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Iliza Shlesinger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Shlesinger in 2017 on stage | |
| Born | (1983-02-22)February 22, 1983 (age 42) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Iliza Vie Shlesinger (/ɪˈlaɪzəˈʃlɛsɪŋɡər/il-EYE-zəSHLESS-ing-gər;[1][2] born(1983-02-22)February 22, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and television host. She was the 2008 winner ofNBC'sLast Comic Standing and went on to host the syndicated dating showExcused from 2011 to 2013. She has hosted theTBS game showSeparation Anxiety.
In 2017, Shlesinger hosted her own late-night talk show calledTruth & Iliza onFreeform.[3] As of 2022, she has released six comedy specials onNetflix. Her sketch comedy showThe Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show premiered on Netflix in April 2020.
Iliza Vie Shlesinger[4][5] was born on(1983-02-22)February 22, 1983[6] in New York City to aJewish family.[7] She was raised inDallas, Texas, where her family moved when she was a baby.[7][8] She attended the privateGreenhill School inAddison, Texas, where she studied Spanish and participated in the school'simprovisation team.[9]
Shlesinger studied at theUniversity of Kansas for one year,[10] and participated in aSemester at Sea program. She transferred toEmerson College inBoston, Massachusetts, where she majored in film.[10] There, she became a member of one of the campus'scomedy sketch groups, Jimmy's Traveling All Stars.
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Shlesinger performed with the ComedySportz Dallas,[10] and after graduating fromEmerson, moved to Los Angeles to pursuestand-up comedy.[10][11] She was one of the most popular members of a group of standup comedians in Los Angeles, whiteboy comedy,[12] which brought her to the stage atThe Improv in Hollywood for the "Last Comic Standing" competition.[10]
In 2007, Shlesinger wonMyspace'sSo You Think You're Funny contest, and was featured as theG4 network'sMyspace Girl of the Week. In 2008, she became the first woman, and the youngest, winner ofNBC'sLast Comic Standing, in the series' sixth season.[13][14] She was twice selected by other comedians to compete in the head-to-head eliminations, winning each time.[15] She appeared in The Last Comic Standing Tour.[16]
Shlesinger worked withLewis Black to contribute toSurviving the Holidays, aHistory Channel holiday special, and narrated the 2009 documentaryImagine It!² The Power of Imagination.[17][18] In 2010, she released an on-demand comedy video,Man Up and Act Like a Lady, and an on-demand comedy album,iliza LIVE, on her website, via The ConneXtion. Around the time of these releases, Shlesinger appeared in a business comedy video series forSlate.[19]
Shlesinger hostedThe Weakly News on TheStream.tv from July 2007 to April 2012.[20][21] She also hostedExcused, asyndicated American reality-based dating competition series, which ran from 2011 to 2013.[22] She co-starred in the 2013 filmParadise.[23] As of April 2023, she was continuing an advice podcast calledTruth and Iliza, which she began in August 2014. Featuring celebrity guests and personal friends, the semi-weekly podcast is a forum for discussing matters which bother her and those on the show,[24] with a punk theme song performed by Being Mean to Pixley.[25]
Shlesinger was comic co-host ofStarTalk Radio Show withNeil deGrasse Tyson for season 7, episode 12 titledCosmic Queries: Galactic Grab Bag on May 20, 2016.[26] On July 13, 2016, the ABC's streaming service premiered Shlesinger's "new short-form digital comedy series",Forever 31.[27] The series was created, written, and executive produced by, and starred Shlesinger. A late night show for Shlesinger was placed into development in September 2016 for the cable channelFreeform.[28]Truth & Iliza began airing on May 2, 2017, and ran for six episodes.[29]
In March 2024, through theAuckland High Court in New Zealand, Shlesinger successfully liquidated a New Zealand production company 'Stripe Studios (Comedy)' for a payment that she was owed.[30] Stripe Studios (Comedy) is a subsidiary of the larger 'Stripe Media Group' which was owned by British New Zealand producerAlex Breingan. The larger company was also put into liquidation, owing large amounts of money to debtors and actors, includingDavid Hasselhoff.[31]
Shlesinger's first comedy album and video,War Paint, was recorded on December 1, 2012, at The Lakewood Theater in Dallas, Texas, and released onNetflix on September 1, 2013.[32][33] Her second stand-up special,Freezing Hot, was recorded inDenver, Colorado, and premiered on Netflix on January 23, 2015.[34] Her third Netflix stand-up special, titledConfirmed Kills, was recorded atThe Vic Theatre inChicago, Illinois, and premiered on Netflix on September 23, 2016.[35] Her fourth Netflix stand-up special,Elder Millennial,[36] was recorded aboardUSS Hornet, at the USSHornet Sea, Air & Space Museum[37] inAlameda, California, on February 23, 2018,[38] and premiered on Netflix on July 24, 2018.[39]Her fifth Netflix stand-up special,Unveiled was recorded inNashville and premiered on Netflix on Nov 19, 2019.[40]
Shlesinger also stars in the March 2020 Netflix filmSpenser Confidential, andThe Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, which premiered April 1, 2020.[41] Shlesinger has stated that she intentionally hired a diverse team of writers so her sketches would appeal to a racially diverse audience, also intending her comedy was not "just for women."[41]
Released on Netflix on January 7, 2021, following its world premiere on September 4, 2020, at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, Shlesinger played Anita Weiss inPieces of a Woman, the sister to Martha, the main character. She starred, wrote, and executive produced the romantic comedy filmGood on Paper, which premiered on Netflix on June 23, 2021.
