Jenny Slate

Jenny Sarah Slate[1] (born March 25, 1982) is an American actress, comedian and author. Born and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Slate was educated at Milton Academy and studied literature at Columbia University, where she became involved in the improv and comedy scene. Following early acting and stand-up roles on television, Slate gained recognition for her live variety shows in New York City and for co-creating, writing, and producing the children's short film and book series Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2010–present), and became known to a mainstream audience after featuring as a cast member on the 35th season of Saturday Night Live (2009–2010). Her distinctive voice landed her the role of Tammy Larsen on the critically acclaimed animated sitcom Bob's Burgers (2012–present) and she gained further recognition for her recurring roles as Mona-Lisa Saperstein on the NBC comedy televisions series Parks and Recreation (2013–2015), Sarah Guggenheim on the Showtime comedy series House of Lies (2013–2015), and the sketch comedy series Kroll Show (2013–2015).

Jenny Slate
Slate at the 2014 Obvious Child premiere
Born
Jenny Sarah Slate

(1982-03-25) March 25, 1982
Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationMilton Academy
Alma materColumbia University
Occupation
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • voice artist
  • author
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2005–present
Spouse(s)
Dean Fleischer-Camp
​
(
m. 2012; div. 2016)
Partner(s)Ben Shattuck (2019-present)

Slate's breakout role came with her leading performance in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Obvious Child (2014), for which she won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Independent Film Award. She lent voice performances to the animated films Zootopia (2016), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), and The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and ventured into dramatic roles with her supporting performance as Bonnie in Gifted (2017).

Early life

Slate was born on March 25, 1982, in Milton, Massachusetts,[2][1] to Ron Slate (born 1950),[3] a businessman and poet who worked as vice president of global communications for the EMC Corporation and later as CEO of a biotech startup,[3][4][5] and Nancy (née Gilson), a ceramicist.[6] She is the middle child of three, with an older sister named Abigail and younger sister named Stacey.[7][8] She and her family are Jewish.[6][9][10] One of her grandmothers was born in Cuba, to a family from Russia and Turkey, and was raised in France.[11] After graduating from Milton Academy as the valedictorian,[4] Slate attended Columbia University as a literature major,[6] where she helped form the improv group Fruit Paunch,[12] starred in the Varsity Show[13] and met Gabe Liedman, who would become her comedy partner.[14] Slate graduated from Columbia in 2004.[7][15]

Career

Alongside Gabe Liedman, Slate was half of the comedy duo Gabe & Jenny.[16] Their live stand-up shows with Max Silvestri titled Big Terrific were named best new variety show of 2008 by Time Out New York.[17] In 2015, Slate, Liedman, and Silvestri announced that the show would be ending due to their busy schedules,[18] though they continue to perform together when possible.

Slate first met Liedman in 2000 while attending Columbia University.[19] They describe their relationship as a "nonsexual romance" and Slate says, "I like to think of us as kind of like Elaine Benes and George Costanza, but we like each other."[4] Throughout 2008 and 2009, Slate regularly performed her one-woman show titled Jenny Slate: Dead Millionaire at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCBT) in New York City.[20]

Slate with comedy partner Gabe Liedman in 2007

Slate was a regular commentator on many VH1 "talking head" commentary programs.[4] In early 2009, she had made several appearances on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon recurring sketch "7th Floor West", where she played an NBC page also named Jenny, who was later promoted to Fallon's assistant.[21] She also had a recurring role in Bored to Death.[15][22] Slate has made guest appearances on television programs, such as Bob's Burgers, Girls, The Whitest Kids U' Know, Important Things with Demetri Martin and Raising Hope.

Slate joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for one season from 2009 to 2010.[12][21] In her first episode, she accidentally said "fucking" during her debut sketch "Biker Chick Chat", which was heard on the live broadcast, but removed from reruns.[23][24][25][26] During her brief time on the series, she impersonated celebrities such as Hoda Kotb, Lady Gaga, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Olsen, and Olympia Snowe and became known for Tina-Tina Cheneuse, an infomercial pitchwoman who advertises personalized doorbells, car horns, and alarm clocks.[27] Slate's contract was not renewed for another season.[28] Despite rumors to the contrary, Slate has insisted that her SNL termination was not due to cursing but rather simply because "I didn't click."[29]

In August 2010, she co-wrote and voiced the animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which garnered viral success. This led to Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, Two.[30][31] Slate also wrote a "Marcel"-themed children's book that was released on November 1, 2011.[32] Her first major film role was as Zoe in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked; more films followed in 2012, including the voice of Ted's mother in The Lorax.

