Ali Wentworth

Alexandra Wentworth (born January 12, 1965) is an American actress, comedian, author, and producer.

Ali Wentworth
Wentworth at the 2012 premiere of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Born	Alexandra Wentworth (1965-01-12) January 12, 1965 Washington, D.C.
Other names	Ali Wentworth
Education	New York University (BA)
Occupation	Actress, comedienne, author, producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	George Stephanopoulos ( m. 2001)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Muffie Cabot Eric Wentworth

Early life

Wentworth's mother, Muffie Cabot (née Mabel Bryant Hobart), was Nancy Reagan's White House Social Secretary from 1981 to 1983.[1] Her father, Eric Wentworth, was a reporter for The Washington Post.[2] Her stepfather, Henry Brandon, was the Washington correspondent for The Sunday Times of London,[2] and her maternal grandmother was explorer Janet Elliott Wulsin (1894–1963).

Wentworth attended the Dana Hall School for Girls in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and studied drama at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York before graduating from New York University.[2][3]

Career

Wentworth debuted as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color from 1992 to 1994, where she was known for impressions of Cher, Amy Fisher, Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, Brooke Shields, Lisa Marie Presley, Sharon Stone, and other characters. Her recurring characters included Candy Cane, a deranged kids' show host who had had a string of bad relationships with her male coworkers, and the promiscuous teenage daughter of Grandpa Jack McGee (Jim Carrey) on The Dysfunctional Home Show.

Wentworth made correspondent appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 1995, she played Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend Sheila ("Schmoopie") in the memorable "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld. She had a recurring role as the boss of the title character on the Warner Bros. (WB) series Felicity. In 2003, she co-hosted the syndicated talk show Living It Up! with Ali & Jack with Jack Ford.

Wentworth's film appearances include Jerry Maguire, Office Space, and It's Complicated.

Wentworth starred in the comedy Head Case on the Starz television network.[4][5] She guest starred on the NBC show The Marriage Ref.

Wentworth hosts Daily Shot, a short daily talk show segment on Yahoo! Shine.[6]

As of 2016, Wentworth created and stars in Nightcap as the lead character Staci Cole.[7]

Other work

Wentworth appeared on the July 23, 2017 episode (S2 E07) of the "$100,000 Pyramid" (The $100,000 Pyramid) as a celebrity guest opposite Kathy Najimy, helping her contestant partner win the $150,000 grand prize.[8][9]

Personal life

Wentworth is married to George Stephanopoulos, ABC News chief anchor correspondent and former political adviser to the Clinton administration. They met on a blind date in April 2001, were engaged two months later, and were married on November 20, 2001, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on New York City's Upper East Side.[10][11] They have two daughters: Elliott Anastasia Stephanopoulos (born September 9, 2002) and Harper Andrea Stephanopoulos (born June 2, 2005).[12][13]

In an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Wentworth said a "well-known writer" once offered $40,000 for a night with her.[14]

Wentworth posted on Instagram April 1, 2020, that she was struggling with COVID-19 while self-quarantining in their New York home.[15] Stephanopoulos announced on April 13, 2020, that he was asymptomatic, but tested positive for COVID-19.[16][17]

On July 17, 2020 Wentworth came under criticism when she publicly announced that she would support watching porn with her children in an effort to show unhealthy sexual behavior.[18][19][20]

Bibliography

• The WASP Cookbook, Warner Adult, 1997. ISBN 978-0-446-91210-5.
• Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales. HarperCollins. 2012. ISBN 978-0-06-209809-2.
• Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales, HarperCollins, 2015. ISBN 978-0-062-23849-8. ISBN 0062238493.
• Go Ask Ali: Half-Baked Advice (and Free Lemonade), Harper, 2018. ISBN 978-0062466013.

Screen credits

Actress

• 1992: In Living Color ... Various (63 episodes, 1992–1994, 2001)
• 1994: Hardball ... Lee Emory (unknown episodes)
• 1995: Seinfeld ... Sheila (1 episode, 1995)
• 1996: Life Among the Cannibals ... Suicidal Singer
• 1996: Big Packages ... Susan
• 1996: Jerry Maguire ... Bobbi Fallon
• 1997: Trial and Error ... Tiffany Whitfield
• 1997: The Real Blonde ... Raina
• 1997: The Love Bug (TV) ... Alex Davis
• 1999: Office Space ... Anne
• 1999: Felicity ... Abby (2 episodes)
• 2000: Meeting Daddy  ... Melanie Branson
• 2001: Call Me Claus ... Lucy
• 2009: It's Complicated ... Diane
• 2016–2017: Nightcap ... Staci Cole

Self

• 2012: Daily Shot With Ali Wentworth ... Herself (2012— )
• 2014: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Crackle.com) ... Self (season 5, episode 6)

Writer / Producer

• 2007: Head Case (28 episodes, 2007–2009)

References

1. Colacello, Bob. The White House's Dinner Theater, Vanity Fair, June 2010.
2. People "Bubbled Up", March 8, 1999, Retrieved April 13, 2020
3. Newsmakers, Bard - The Annandale Triangle, February 2012.
4. Strauss, Gary (March 19, 2009). "In Starz's 'Head Case,' it takes one to know one". USA Today. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
5. Steinberg, Jacques (March 4, 2009). "She'll Interpret, or Become, a Nightmare". The New York Times.
6. Daily Shot at Yahoo!
7. Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2016). "Pop Orders 'Traci From Nightcap' Comedy Series Starring Ali Wentworth". Deadline. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
8. "S2 E07 Ali Wentworth vs. Kathy Najimy and Cobie Smulders vs. Ryan Eggold". ABC. July 23, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
9. "Things that Shoot to the Top of the Winner's Circle". Twitter.com. July 23, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
10. "Stephanopoulis bride's reluctance short-lived". The Post and Courier. November 27, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
11. "George's Bottom Line". Good Morning America Blogs. ABC News. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009.
12. Grove, Lloyd (July 23, 2003). "Ali and George, Living It Up". Washington Post. p. C03.
13. Sachs, Mark (May 15, 2009). "Ali Wentworth, 'Head Case'". The Los Angeles Times.
14. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, First Cup: Episode 20, "Ali Wentworth: I'm Going to Take a Percocet"
15. Cho, Diane J. "Celebrities Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus". People. United States: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
16. Fieldstadt, Elisha (April 13, 2020). "ABC's 'Good Morning America' anchor George Stephanopoulos tests positive for coronavirus". NBC News. New York City: NBC. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
17. Haneline, Amy (April 13, 2020). "George Stephanopoulos tests positive for COVID-19, hasn't had 'any of the classic symptoms". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Gannett Company. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
18. Edelman, Amelia (July 17, 2020). "Why Ali Wentworth Watches Porn With Her Kids". SheKnows. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
19. "Ali Wentworth: I would look at porn with my kids". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
20. Ushe, Naledi (July 17, 2020). "Ali Wentworth explains why she would watch porn with her kids at least 'one time'". Fox News. Retrieved July 21, 2020.

External links

• Ali Wentworth on IMDb
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Works by or about Ali Wentworth in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Alexandra Wentworth in Starz Head Case
• Head Games with Ali Wentworth, tv.com, Laura Swisher, January 30, 2008