Her sixth stand-up comedy specialIliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever premiered on Netflix in October 2022.[42]
Shlesinger's first comedy special forAmazon Prime, "A Different Animal," was recorded at theEccles Theater inSalt Lake City and debuted March 11, 2025. It is listed as the first part of a series for the streaming service.[43]
Shlesinger's television credits includeE! Network'sForbes Celebrity 100,TV Guide'sAmerica's Next Top Producer,Comedy Central Presents,[44]John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show,[45]Byron Allen'sComics Unleashed, andHistory Channel'sHistory of a Joke. Shlesinger also had her own show on GOTV's mobile network.
Shlesinger has written forHeavy.com. On November 7, 2017, Weinstein Books published Shlesinger's bookGirl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity with an introduction byMayim Bialik.[46]Shlesinger published her second book,All Things Aside: Absolutely Correct Opinions, on October 11 2022.[citation needed]
Shlesinger describes herself as liberal,[47] and has spoken publicly in support of abortion rights, trans rights, and theBlack Lives Matter movement.[48] She is a vocal supporter ofIsrael, signing an open letter byCreative Community for Peace following theHamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which called for the entertainment community to stand with the nation as "it defends itself against a terrorist regime in Gaza that seeks Israel's destruction.[49] Later that month, Shlesinger wrote an article inThe Hollywood Reporter denouncing the rise inAntisemitism following the attack, and claiming that "if Israel put down their guns, no one else would, and there would be no more Israel."[50] In January 2024, Shlesinger,Chelsea Handler and Mayim Bialik spearheaded a fundraiser for the organization United Hatzalah of Israel.[51]
In December 2017, it was reported Shlesinger was sued by a man who was denied admission to one of her girls-only shows.[52] The initial complaint was dismissed and then refiled as a class action suit (Pollister v. Schlesinger).[53] While a notice of settlement was filed by the plaintiff of the class action suit in March 2021, details of any settlement have not been revealed.[54]
Shlesinger married chef Noah Galuten on May 12, 2018, in aJewish ceremony in Los Angeles.[55][56] They had a daughter in 2022, and a son in 2024.[57]
| Year | Title | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | War Paint | Netflix |
| 2015 | Freezing Hot | Netflix |
| 2016 | Confirmed Kills | Netflix |
| 2018 | Elder Millennial | Netflix |
| 2019 | Unveiled | Netflix |
| 2022 | Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever | Netflix |
| 2025 | Iliza Shlesinger: A Different Animal | Amazon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Forever 31 | Veronica | Mini-series. Stars, also creator, written by, and executive producer. |
| 2017 | Girlboss | Veronica | Episode: "Top 8" |
| 2020 | The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show | Various roles | |
| 2020 | Crank Yankers | Herself | Episode: "Adam Carolla, Iliza Schlesinger & Demetri Martin" |
| Robot Chicken | Dr. Liz Wilson / Realtor | Voice role; episode: "Max Caenen In: Why Would He Know If His Mother's a Size Queen" | |
| The Comedy Store | Herself | ||
| 2021 | Bosch | IA Lt. Kristine Klotz | Episode: "Workaround" |
| 2022 | Dollface | Herself | Episode: "Space Cadet” |
| Celebrity Jeopardy! | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Righteous Gemstones | Shay Marigold |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Paradise | Carol | |
| 2018 | Instant Family | October | |
| 2019 | Iliza Shlesinger: Over And Over | Self | Documentary |
| 2020 | Spenser Confidential | Cissy | |
| Pieces of a Woman | Anita Weiss | ||
| The Opening Act | Val | ||
| 2021 | The Right One | Kelly | |
| Hysterical | Herself | Documentary film | |
| Good on Paper | Andrea Singer | Performer, writer, executive producer | |
| Supercool | Victoria |
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