Her first appearance in Parks and Recreation was in the 2013 episode "Bailout", in which she portrayed Mona-Lisa Saperstein. Following her success on the NBC show, Slate released and starred in a 12 episode mini-series on YouTube called Catherine, celebrating late 1980s and early 1990s soap opera aesthetics.[33] On July 23, 2013, she appeared in Drunk History retelling the history of how Coca-Cola was made.

In 2014, Slate starred in the comedy-drama film Obvious Child, which follows the life of a young stand up comic as she grapples with an unplanned pregnancy and eventual abortion.[34] Slate went on to win the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy,[35] Best Breakout Performance at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Virtuosos Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and Best Comedic Actress at the Women Film Circle Awards for her performance in the film.

Slate co-starred with Judy Greer and Nat Faxon in the first season of the FX series Married.[36] She left the series as a series regular in season two, but still appeared in a few episodes. Sarah Burns took her place in the series.

Slate appeared as Liz B. in the recurring "PubLIZity" sketches in Kroll Show, as well as many other recurring and one-off characters, performing in some capacity in almost every episode until the series ended in 2015. In 2016, Slate voiced Dawn Bellwether in the Disney animated comedy-adventure film Zootopia and Gidget in the animated feature The Secret Life of Pets.

Slate and her father co-wrote a book titled About the House about their time living in Slate's childhood home in Milton, Massachusetts, which was published in December 2016.[37]

In 2017, Slate starred in the film Gifted as Bonnie Stevenson, the teacher of a 7-year-old mathematical genius.

In October 2019, Slate released a stand-up comedy special on Netflix, titled Stage Fright.

From 2017 until 2019, Slate voiced the biracial character Missy Foreman-Greenwald on the animated Netflix series Big Mouth. Slate exited the role on June 24, 2020, writing on Instagram that "At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play Missy because her mom is Jewish and white — as am I. But Missy is also Black and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people."[38]

Personal life

Slate lived in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, before moving with filmmaker Dean Fleischer-Camp to Los Angeles in the early 2010s.[39]

In September 2012, Slate married Fleischer-Camp,[40] with whom she collaborated on the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On books and short films. The pair announced their separation in May 2016.

She was in an on-and-off relationship with fellow actor Chris Evans from May 2016 to March 2018.[41]

In September 2019, Slate announced her engagement to art curator Ben Shattuck.[42]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Marcel (voice) Short film; also writer
2011 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Zoe
2012 This Means War Emily
2012 The Lorax Mrs. Wiggins (voice)
2013 Bitch Molly Horner Short film
2014 Obvious Child Donna Stern
2014 The Longest Week Jocelyn
2015 Digging for Fire Yoga Couple
2016 Joshy Jodi
2016 Zootopia Dawn Bellwether (voice)
2016 My Blind Brother Rose
2016 The Secret Life of Pets Gidget (voice)
2016 Brain on Fire Margo
2017 Landline Dana Jacobs
2017 The Polka King Marla Lewan
2017 The Lego Batman Movie Harley Quinn (voice)
2017 Gifted Bonnie
2017 Aardvark Emily Milburton
2017 Batman is Just Not That Into You Harley Quinn (voice) Short film
2017 Despicable Me 3 Valerie Da Vinci (voice)
2018 Hotel Artemis Morgan
2018 Venom Dr. Dora Skirth
2019 The Sunlit Night Frances Also producer
2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2 Gidget (voice)
2019 Super Gidget Gidget (voice) Short film
2020 The Ark and the Aardvark Mitzi (voice) In production
2020 On the Rocks Vanessa Post-production

