Danielle Perez (comic)
Danielle Perez is an American stand-up comic, actor, and writer. She participated in CBS's 2020 Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase and has credits on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, MTV's Decoded, NBC's StandUp, A Little Late with Lilly Singh[1], and an upcoming show on Netflix.
Early life
Perez grew up in Los Angeles, California and currently resides there. She attended San Francisco State University.[2]
In 2004, when Perez was 20 years old, she was in San Francisco and was hit by a trolley while crossing the street. Her lower legs were amputated and she began using a wheelchair.[2]
Career
Perez first experienced the spotlight on game show The Price Is Right in 2015 where she won a treadmill, documentation of which soon went viral. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! soon after, and Kimmel gifted her a prize that was easier for her to enjoy: a trip on a Royal Caribbean Cruise.[3][4]
Perez has performed comedy at a number of festivals and venues, including SF Sketchfest, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, and the Brooklyn Comedy Festival. She has opened for many popular comedians, including Maria Bamford, Laurie Kilmartin, and Guy Branum. She participated in CBS's Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase in 2020 in Los Angeles, a showcase designed to spotlight historically underrepresented voices in comedy.[5] She has credits on MTV's Decoded, NBC's StandUp, A Little Late with Lilly Singh[1], an upcoming show on Netflix, and has appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[5] And she has filmed sketches for BuzzFeed and voiced characters for Comedy Central.[6]
Perez is committed accessibility and inclusivity in comedy.[7]
She founded Thigh Gap Comedy with fellow comics Madison Shepard and Danielle Radford. They put on live comedy shows around Los Angeles, including one called GENTRIFICATION in the Highland Park neighborhood.[7]
References
- "Victoria's Truth Fashion Show (Featuring REAL Women)". Youtube. December 11, 2019.
- Angley, Natalie. "An accident took her feet but standup comedy helps her heal". CNN. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- "Jimmy Kimmel Had a Nice Surprise for the 'Price Is Right' Contestant in a Wheelchair". Time. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- MacMillen, Hayley. "This Woman in a Wheelchair Just Won A Treadmill on National TV". refinery29.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- Thorne, Will (January 6, 2020). "CBS Sets 2020 Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase Cast". Variety.
- Dorwart, Laura (July 26, 2019). "'An Embarrassment of Riches': Comedian Danielle Perez On Access, Representation And Women In LA's Comedy Scene". Forbes.
- Matthew, Zoie (August 22, 2018). "Meet 13 Powerful Women Who Are Making L.A. a Better Place". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2019.