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Iliza Shlesinger
Shlesinger in 2017 on stage
Born (1983-02-22) February 22, 1983 (age 41)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materEmerson College
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actress
  • television host
Spouse
Noah Galuten
​
(m. 2018)​
Children2

Iliza Vie Shlesinger (/ɪˈlaɪzə ˈʃlɛsɪŋɡər/ il-EYE-zə SHLESS-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 of NBC's Last Comic Standing and went on to host the syndicated dating show Excused from 2011 to 2013. As well, she has hosted the TBS game show Separation Anxiety.

In 2017, Shlesinger hosted her own late-night talk show called Truth & Iliza on Freeform.[3] As of 2022, she has released six comedy specials on Netflix. Her sketch comedy show The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show premiered on Netflix in April 2020.

Early life

Iliza Vie Shlesinger[4][5] was born on (1983-02-22)February 22, 1983[6] in New York City to a Jewish family.[7] She was raised in Dallas, Texas, where her family moved when she was a baby.[7][8] She attended the private Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, where she studied Spanish and participated in the school's improvisation team.[9]

Shlesinger studied at the University of Kansas for one year,[10] and participated in a Semester at Sea program. She transferred to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she majored in film.[10] There, she refined her writing and editing skills, and became a member of one of the campus's comedy sketch groups, Jimmy's Traveling All Stars.

Career

Shlesinger performing in 2017

Shlesinger performed with the ComedySportz Dallas,[10] and after graduating from Emerson, moved to Los Angeles to pursue stand-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 at The Improv in Hollywood for the "Last Comic Standing" competition.[10]

In 2007, Shlesinger won Myspace's So You Think You're Funny contest, and was featured as the G4 network's Myspace Girl of the Week. In 2008, she became the first woman, and the youngest, winner of NBC's Last 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 with Lewis Black to contribute to Surviving the Holidays, a History Channel holiday special, and narrated the 2009 documentary Imagine 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 for Slate.[19]

Shlesinger hosted The Weakly News on TheStream.tv from July 2007 to April 2012.[20][21] She also hosted Excused, a syndicated American reality-based dating competition series, which ran from 2011 to 2013.[22] She co-starred in the 2013 film Paradise.[23] As of April 2023, she was continuing an advice podcast called Truth 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 of StarTalk Radio Show with Neil DeGrasse Tyson for season 7, episode 12 titled Cosmic 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 channel Freeform.[28] Truth & Iliza began airing on May 2, 2017, and ran for six episodes.[29]

Netflix

Shlesinger's first comedy album and video, War Paint, was recorded on December 1, 2012, at The Lakewood Theater in Dallas, Texas, and released on Netflix on September 1, 2013.[30][31] Her second stand-up special, Freezing Hot, was recorded in Denver, Colorado, and premiered on Netflix on January 23, 2015.[32] Her third Netflix stand-up special, titled Confirmed Kills, was recorded at The Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and premiered on Netflix on September 23, 2016.[33] Her fourth Netflix stand-up special, Elder Millennial,[34] was recorded aboard USS Hornet, at the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum[35] in Alameda, California, on February 23, 2018,[36] and premiered on Netflix on July 24, 2018.[37] Her fifth Netflix stand-up special, Unveiled was recorded in Nashville and premiered on Netflix on Nov 19, 2019.[38]

Shlesinger also stars in the March 2020 Netflix film Spenser Confidential, and The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, which premiered April 1, 2020.[39] 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."[39]

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 in Pieces of a Woman, the sister to Martha, the main character. She starred, wrote, and executive produced the romantic comedy film Good on Paper, which premiered on Netflix on June 23, 2021.

Her sixth stand-up comedy special Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever premiered on Netflix in October 2022.[40]

Other television credits

Shlesinger's television credits include E! Network's Forbes Celebrity 100, TV Guide's America's Next Top Producer, Comedy Central Presents,[41] John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show,[42] Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed, and History Channel's History of a Joke. Shlesinger also had her own show on GOTV's mobile network.

