Jen Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian, television writer, actress and podcaster from Newton, Massachusetts. She works across stand-up, television and audio comedy, and is associated with late-night panel comedy, sketch work and narrative comedy formats.

Stand-up comedy

Kirkman releases comedy material and performs regularly in Los Angeles at venues including the Hollywood Improv, The Laugh Factory, Largo and The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She tours nationally and appears with comedians including Maria Bamford, Greg Behrendt, Mike Birbiglia and Chelsea Handler. She also appears in the Comedians of Chelsea Lately in 2009 and 2010. Her debut comedy album, Self Help, is released in 2006. Her second album, Hail to the Freaks, is recorded live in one night at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and follows with a bonus disc of additional material.

Television and writing

Kirkman is best known for her work on E!'s Chelsea Lately, where she is a staff writer and a regular roundtable guest. She leaves the show in 2010 to join the writing staff of the NBC sitcom Perfect Couples and later returns to Chelsea Lately after the sitcom is removed from the schedule. She also writes for the NBC sitcom Perfect Couples in 2011.

Her other television credits include cast work on VH1's sketch comedy series Acceptable.TV and appearances on Conan, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Late Friday, Premium Blend and Special Sauce. She also provides regular voice-over work on Adult Swim's Home Movies and Current TV's political satire cartoon SuperNews.

Other projects

Kirkman narrates HBO's Drunk History, the web series that receives the jury prize for Best Short Film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. She also appears in the web series Drunk History. She is a regular guest with Paul F. Tompkins on the monthly podcast Pod F. Tompkast.

Recognition and personal life

In 2009, Entertainment Weekly names Kirkman one of the Top 12 Rising Stars in Comedy. In 2010, MSN and The Huffington Post both name her one of the top comedians to follow on Twitter. She is married to writer/director Neil Mahoney after a private ceremony in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and she is a longtime vegetarian.