The Mommies is the name of an American female former

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases fo ...

whose comedic trademark was their real-life tales of suburban life, domestication, family, marriage and other odds and ends. The duo consisted of Marilyn Kentz and

Caryl Kristensen Caryl J. Kristensen (maiden name, née McKellogg; born November 23, 1960) is an American businessperson and former comedian who was one-half of the comedy troupe The Mommies (comedy duo), The Mommies. The duo had a half-hour Situation comedy, ...

, who met as neighbors in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 a ...

in the late 1980s. It was their family and friends that convinced them that they should take a chance and start an act because they had a knack for comedy. Their act caught the attention of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

, who saw potential in the team after one of the executives caught their performance on a TV show. They eventually signed a contract for a television show with NBC. The duo later hosted a talk show on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. Since 2009, Kristensen has been chief operating officer of a video interview service, while Kentz returned to stand-up in 2014.

TV series

In 1993 they landed their first major starring roles in '' The Mommies'', a series loosely based on their family life and experiences as suburban neighbors in Petaluma, California. The series ran on NBC for two seasons, with 38 episodes made. It was produced by

Paramount Network Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its na ...

''Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends''

In 1996 the duo returned to TV with a daytime talk show called '' Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends''. The show was produced by

Viacom Productions Viacom Productions (formerly Viacom Enterprises) was a television production company, production arm of Paramount Global Distribution Group#Paramount International, Viacom International. The division was active from 1974 until 2004, when the comp ...

(now

CBS Media Ventures CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glob ...

) and aired on

for one year before being replaced by '' The View'' in 1997.

''The Mommies: A Musical Blog''

Kentz and Kristensen contributed lyrics to a musical called ''The Mommies: A Musical Blog'', which is advertised as a "90-minute party of laughter (and a few tears) that will remind you of all the reasons you became a mommie!" It premiered in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

in 2011. There have been no entries on the show's blog since September of that year.

Other works

In addition to acting and writing, they are also worked with various causes from

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

awareness to parental rights. The duo also appeared in TV commercials for Palmolive liquid dish detergent.

Marilyn Kentz

Kentz was born in Santa Rosa, California, in 1948. She performed solo as a stand-up. In May 2014 she performed her first show since the death of her husband on April 25, 2014, entitled "Will I Ever Wear a Bikini Again?" She lives in Berkeley, California.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mommies, The American television talk show hosts American comedy duos People from Petaluma, California Comedians from California