Writing

Shlesinger has written for Heavy.com. On November 7, 2017, Weinstein Books published Shlesinger's book Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity with an introduction by Mayim Bialik.[43] Shlesinger published her second book on October 11th 2022. It's called " All Things Aside: Absolutely Correct Opinions".

Politics

Shlesinger describes herself as liberal,[44] and has spoken publicly in support of abortion rights, trans rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement.[45] However, in an October 2023 Instagram post, Shlesinger categorized Black Lives Matter with Hamas, referring to them as “tolerated groups we are all afraid to speak against for fear of not looking ‘woke’”.[46] She is a vocal supporter of Israel.[47]

Personal life

In December 2017, it was reported Shlesinger was sued by a man who was denied admission to one of her girls-only shows.[48] The initial complaint was dismissed and then refiled as a class action suit.[49]

Shlesinger married chef Noah Galuten on May 12, 2018, in a Jewish ceremony in Los Angeles.[50][51] They had a daughter in 2022, and a son in 2024.[52]

Video works

Comedy specials

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

Series

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"
2020 Robot Chicken Dr. Liz Wilson / Realtor Voice role; episode: "Max Caenen In: Why Would He Know If His Mother's a Size Queen"
2021 Bosch IA Lt. Kristine Klotz Episode: "Workaround"
2022 Dollface Herself Episode: "Space Cadet”
2022 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself 2 episodes
2023 The Righteous Gemstones Shay Marigold

Film

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 Stars. Also written by, and executive producer.
Supercool Victoria