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Starved Member of Belt Tighteners Uncredited; Episode: "The Breatharians"
2008 The Whitest Kids U' Know Trevor's Date 1 episode
2009 Important Things with Demetri Martin Bride Episode: "Chairs"
2009 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Jenny the Page 8 episodes
2009 Brothers Annette 2 episodes
2009–10 Saturday Night Live Various 22 episodes
2009–10 Bored to Death Stella 5 episodes
2011 Ugly Americans Jaclyn (voice) Episode: "Lily and the Beast"
2011 The Electric Company Runner Episode: "Off Target"
2012 Raising Hope Joan Episode: "Throw Maw Maw from the House"
2012, 2016 Girls Tally Schifrin 2 episodes
2012–present Bob's Burgers Tammy Larsen (voice) 36 episodes
2013 Hello Ladies Amelia Gordon 4 episodes
2013 Super Fun Night Helen-Alice Unaired CBS pilot
2013–15 Kroll Show Various 7 episodes
2013–15 House of Lies Sarah Guggenheim 9 episodes
2013–15 Parks and Recreation Mona-Lisa Saperstein 8 episodes
2013–16 Drunk History Herself 3 episodes
2014 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Bianca Episode: "Undercover"
2014 The Getaway Herself Episode: "Jenny Slate In Barcelona"
2014–15 Married Jess 14 episodes
2015–19 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Pony Head (voice) 20 episodes
2016–18 Adventure Time Huntress Wizard (voice) 5 episodes
2016 Animals. Snake (voice) Episode: "Squirrels. Part I."
2016–17 Lady Dynamite Karen Grisham 4 episodes
2017 Comrade Detective Jane (voice) 6 episodes
2017-present Big Mouth Missy Foreman-Greenwald (2017-2019), other characters (voice) 31 episodes
2018–present Muppet Babies Miss Nanny (voice) Main role[43]
2019 The Simpsons Piper Paisley (voice) Episode: "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion"
2019 The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience Stacy Television special
2019 Jenny Slate: Stage Fright Herself Stand-up special
2020 Elena of Avalor One Of The Four Shades Of Awesome (voice) Episode: "Coronation Day"
2020 The Loud House TBA (voice) Episode: TBA
TBA The Great North Judy Tobin Series regular

Music videos
Year Title Artist(s) Role
2009 Threw It On the Ground The Lonely Island Girlfriend
2019 Oakland Nights (feat. Sia) The Lonely Island Stacy

Awards and nominations
Year Nominated work Award Result
2014 Obvious Child Newport Beach Film Festival Award for Breakout Actress Won
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Award for Virtuoso Award Won
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Won
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Comedic Actress Won
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated
Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor Nominated
Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screen Couple (with Jake Lacy) Nominated
2016 Zootopia BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award - Best Female Vocal Performance in a Feature Film in a Supporting Role[44] Won
BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast) Nominated
The Secret Life of Pets BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film Nominated
2017 Star vs. the Forces of Evil BTVA Television Voice Acting Award - Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role Nominated
2018 Despicable Me 3 and The Lego Batman Movie BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast) Nominated

