Jessica McKenna | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yorba Linda, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
Jessica McKenna (sometimes credited asJess McKenna) is an American actress, comedian and singer.[1] McKenna trained withThe Groundlings and at theUpright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where she regularly performs. McKenna was one of the stars ofFox'sParty Over Here, alongsideNicole Byer andAlison Rich, and hosts the podcastOff Book: The Improvised Musical.
McKenna was born inYorba Linda, California.[2] In 2006, she graduated from El Dorado High School.She received a bachelor's degree in theater fromNorthwestern University.[2]
McKenna began training at theUpright Citizens Brigade Theatre after college, and became a regular performer in 2012.[3][4] She regularly performs with the musical improv house teams, Magic to Do and Baby Wants Candy.[5] McKenna is also a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's long-running improv show, ASSSSCAT.[6][5] McKenna has performed improv comedy at festivals includingSouth by Southwest,SF Sketchfest,Edinburgh Fringe, the Del Close Marathon,Bumbershoot, andChicago Sketch Fest.[1][2][7][8]
In 2014, McKenna was a regular cast member onFox's improv-based game show,Riot, until its cancellation. In 2016, McKenna starred alongside fellow Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) alumnae Nicole Byer andAlison Rich in Fox'ssketch comedy show,Party Over Here, which was produced byThe Lonely Island andPaul Scheer.[9]Party Over Here was cancelled after one season.[10] McKenna has appeared in episodes ofModern Family andThe Goldbergs.
McKenna often collaborates with UCB alumnus Zach Reino. McKenna and Reino have worked together on musical sketches forFunny or Die,BuzzFeed, andNickelodeon.[11] In 2016, McKenna and Reino wrote and starred together inABC's web series,Serious Music.[12] Along with Zeke Nicholson, the pair also featured in a 2021 episode ofDropout seriesGame Changer titled "The Official Cast Recording", in which they improvised a short musical based on hostSam Reich's prompts.[13] This was later adapted into a full series on Dropout titledPlay It By Ear the following year.[14]
McKenna also works as a voice actress. McKenna voices the lead character, Lennon, onAmazon'sLittle Big Awesome.[2] It was originally announced that McKenna would voice the lead character onBilly Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer; however, creatorAaron Springer ultimately was cast in that role.[15][16]
In 2022, McKenna, along withNeil Casey, Zach Reino, and Niccole Thurman, won theWriters Guild of America Award in the category "Quiz and Audience Participation" for her work on the seriesBaking It.[17] In 2023, she was nominated again for the same award together with the other writers ofBaking It.[18]
Since 2017, McKenna and Reino have hosted the musical comedy podcastOff Book: The Improvised Musical, which was initially on theEarwolf network.[19] In 2023, she appeared as one of the main characters in the children's podcastSound Detectives.[20] McKenna is also a regular guest on the podcast version ofComedy Bang! Bang!, where she is known for characters such as Beth, thePower Wheels–obsessed eight-year-old, This Is Your Boy Troy, and Park Ranger Margery Kershaw.[21] McKenna has also appeared onImprov4Humans,Doughboys,The JV Club, andHollywood Handbook.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Beta | Lauren | Short film |
| 2017 | Gleep-Glorp & Lasertag | Gleep-Glorp | Voice Short film |
| Lane Woods Finds Love | |||
| 2018 | Song of Back and Neck | Dawn | |
| 2023 | Craig Before the Creek | Handlebarb | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Goldbergs | Waiter | Episode: "The Age of Darkness" |
| 2015 | The Hotwives | Mackenzie | 2 episodes |
| Adam Ruins Everything | Jess | Episode: "Adam Ruins Restaurants" | |
| Filthy Preppy Teen$ | Macauley | Episode: "The Return of the Prodigal Teens" | |
| 2016 | Party Over Here | Various | 10 episodes |
| American Dad! | Various voices | Episode: "Gifted Me Liberty" | |
| Legendary Dudas | Employee | Episode: "King Sam/Karate Kids" | |
| 2016–2017 | The UCB Show | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Little Big Awesome | Lennon / various voices | 13 episodes |
| Modern Family | Nurse Tami | Episode: "The Escape" | |
| 2018–2020 | Big City Greens | Various voices | 3 episodes |
| 2018–2023 | Craig of the Creek | Handlebarb / Jake (voice) | 14 episodes |
| 2019 | HarmonQuest | Flairence Sparrow | Episode: "Ad Quod Damnum" |
| Sunnyside | Andromeda Burrff | Episode: "Pants Full of Sandwiches" | |
| 2019–2021 | DC Super Hero Girls | Aqualad (voice) | 18 episodes |
| 2020 | Space Force | Participant #2 | Episode: "Proportionate Response" |
| Trick Moon | Trickshot (voice) | TV pilot | |
| 2020–2024 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | Ensign Barnes, various voices | 19 episodes |
| 2020–2022 | The Mighty Ones | Rocksy (voice) | 40 episodes |
| 2021 | Amphibia | Gabby (voice) | Episode: "Hop 'Til You Drop/Turning Point" |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Waiter | Episode: "Irma Kostroski" | |
| 2021, 2025 | Game Changer | Herself | Episodes: "The Official Cast Recording", “Samalamadingdong” |
| 2021–2023 | Ten Year Old Tom | Mrs. Band / various voices | 14 episodes |
| 2022 | We Baby Bears | Baby Panda (singing voice) | Episode: "High Baby Fashion" |
| Duncanville | Various voices | Recurring role | |
| 2022–2026 | The Loud House | Boy Jordan, various voices | 3 episodes |
| Make Some Noise | Herself | 5 episodes | |
| 2022–present | Play It by Ear | Various | 16 episodes |
| 2023 | Strange Planet | Blanket Cape / Being #4 (voice) | Episode: "Greyscale Finger Bandit" |
| Frasier | Kiki | Episode: "Blind Date" | |
| 2025-present | Goldie | Goldie[22] | Main role |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Fallout 76: Steel Dawn | Maximo Leone |