References

  1. ^ Rogan, Joe; Shlesinger, Iliza (April 21, 2014). "Joe Rogan Experience #488 - Iliza Shlesinger". The Joe Rogan Experience. Episode 488. Event occurs at 0:09:24. Retrieved May 13, 2020. At this timestamp, Rogan and Shlesinger discuss the pronunciation of name.
  2. ^ Vanity Fair; Shlesinger, Iliza (May 12, 2020). Amateurs Try to Make a Comedian Laugh in 20 Seconds (feat. Iliza Shlesinger) (video). Vanity Fair. Event occurs at 0:00:01. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Strause, Jackie (May 2, 2017). "How Iliza Shlesinger Plans to Bring Digestible Feminism to Late-Night TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Host: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (January 30, 2024). "Hold the Laughter". Finding Your Roots. Season 10. Episode 5. PBS.
  5. ^ Schwartz, Michael S. (contributing photographer) (March 12, 2008). "Hollywood-March 12: Iliza Vie Shlesinger poses..." WireImage.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  6. ^ AllMovie Staff. "Iliza Shlesinger". AllMovie.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Torok, Ryan (October 13, 2016). "Comedian Iliza Shlesinger's success is a laughing matter". The Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Martindale, David (April 28, 2017). "Iliza Shlesinger has a few things she wants to say in 'Truth & Iliza'". Dallas Star-Telegram. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  9. ^ Host: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (January 30, 2024). "Hold the Laughter". Finding Your Roots. Season 10. Episode 5. PBS.
  10. ^ a b c d e Kar, Meena (June 5, 2010). "Iliza Shlesinger Has Her Own Half Hour Special After Winning Last Comic Standing". ThaindianNews. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. [Complete text of source.]
  11. ^ Shlesinger, Iliza (December 2, 2016). "About Iliza". www.iliza.com. Archived from the original (self-published autobiography) on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  12. ^ Shlesinger, Iliza & LACS Staff (2004). "Comic Profiles: Iliza Shlesinger". whiteboy comedy productions. Los Angeles, CA: LA Comedy Showcase. Archived from the original (self-published autobiography) on January 1, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018. [Complete text of source.]
  13. ^ Brown, Joe (August 18, 2008). "Last Comic Standing joins 'Jubilee!' on Sunday". Las Vegas Sun.
  14. ^ Kohen, Yael (2012). We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy. Macmillan. p. xxxii. ISBN 9781466828117.
  15. ^ 'Last Comic Standing Season 6 Episode 9', NBC.com.
  16. ^ "Last Comic Standing World Tour". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008., NBC.com
  17. ^ Imagine It!² The Power of Imagination. ImagineItProject.com. via Vimeo.com.
  18. ^ Leeper, Mark (November 27, 2011). "Imagine It!". Leepers.us.
  19. ^ "Up in Your Business from Slate V". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  20. ^ "The Pilot episode of The Weakly News". theStream.tv. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  21. ^ "Peep Shows, Carnivals, and Sarna". theStream.tv. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "'Celebuzz Gets 'Excused' by New Dating Show Host Iliza Shlesinger (PHOTOS)'". Celebuzz. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  23. ^ Calfas, Jennifer (August 7, 2013). "Diablo Cody Celebrates 'Paradise,' Her Directorial Debut, With Hollywood Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter.
  24. ^ "Truth & Iliza". podbay.fm. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  25. ^ "Truth and Lies" – via soundcloud.com.
  26. ^ "Cosmic Queries: Galactic Grab Bag - StarTalk Radio Show by Neil deGrasse Tyson". StarTalk Radio Show by Neil deGrasse Tyson. May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  27. ^ Gettell, Oliver (July 13, 2016). "Iliza Shlesinger Wakes the Party Goblin in 'Forever 31' Clip". EW.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2023. [Complete text of source.]
  28. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 23, 2016). "Freeform Developing Late-Night Show With Comedian Iliza Shlesinger (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  29. ^ Pedersen, Erik (April 4, 2017). "Iliza Shlesinger-Hosted Show Gets Title & Airdate As Freeform Goes Late-Night". Deadline. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  30. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger Show". theblacklistnyc.com.
  31. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger on Twitter". Twitter.
  32. ^ Todd Spangler (December 15, 2014). "Netflix Adds Stand-Up Special from Iliza Shlesinger to Comedy Lineup". Variety.
  33. ^ Halcombe, Don (April 14, 2016). "Netflix Announces Premiere Dates for New Line-Up Of Original Stand-up Comedy Specials". Netflix. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  34. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger". Twitter. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  35. ^ Husband, Andrew (July 25, 2018). "Iliza Shlesinger Was Doing Netflix Comedy Specials Before It Was Cool". uproxx.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  36. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger". Twitter. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  37. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger". Twitter. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  38. ^ "Unveiled, Iliza Shlesinger's New Netflix Special, Is as Hilariously Brilliant as She Is". Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  39. ^ a b Symons, Alex (2022). Women Comedians in the Digital Age: Media Work and Critical Reputations After Trump. Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies (1st ed.). Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Taylor & Francis/Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 9781000829464. OCLC 1349461077. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  40. ^ Bianchini, Elisabetta (October 12, 2022). "Iliza Shlesinger is undeniably hysterical and honest in sixth Netflix comedy special, second book". News.Yahoo.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  41. ^ Comedy Central Presents, 2010, Season 14 Episode 18.
  42. ^ "John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show: Season Three Debuts July 20th". TV Series Finale. June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  43. ^ "Full details : Girl Logic". Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  44. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  45. ^ Puschmann, Karl (December 21, 2022). "Comedian Iliza Shlesinger wants to hurt you". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  46. ^ "Iliza Shlesinger categorizes Black Lives Matter with Hamas, refers to them as "tolerated groups we are all afraid to speak against for fear of not looking 'woke'"". Reddit. November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  47. ^ Shlesinger, Iliza (October 30, 2023). "Iliza Shlesinger: "Jews Have Been Left Off the Agenda"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  48. ^ Cullins, Ashley (December 27, 2017). "Iliza Shlesinger's Girls-Only Show Sparks Lawsuit Over "War on Men"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  49. ^ Rosman, Katherine (July 13, 2018). "A Fight for Men's Rights, in California Courts". The New York Times.
  50. ^ Hearon, Sarah (May 13, 2018). "Comedian Iliza Shlesinger Marries Chef Noah Galuten". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  51. ^ Bloom, Nate (July 26, 2018). "Celebrity Jews - Movies, Netflix and a Sad Note". The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  52. ^ Etienne, Vanessa; Slater, Georgia (January 18, 2022). "Iliza Shlesinger Welcomes First Baby, Daughter Sierra Mae, with Husband Noah Galuten". people.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.

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