/FXX series The League and as Len Novak on the Amazon Prime Video series Transparent. In December 2022, Entertainment Weekly called Huebel "the premier d-bag character actor of his generation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul F. Tompkins</span> American actor and comedian (born 1968)

Paul Francis Tompkins is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television on such programs as Mr. Show with Bob and David, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Best Week Ever, later renamed Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins.

Danielle Caroline Schneider is an American actress, writer, and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She co-created and starred in the Hulu reality TV parody series The Hotwives and currently co-hosts the podcast Bitch Sesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Daly</span> American actor and comedian

Andrew Daly is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Forrest MacNeil on the Comedy Central series Review, and had a supporting role in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down as Terrence Cutler. He has also made recurring appearances on television programs such as Silicon Valley, Veep, Modern Family, Black-ish, Trial & Error, the Netflix series The Who Was? Show, Reno 911!, and Comedy Bang! Bang!, as well as animated shows such as Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, Bob's Burgers, Adventure Time, and Harley Quinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Gethard</span> American actor and comedian

Christopher Paul Gethard (; born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He was the host of The Chris Gethard Show, a talk show based in New York City, which aired from 2011 to 2018. He hosts the podcasts Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People and New Jersey is the World.

Jamie Denbo is an American actress, writer, comedian and half of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly with Jessica Chaffin. She also co-starred in the FX series Terriers and appeared in Spy, The Heat and Ghostbusters (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennon Parham</span> American actress (born 1975)

Lennon Parham is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Jessica St. Clair, she created and co-starred in NBC's Best Friends Forever and USA Network's Playing House. She also co-starred in the CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose from 2009 to 2010. More recently, she has appeared in the Max series Minx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earwolf</span> American podcasting network

Earwolf is an American comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich in August 2010. In 2011, they announced a partnership with Funny Or Die. It merged with podcast advertising network The Mid Roll in 2014, a separate company founded by Ullrich, to form Midroll Media. Midroll was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company in 2015. In July 2020, Sirius XM acquired Midroll Media, which includes Stitcher Radio and Earwolf, for $325 million.

Betsy Sodaro is an American actress. She is a regular performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. She is best known for her appearances on comedy programs such as Ghosts, Another Period, Duncanville, Clipped, Animal Practice, Nailed It, Big Time in Hollywood, FL and the Netflix show Disjointed.

<i>Attitudes!</i> Comedy padcast and TV show

Attitudes! is a weekly comedy podcast based on discussions of women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, progressive politics and pop culture. The podcast is hosted by ("Feminasty") Erin Gibson and ("Homosensual") Bryan Safi. Gibson and Safi's comedic repartee frequently features adult topics and addresses social, cultural, and political issues.

Elizabeth Laime is an American writer, actress and podcast host. She currently hosts the podcast Totally Laime formerly of the Earwolf network. Her former podcasts include Totally Married, a relationship advice show, and Totally Mommy, a show about parenting. She has written for the TruTV comedy series I'm Sorry, the NBC series The Village. and the ABC series A Million Little Things.

Jon Daly, sometimes credited as Jonathan C. Daly, Jon C. Daly or Jonathan Barney Daly, is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer best known for his sketch comedy work on the Comedy Central series Kroll Show. In 2013, he starred as Hobbes in the Amazon Studios original series Betas, and also played Agent Filippo in Zoolander 2 (2016).

<i>Ronna and Beverly</i> Talk show and interview podcast

Ronna Marlene Glickman and Beverly Ginsberg are the 50-something characters created and embodied by actors and comedians Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo. They hosted a podcast on the Earwolf network from 2011 until 2017 wherein they interviewed a celebrity guest, interacted with one another, and dispensed advice to listeners. Chaffin and Denbo developed their characters in 2006 when they were asked to host an all-Jewish 'Kosher Christmas Show' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demi Adejuyigbe</span> British-born American writer, comedian

Oluademilade "Demi" Adejuyigbe is a British-born American writer, comedian, and social media personality. He is best known for co-hosting the podcast Gilmore Guys, and his work on the NBC comedy series The Good Place and the CBS late night show The Late Late Show with James Corden. In 2018, he was named as one of Vulture magazine's "38 Comedians You Should and Will Know".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Tarver</span> American actor

Andrew Tarver is an American actor and comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. He is known for starring as Cary Dubek on the comedy series The Other Two, his role on the Seeso show Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, and for his appearances on comedy podcasts, including Comedy Bang! Bang! and Big Grande's The Teachers Lounge.

