Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's Best Friends Forever and USA Network's Playing House. Recently she was a lead voice on the Adult Swim animated comedy Royal Crackers.
Life and career St. Clair was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, where she attended Westfield High School, graduating as part of the class of 1994. Her first major television work was as a regular panelist on the VH1 series Best Week Ever, offering comedic insights on pop culture and the news of the week. She co-starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom In the Motherhood in 2009.
St. Clair has gained notice for her frequent guest appearances (often alongside performing partner Lennon Parham) on podcasts such as Comedy Bang! Bang!, in which she plays the show's teenage intern Marissa Wompler. In 2015, St. Clair and Parham spun off their characters in a new Earwolf podcast called WOMP It Up!, with St. Clair as host Marissa Wompler and Parham co-hosting as Marissa's teacher Miss Listler. Frequent guests on the podcast include Brian Huskey as Marissa's stepdad Seth and Jason Mantzoukas as Marissa's former flame Eric "Gutterballs" Gutterman. The podcast ran through the summer of 2015, returning after a hiatus on November 16, 2015. Beginning in 2021, St. Clair and June Diane Raphael started their own podcast, The Deep Dive.
St. Clair and Parham created and starred in the NBC comedy series Best Friends Forever, which premiered on April 4, 2012, and aired for one season, followed by Playing House, which premiered on USA on April 29, 2014, and concluded its third and final season in July 2017.
St. Clair has played recurring roles on television shows such as Veep, Weeds, The McCarthys, Marry Me, American Housewife (as protagonist Katie's rival Chloe Brown Mueller), Worst Week and United States of Tara. She also played the role of Suzanne, the long-suffering wife of host Forrest MacNeil on the Comedy Central series Review. St. Clair's notable work in film includes supporting roles in Bridesmaids, She's Out of My League, Afternoon Delight and Enough Said.
St. Clair had a recurring role on the Netflix comedy series Space Force as structural engineer and civil contractor Kelly King. Beginning in 2023, she began voicing Deb Hornsby on the Adult Swim animated comedy Royal Crackers, currently in its second season.
In 2024, St. Clair and Casey Wilson teamed up to write and narrate the audiobook The Art of Small Talk, which includes interviews with Amy Poehler, Colin Quinn, Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Hale, and June Diane Raphael, among others.
Personal life St. Clair is married to playwright and poet Dan O'Brien. They have a daughter.
In 2015, St. Clair said that she and Lennon Parham had both learned Transcendental Meditation. In 2017, St. Clair revealed that she had undergone treatment for breast cancer after being diagnosed in September 2015, and this was incorporated into the third season of Playing House when her character Emma was similarly diagnosed.
Filmography
+Film Year Title Role Notes2004TerroristsJennifer Castle2006For Your ConsiderationHula Balls Spokeswoman2007TrendsettersJulie CampbellShort film2008College Road TripMs. Prince2009Stay CoolDarcy Portola2009Connor's MotherShort film2009Selleck Customer, Wife2009Taking ChancesReporter2009It's ComplicatedWedding Specialist2010She's Out of My LeagueDebbie2010LenaShort film2010HerselfShort film; also writer2010Life As We Know ItBeth2011BridesmaidsWhitney2012WanderlustDeena Schuster2012The DictatorDenise2013Afternoon DelightStephanie2013Enough SaidCynthia2015Addicted to FresnoKristen2017The HouseWall Street Guy - Reba 2018 Dog DaysRuth 2020 Like a Boss Kim 2020 Superintelligence Leslie
+Television Year Title Role Notes2002Various3 episodes2003–2004CorrespondentSeries regular2004Things I Hate About YouJurorEpisode: "Patrick and Renee"2005Lies and the Wives We Tell Them ToTV pilot2007Jen unaired TV pilot2007Samantha Who?ValerieEpisode: "The Wedding"2007UCB Comedy OriginalsEpisode: "Action 5 News!"; also producer2008–2009Worst WeekSarah6 episodes2009United States of TaraTiffany St. Claire2 episodes2009In the MotherhoodEmilySeries regular2009Labor PainsPregnancy Class InstructorTV movie2009HankPeggyEpisode: "Yard Sale"2010Kelly / Friend (voice)2 episodes2010Notes from the UnderbellyVioletEpisode: "Spinning Out of Control"2010Sons of TucsonMarcia TeelEpisode: "Sally Teel"2010WeedsRebekkah3 episodes2011Parks and RecreationDenise BurkissEpisode: "Road Trip"2011Curb Your EnthusiasmAnnaEpisode: "The Divorce"2011Love BitesChloe3 episodes2011How to Be a GentlemanPamEpisode: "How to Attend Your Ex-Fiance's Wedding"2012Best Friends ForeverJessica BlackLead role (6 episodes); also co-creator, writer, executive producer2013The OfficeCasey DeanEpisode: "A.A.R.M."2013–2014VeepDana4 episodes2014–2017ReviewSuzanne MacNeil20 episodes2014–2017Playing HouseEmma CrawfordLead role (26 episodes); also co-creator, writer, director, executive producer2014–2015The McCarthysKatrina6 episodes2014–2015Marry MeJulie3 episodes2015Comedy Bang! Bang!Miss PoliteEpisode: "Mark Duplass Wears a Striped Sweater and Jeans"2015Key & PeeleAmyEpisode: "Killer Concept Album"2015Sofia the FirstAthena (voice) Episode: "The Secret Library"2016–2017Animals.Kaitlin / Egg (voice)2 episodes2017–2019American HousewifeChloe Brown Mueller12 episodes2017PortlandiaSquirrel (voice)Episode: "Separation Anxiety"2017TeachersJune HarrisEpisode: "Held Back"2017Angie TribecaMrs. Claire FarnsworthEpisode: "Welcome Back, Blotter"2017–2022Bob's BurgersNancy / Joanne / Ms. Padaro (voice)3 episodes2017–2019Bajillion Dollar Propertie$Leatha Benet3 episodes2017Tangled: The SeriesPizzazo (voice)Episode: "Great Expotations"2018Grace and FrankieLaurenEpisode: "The Death Stick"2019Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on TelevisionCaptain Lade'e6 episodes2019Arrested DevelopmentAnita Bramwell2 episodes2019–2022American Dad!Connie Robinson, Additional Characters (voice)5 episodes2019Man with a PlanKellyEpisodes: "Clean Country Living", "The Intervention(s)"2019Bless This MessStaceyEpisode: "The Grisham Gals"2020–2022Avenue 5MiaRecurring role; 15 episodes2020Space ForceKelly KingRecurring role; 5 episodes2020Close EnoughJoy (voice)Episode: "First Date/Snailin' It"2020Central ParkDeb Dalyrumple (voice)Episode: "A Fish Called Snakehead"2020–2021The GoldbergsDoloresRecurring, seasons 7–82023How I Met Your FatherMeganEpisode: "The Reset Button"2023A Million Little ThingsAmeliaEpisode: "Think Twice"2023History of the World, Part IISarah Episode: "III"2023–presentRoyal CrackersDeb Hornsby (voice)Lead role2023–2024Based on a True StoryRochelle Lipinski7 episodes2024Night CourtHeatherRecurring 2024LootHostEpisode: "Women Who Rule"2024The StudioLeighEpisode: “The Pediatric Oncologist”
References
External links