Melissa Villaseñor | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Villaseñor in December 2024 | |
| Born | Melissa Anne Villaseñor (1987-10-09)October 9, 1987 (age 38) Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Fullerton College |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Website | melissavillasenor |
Melissa Anne Villaseñor (/ˌviːjəsɪnˈjɔːr/VEE-yə-sin-YOR; born October 9, 1987) is an American comedian, actress, musician, and illustrator. First garnering attention for her stand-up shows and impressions, Villaseñor found wider success when she was hired to join the cast of theNBCsketch comedy seriesSaturday Night Live ahead of the show's42nd season in 2016. She then departedSNL at the end of the47th season in 2022, after six seasons as a cast member.[1]
Villaseñor was born inWhittier, California, inLos Angeles County, on October 9, 1987,[2] the daughter of Mexican parents Guadalupe "Lupe" Peralta and Miguel "Michael" Humberto Villaseñor. She is ofSpanish,Basque, andindigenous Mexican descent,[3] with roots inJalisco andAguascalientes,Mexico.[3][4][5] Villaseñor and actorMario Lopez—whose Mexican ancestry was also explored on the same episode ofFinding Your Roots—are both distantly related to directorAlejandro González Iñárritu.[6]
She attended the CatholicRamona Convent Secondary School inAlhambra, California.[7] She briefly attendedFullerton College.[8] At 15, she started performing stand-up comedy at theLaugh Factory Comedy Camp inHollywood.[9]
Villaseñor was a semifinalist on thesixth season ofAmerica's Got Talent.[5] Previously, she was selected for the New Faces lineup in the 2010Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival. She has also done voice work for the animated showsAdventure Time,Family Guy, andTripTank.[10] She appeared on the second season of HBO'sCrashing.[11]
Villaseñor first auditioned for the late nightsketch comedy/variety showSaturday Night Live in2009, where she did several impressions but was not hired.[12] Villaseñor was introduced as a featured player on the October 1, 2016 episode ofSaturday Night Live, alongsideMikey Day andAlex Moffat. Her debut was an impression ofSarah Silverman in theFamily Feud: Political Edition sketch.[13] She is the second Latina cast member afterNoël Wells, who is a quarter Mexican,[14] and the first Latina to be promoted to repertory status.[15] Villaseñor appeared between the show's42nd and47th seasons.[16]
After she became a cast member, she deleted almost 2,000 oldtweets, that she had posted mostly in 2010 and 2011, which some critics called racist.SNL and Villaseñor initially declined to comment on the accusation,[4][17][18] but in September 2018, Villaseñor explained that she was "trying to be edgy" when she posted them, and that she did not regret deleting them. She toldNPR'sWeekend Edition Saturday, "I'm flawed like everyone else, and yeah, I just wanted to make sure I was perfect."[19]
She was promoted to the cast's repertory players inseason 44 in 2018.[19] Villaseñor left the show at the end of the47th season in 2022, after six years as a cast member.
Her debut album,Dreamer, apop-punk/power pop-influenced work, was released in October 2019.[20][21] She is also an illustrator.[20]
She helpedRob Cantor create hisviral video "29 Celebrity Impressions, 1 Original Song" to promote his albumNot a Trampoline, in which she sings impressions ofBritney Spears,Christina Aguilera, andBjörk.[22]
She hosted the2021 Independent Spirit Awards,[23] and voicedRobin in the radio drama podcastBatman: The Audio Adventures.
