Jen Kirkman

Jen Kirkman (born August 28, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and actress, best known for her appearances on E!'s late-night talk show Chelsea Lately.

In 2009, Entertainment Weekly named Kirkman one of the "Top 12 Rising Stars in Comedy." In May 2010, both MSN.com and The Huffington Post named her one of the top comedians to follow on social networking website Twitter.

On June 3, 2010, Kirkman announced she would be leaving Chelsea Lately to join the writing staff for Perfect Couples, a romantic sitcom which will premiere as a mid-season replacement on NBC in 2011. She later stated that she will continue to make occasional roundtable appearances on Chelsea Lately, beginning in late 2010.

Career
Most notably, Kirkman was a staff writer and roundtable regular on E!’s Chelsea Lately. She was the narrator of HBO’s Drunk History, which received the jury prize for "Best Short Film" at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. She was also a cast member of VH1’s short-lived sketch comedy show Acceptable.TV, and made regular voice-over appearances on Adult Swim's Home Movies and Current TV’s political satire cartoon SuperNews.

In 2006, Kirkman released her debut comedy album, Self Help. A follow-up album will be recorded live at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in December 2010.

Kirkman also has several published essays, which have been included in Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped & Canceled and Bad Sex: We Did It So You Don’t Have To.

Stand-up comedy
Kirkman performs regularly in Los Angeles, California, at the Hollywood Improv, The Laugh Factory, Largo and The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She has performed nationwide as an opening act for Chelsea Handler, Mike Birbiglia, Greg Behrendt and Maria Bamford. In 2009 and 2010, she performed as part of the Comedians of Chelsea Lately. She has also made appearances on several American television shows, including performances on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Late Friday, Premium Blend on Comedy Central and Special Sauce on Starz.

Personal life
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Kirkman is the youngest of three sisters. On August 21, 2009, she married director Neil Mahoney in a private ceremony in Framingham, Massachusetts.