Bibliography
  • Slate, Jenny; Fleischer-Camp, Dean (2011). Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Things About Me. Razorbill. ISBN 978-1-59514-455-3.
  • Slate, Jenny; Fleischer-Camp, Dean (2014). Marcel the Shell: The Most Surprised I've Ever Been. Razorbill. ISBN 978-1-59514-456-0.
  • Slate, Jenny; Slate, Ron (2016). About the House. Concord Free Press. ISBN 9780990805922.
  • Slate, Jenny (2019). Little Weirds. Little, Brown and Company (published November 5, 2019). ISBN 978-0-316-48534-0.[45]
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References
  1. "Jenny Sarah Slate". FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  2. "Jenny Slate". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  3. "About Ron Slate - On the Seawall: A Literary Website by Ron Slate (GD)". RonSlate.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  4. "Questions For: Jenny Slate". Boston Daily. February 27, 2009. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  5. Slate, Ron (April 7, 2005). The Incentive of the Maggot. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. v. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  6. "Comedian Jenny Slate in Obvious Child". Jewish Journal. June 30, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  7. Kurtz Ferrari, Kathy (September 24, 2009). "Jenny Slate Joins the Cast of 'Saturday Night Live'". Milton Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  8. Yuan, Jada (March 21, 2017). "The Year of Living Publicly". Vulture.com. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  9. Molyneaux, Libby (December 6, 2012). "Jenny Slate". LA Weekly. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  10. Cooper, Miranda (March 13, 2017). "Jewish Comedian Jenny Slate on Learning to Love Her Curly Hair". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  11. "Jenny Slate On Her Career-Making Film 'Obvious Child'". bullettmedia.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  12. "Jenny Slate". Saturday Night Live. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  13. Fitzner, Ana (May 3, 2002). "Varsity Show Reach Exceeds Its Grasp". Columbia Spectator. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  14. "Jenny Slate". Into the Gloss. June 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  15. "Vulture Interviews New Saturday Night Live Cast Member Jenny Slate". Vulture. New York Magazine. September 11, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  16. Parker, Billy (June 10, 2009). "Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate, Comedians". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  17. Borden, Jane (December 2008). "Comedy: The best (and worst) of 2008". Time Out New York. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  18. "Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri on the End of Their Weekly Comedy Show, Big Terrific". April 22, 2015.
  19. Karakh, Ben (May 4, 2007). "Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate, A Night with Gabe and Jenny". Gothamist. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  20. "Jenny Slate". Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  21. Bryant, Adam (September 9, 2009). "Saturday Night Live Adds Two New Cast Members". tvguide.com.
  22. Barrett, Annie (November 9, 2009). "'Bored to Death:' Jenny Slate, please come back". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  23. Schwindt, Oriana (September 15, 2014). "What's Worth Watching". TV Guide. p. 79
  24. "'Saturday Night Live' starts season with F-bomb". Associated Press. September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  25. Hollowell, Jenny (December 13, 2009). "TV Moment of 2009: Jenny Slate Drops the F-Bomb on 'SNL'". TV Squad. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  26. Gus Wezerek (December 14, 2019). "The 'S.N.L.' Stars Who Lasted, and the Ones Who Flamed Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019. Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
  27. Anne, Sarah (September 8, 2010). "Celebritology 2.0 – Jenny Slate leaves 'Saturday Night Live', and we ask, what went wrong?". The Washington Post.
  28. Itzkoff, Dave (September 7, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Adds Four and Loses One More - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  29. Truong, Kimberly. "The Radical Vulnerability of Jenny Slate". inStyle. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  30. Lyons, Margaret (August 17, 2010). "Jenny Slates's 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' is fantastic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  31. Matheson, Whitney (August 29, 2010). "Exclusive: 'SNL' star Jenny Slate chats about 'Marcel the Shell'". Pop Candy. USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  32. Swerdloff, Alexis (November 3, 2010). "Jenny Slate Emerges From Her Shell ... As A Shell". Papermag.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  33. "Catherine". May 19, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  34. Pickett, Leah. "Performance of the Year: Jenny Slate". Consequence of Sound.
  35. Cappadona, Bryanna. "Jenny Slate Wins Big at the Critics' Choice Awards". Boston Magazine.
  36. "FX Orders Series Starring Nat Faxon, Judy Greer, Brett Gelman, and Jenny Slate; Coming in July". Splitsider. January 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  37. Madeline Bilis (November 3, 2016). "Jenny Slate and Her Father Wrote a Book About Their House in Milton". Boston Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  38. Otterson, Joe. "Jenny Slate Exits 'Big Mouth': 'Black Characters Should Be Played by Black People'". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  39. Battan, Carrie (June 2, 2014). "How Jenny Slate Went from an 'SNL' Blunder to 'Obvious ChildSuccess". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2014. Slate decamped for Los Angeles a couple of years ago with her now-husband, director Dean Fleischer-Camp.
  40. Killoran, Ellen (May 25, 2011). "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Jenny Slate". L Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  41. Pavone, Barbara (April 24, 2020). "The Heartwarming Truth Behind Chris Evans and Jenny Slate's Unlikely Romance". Goalcast. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  42. Garvey, Marianne. "Jenny Slate is engaged to art curator boyfriend Ben Shattuck". CNN.
  43. Swift, Andy (February 6, 2018). "Muppet Babies Reboot: Jenny Slate to Voice the Iconic, Faceless 'Miss Nanny'". TV Line. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  44. "Jenny Slate » AWARD WINS/NOMINATIONS". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  45. "Little Weirds by Jenny Slate". Little, Brown and Company. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
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