Jessica McKenna is an American actress, comedian and singer. McKenna trained with The Groundlings and at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where she regularly performs. McKenna was one of the stars of Fox's Party Over Here, alongside Nicole Byer and Alison Rich, and hosted the podcast Off Book: The Improvised Musical until 2023.

Nicholas Wiger is an American comedian, improviser, podcast personality, and television writer. He is the co-host of the popular weekly podcast Doughboys, which reviews chain restaurants with guests and includes additional segments centered around snack food and related topics. He is also the co-host of Get Played, a podcast about video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitra Jouhari</span> Iranian-American comedian, actress, and writer

Mitra Jouhari is an Iranian-American comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known for starring in the television series Three Busy Debras, based on the sketch comedy group she co-founded, and voicing Cleopatra "Cleo" Smith in the second and third seasons of Clone High. Jouhari has written for the television series Big Mouth, High Maintenance, and Miracle Workers.

<i>Off Book: The Improvised Musical</i> Musical theatre and comedy improv podcast

Off Book: The Improvised Musical is a musical theatre podcast hosted by Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino. The show improvises a new musical every episode based on their guests' introduction. The show headlined at the 6th annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival.

References

  1. "Instagram".
  2. "Almanac: Today's Birthdays". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. January 5, 2024. p. A3. ProQuest   2910693487. Actor Shea Whigham is 55. Actor Derek Cecil is 51. Actor-comedian Jessica Chaffin is 50. Actor Bradley Cooper is 49. Actor January Jones is 46. See also:
    • "Today in History: Today's Birthdays". Asheville Citizen-Times. January 5, 2019. p. 4D. ProQuest   2228583613. Actor Shea Whigham is 50. Actor Derek Cecil is 46. Actress-comedian Jessica Chaffin is 45. Actor Bradley Cooper is 44. Actress January Jones is 41.
  3. Carley, Brennan (28 May 2013). "Ronna and Beverly Talk Performing for Ben Affleck". Boston Magazine . Metrocorp Publishing. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. Rashty, Sandy (2 August 2013). "Jewish mother comics Ronna and Beverly are feeling The Heat". thejc.com . Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  5. "Jessica Chaffin". Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  6. Ellenbogen, Rachael (28 March 2019). "NBC's 'Abby's' Series Premiere: Here's How You Know The Cast". IBTimes . IBT Media Inc. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  7. Kemp, Stuart (May 29, 2012). "Paul Feig Co-Producing 'Ronna & Beverly' For Sky Atlantic". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  8. "Bridesmaids' Paul Feig Introduces Ronna & Beverly". Sky Atlantic HD . Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  9. Editors, Vulture (2019-12-05). "This Week in Comedy Podcasts: A New Show From Mitra Jouhari". Vulture. Retrieved 2019-12-29.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. 1 2 "Ronna & Beverly podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  11. "Meet the (fake) Jewish mothers Ronna and Beverly and the women who birthed them". Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  12. "Ronna & Beverly podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  13. "Ask Ronna". www.stitcher.com. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  14. Vulture Editors (Dec 5, 2019). "This Week in Comedy Podcasts: A New Show From Mitra Jouhari". Vulture. Retrieved May 15, 2020.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. Vulture Editors (December 7, 2020). "2020 Pop Culture Holiday Gift Guide". Vulture. Retrieved 19 June 2021.{{cite magazine}}: |last= has generic name (help); Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)