Karen Kilgariff (born May 11, 1970 in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village na ...

) is an American writer, comedian, singer, author, actress, television producer, and podcast host. She began her career as a stand up comedian in the early 1990s and later became a television actress, most notably as a cast member on '' Mr. Show''. She has written for many comedy television shows, including being the head writer on ''

The Rosie Show ''The Rosie Show'' was an American evening television talk show starring and produced by Rosie O'Donnell, airing on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The first episode premiered on October 10, 2011, on the stage that was formerly home to ''The Oprah ...

'', ''

The Ellen Degeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'' and ''

The Pete Holmes Show ''The Pete Holmes Show'' is an American late-night talk show starring comedian Pete Holmes. It aired Monday through Thursday at midnight on TBS, from October 28, 2013 until June 18, 2014. The show was atypical among late-night talk shows for havi ...

''. Since 2016 she has co-hosted the true crime comedy podcast ''

My Favorite Murder ''My Favorite Murder'' is a weekly true crime comedy podcast hosted by American comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. The first episode was released in January 2016. The podcast debuted at #25 on the iTunes podcast charts and peaked ...

'' along with

Georgia Hardstark Georgia Hardstark (born June 8, 1980) is an American television host and podcast personality. She is the co-host of the true crime-comedy podcast '' My Favorite Murder'' along with comedian Karen Kilgariff. In 2018, Hardstark and Kilgariff co-fou ...

. In 2018, she and Hardstark co-founded the podcast network Exactly Right. Along with Hardstark, Kilgariff wrote the non-fiction book '' Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered,'' which was released on May 28, 2019.

Early life

Karen Kilgariff grew up outside Petaluma, California with her mother, Patricia (née Knight) who died in 2016, her father Jim, and an older sister. Both of Karen's parents worked; her father was a San Francisco firefighter and her mother was a head psychiatric nurse at the

Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute The Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute (LPPI) is a psychiatric teaching hospital, part of the Psychiatry Department at the University of California, San Francisco. It is located at 401 Parnassus Avenue at Hillway Avenue on the Parnassus campus o ...

. She attended St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma.

Career

Stand up and acting

Karen Kilgariff started out as a stand-up comedian in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

in the 1990s. She went on to land comedy roles on television, including being a cast member on seasons 3 and 4 of '' Mr. Show''. She would later appear in the 2015 reboot, ''

W/ Bob & David ''W/ Bob & David'' is a comedy sketch show created by and starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross that premiered on Netflix on November 13, 2015. The sketch show consists of four half-hour episodes plus an hour-long making-of special entitled " ...

'', as well. She played the role of Jean Pettengill for five episodes of '' The Book Group'' in 2003. In 2015, Kilgariff teamed up with Drennon Davis to record a live album of comedy songs titled ''I Don't Care, I Like It''.

Writing career

In 2003 Kilgariff was hired by

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...

to help write for her comedy special, '' Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now''. Kilgariff later toured with DeGeneres as her opening act. Kilgariff was then named head writer for the day time talk show ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'', which launched in September 2003. She occasionally appeared on screen in sketches and other segments. She was also part of a comic duo (with Mary Lynn Rajskub) called Girls Guitar Club. Kilgariff served as the head writer for ''

,'' which aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network. She later served as the head writer for ''

,'' which aired on TBS. She also wrote for and starred in

truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...

's ''Talk Show: The Game Show'' and produced '' Making History'' on

FOX Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an Television in the United States, American Commercial broadcasting, commercial terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by Fox C ...

. Kilgariff wrote four episodes for FX’s comedy-drama ''

Baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

'' between 2017 and 2019.

Podcast hosting

In 2014, Kilgariff started a podcast with comedian Chris Fairbanks called ''Do You Need A Ride?''. The podcast originally took place entirely in a car, where Karen and Chris would speak to their guest while driving around. Citing safety concerns, however, they now occasionally record at the Exactly Right Studios. In 2016, Kilgariff and

started the true-crime podcast ''

'', in which they discuss various infamous murders and serial killers. Since its inception, the podcast has garnered a large fan base, totaling over 19 million listeners. They have also toured the United States and internationally performing ''My Favorite Murder'' live shows. In 2018 she and Hardstark co-founded the podcast network Exactly Right, which now produces their podcast along with ten others. In April 2019, the network's first original podcast ''Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad'' debuted at number one. In 2019, Kilgariff and Hardstark published '' Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered'', a joint memoir.

Personal life

Kilgariff does not drink alcohol, and has been open about her past struggles with abuse of amphetamines and diet pills. In an interview with

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

for his WTF podcast, she said she stopped using drugs and alcohol completely after she began having seizures, fearing her drug use had been the cause. Karen now lives in Studio City, California with her dogs, Frank and Blossom. Kilgariff married at age 32 and is now divorced.

Discography

In 2014, Kilgariff recorded a musical comedy album ''Live at the Bootleg''."In 'Bootleg,' Kilgariff Sets Her Comic Commentary To Music"
on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

References

External links

* *
"In 'Bootleg,' Kilgariff Sets Her Comic Commentary To Music"
on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

"10 Weird Questions with Karen Kilgariff"
from Man Cave Daily
Interview with Karen Kilgariff
in ''Nailed'' * ''My Favorite Murder'' o
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilgariff, Karen Living people 1970 births 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American women American sketch comedians American women comedians American women writers Comedians from California People associated with true crime People from Petaluma, California Writers from California