In June 2023, it was announced that she would voice Nellie Ramírez-Humphrey inPrimos.[24]
Villaseñor describes herself as a comedian and impressionist.[25] She has performed impressions forAmerica's Got Talent,First Impressions, herYouTube channel, andSNL includingBjörk,Owen Wilson,Gwen Stefani,Jennifer Lopez,Kate McKinnon,Kristen Wiig,[26]Christina Aguilera,Britney Spears,Ana Navarro,Sia,Natalie Portman,Sarah Silverman,[27]Lady Gaga,Billie Eilish,Dua Lipa andAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It | Sara | [29] |
| 2016 | Laid in America | Ms. Hopkins | [5] |
| 2017 | Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown | Tawny (voice) | Direct-to-video[30] |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Taffyta Muttonfudge (voice) | [31][30] |
| 2019 | Toy Story 4 | Karen Beverly (voice) | [32][30] |
| 2020 | Hubie Halloween | Cat Owner Karen | [33] |
| 2025 | Dog Man | Realtor (voice) | [34] |
| Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie | Sunflower (voice) | [35] | |
| 2026 | Hoppers | Ellen (voice) | [36] |
| Toy Story 5 | Karen Beverly (voice) | ||
| TBA | Close Personal Friends † | TBA | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | America's Got Talent | Herself/contestant | Semi-finalist[5] |
| 2012 | Family Guy | Nora Ephron (voice) | Episode: "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream"[29] |
| 2012–16 | Adventure Time | Slime Princess, Moniker, Sveinn, additional voices | 11 episodes[29][30] |
| 2014–16 | TripTank | Various (voice) | 4 episodes[29][30] |
| 2015 | Pickle and Peanut | Darla (voice) | Episode: "Francine/Cell Phone Tree"[29] |
| 2016 | First Impressions | Herself/contestant | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown"[37] |
| 2016–22 | Saturday Night Live | Herself/various | Main role; 122 episodes[29][19] |
| 2017 | Jeff & Some Aliens | Julie, Adele (voice) | Episode: "Jeff & Some Preteen Girls"[30] |
| F Is for Family | Additional voices | 2 episodes[38] | |
| The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special | Television special | ||
| 2017–19 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Drupe, Punching Judy, Potato, Ginger, Mega Football Baby, Shy Ninja, additional voices | 25 episodes[19][30] |
| 2018 | Crashing | Herself | Episode: "NACA"[11] |
| Barry | Waitress | Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"[39] | |
| 2018–19 | American Dad! | Various voices | 2 episodes[38] |
| 2019 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Herself | Episode: "Melissa Villaseñor"[40] |
| 2020 | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Performer | Episode: "Paperwork"[41] |
| Summer Camp Island | Psychic (voice) | Episode: "Susie and Ramona Chapter 1: Susie's Ark" | |
| 2021 | 36th Independent Spirit Awards | Herself (host) | Television special[42] |
| Archibald's Next Big Thing Is Here | Toothy, Hazel (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| Crank Yankers | Jennifer Lopez | Episode: "Adam Carolla,Punkie Johnson & Melissa Villaseñor" | |
| Q-Force | Various voices | 10 episodes | |
| Jellystone! | Susan (voice) | Episode: "El Kabong's Kabong is Gone"[30] | |
| 2021–22 | Amphibia | Ally (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | Reindeer in Here | Candy (voice) | Television special[43] |
| 2023 | Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | Akna (voice) | Recurring role; 23 episodes[30] |
| Night Court | Gabby | Episode: "When Abby Met Gabby" | |
| Is It Cake? | Herself / Judge | Episode: "That 90's Cake" | |
| Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Candy Cuffs, Babette, Heckler #1 (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2024–present | Rock Paper Scissors | Pencil (voice) | Recurring role[30] |
| Ariel | Navi (voice) | Recurring role[44][30] | |
| Max & the Midknights | Millie (voice) | Main role[30] | |
| 2024–25 | Primos | Nellie Ramírez-Humphrey (voice) | Recurring role[45][30] |
| 2025 | Win or Lose | Veronica (voice) | Secondary role |
| Krapopolis | Helen, Grandma (voice) | Episode: "Love Week" | |
| Love, Death & Robots | Thermostat (voice) | Episode: "Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners"[30] | |
| Red Spike World | Poppy Arzake (voice) | Main role |
Canciones Hermosas
California(single)
Dreamer
Leap
