| Jena Friedman | |
|---|---|
Friedman performing Nerdmelt Theater in Los Angeles, January 2017 | |
| Born | Haddonfield, New Jersey |
| Medium | Stand up, writer, director |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Dark comedy |
Jena Friedman is an American comedian and writer. She is the host of the comedic true-crime series Indefensible[1] on AMC Plus. She has been a field producer[2] at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has written for Late Show with David Letterman.[3] She is the creator of Soft Focus with Jena Friedman for Adult Swim, the first installment of which premiered in February 2018.[4]
Friedman was born in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She studied anthropology at Northwestern University. After graduation, she worked as a healthcare consultant for consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.[5]
She has appeared in the Sundance hit movie Palm Springs, and on TV shows such as Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,[6] The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,[7] National Geographic Explorer,[8] MSNBC,[9] and BBC Two.[citation needed] She has also been a contributing writer to The New Yorker.[10]
In 2007, she wrote The Refugee Girls Revue, a satire inspired by American Girl dolls. The play earned critical acclaim in the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival[11] and had a successful run Off-Broadway. In 2010, she received a cease-and-desist letter from The New York Times for parodying their wedding videos. The parody, titled Ted and Gracie, has since become a popular web series.
In 2015, Friedman's solo show American Cunt, premiered in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to critical acclaim.[12][13][14] The magazine Paste named American Cunt one of the 10 Best Stand Up Comedy Specials of 2016.[15] She created Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, a series of Adult Swim specials that she also co-executive produces, directs, and hosts. The specials include interviews with John McAfee, the American software entrepreneur and Presidential hopeful,[16][17] as well as Gilberto Valle, a New York City police officer who was convicted of a conspiracy to kidnap, cook, and eat women, better known as the "Cannibal Cop".[18][19] The second installment premiered in January 2019.
In 2020, Friedman contributed to the screenplay of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.[20][21] She directed and starred in True Crime Story: Indefensible on Sundance TV in 2021.[22][23] Her latest comedy special, Ladykiller, premiered on Peacock in September of 2022.[24][25]
