Heather Ann McDonald (born June 14, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and author. Born and raised in Southern California, she is known for her appearances on the E! series Chelsea Lately. She was one of the eight writers on the show and often participated in sketches and segments. McDonald also wrote and appeared in the show's spin-off, After Lately. She is the host of the pop culture podcast “Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald.” Her first book, a 2010 memoir of her college years, made the Bestseller List of The New York Times.
Early life McDonald was born in 1970 in the San Fernando Valley, to real estate agent parents. She is of three quarters Irish and one quarter French-Canadian descent.Profile , tweetwood.com; accessed June 14, 2015. She and her brothers and sisters were raised Catholic and attended private Catholic schools.Profile, robinschicks.com; accessed June 14, 2015. After high school, McDonald attended the University of Southern California (USC), where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
After graduating from USC, McDonald began to take theatre classes at The Groundlings. During her time there, McDonald performed improvisational shows and sketch comedy at the Groundlings Theatre. At the same time, McDonald became a licensed realtor like her parents.
Career In the late 1990s, McDonald began writing with Keenen Ivory Wayans. In 2001 and 2002, she was a writer and performer for MTV's Lyricist Lounge. She made an appearance on Frasier as one of Frasier's many blind dates.
McDonald first gained popularity through her stand-up comedy shows in Los Angeles. She also began writing and performing for the Wayans Brothers in several of their films. She was a writer and roundtable regular on Chelsea Lately since its premiere in 2007.
In June 2010, McDonald published her first book, a memoir entitled You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up, which made The New York Times Best-Seller List. The memoir covers her college and sorority experience while attending the University of Southern California. McDonald published a second memoir in 2013, entitled My Inappropriate Life (Some Stories Not Suitable for Nuns, Children, or Mature Adults).
McDonald's standup special entitled Heather McDonald: I Don't Mean To Brag was recorded in 2014 and released on Netflix in September 2015. She also has a podcast called "Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald," which began airing in June 2015.
McDonald has a repertoire of women characters of whom she does impressions in her standup routines.Heather McDonald jokes about kids, marriage in standup Retrieved 14 August 2015.
On February 5, 2022 in Tempe, Arizona, McDonald collapsed on stage during a live performance due to getting multiple Covid-19 vaccines. She later claimed that she had been feeling unwell and dizzy prior to her set. She was taken to a hospital and treated for a fractured skull.Day, Nate, Comedian Heather McDonald collapses, fractures skull during set in Tempe, Arizona", Fox News, February 6, 2022Comedian Heather McDonald Collapses On Stage And Fractures Skull After Telling Just Two Jokes, huffingtonpost.co.uk, February 7, 2022
Personal life McDonald is married to Peter Dobias, with whom she has three children. They reside in Los Angeles.
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2004 White Chicks Saleswoman 2009 Dance Flick Girl's Gym Teacher 2018 Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate Beverly Ann Leprechaun Returns Tory Reding (voice)
Television Year Title RoleNotes 2000 The Lyricist Lounge Show Various Also writer 2001 Frasier Judy Episode: "Sliding Frasiers" 2002 Watching Ellie Waitress Episode: "Gift" 2003 Reno 911! Maid of Honor Episode: "Clementine Gets Married" 2004 Quintuplets Director Episode: "Bob and Carol Save Christmas" 2005 Malcolm in the Middle Nancy Episode: "Malcolm's Car" 2006 Drake & Josh Unknown role Episode: "The Demonator" Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness Gwenny Television film Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street Gwenny / Gavin's mom (voice) 2007 What News? Angela Schramm 2007-2014 Chelsea Lately Herself Various Episodes 2014 Female Moments Unknown role Episode: "Cafe Con Life"; Also writer RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Guest Judge; Season 6 Episode 5 Heather McDonald: I Don't Mean to Brag Stand-up special; Also writer and producer 2016 #ThisIsCollege Sherry TV Mini-seriesEpisode: "Going Home" 2026 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Herself Episode: "Closing Chapters"
Discography All credits adapted from Apple Music and Spotify.
As lead artist
Comedy albums Title Details Juicy ScoopReleased: November 20, 2020 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming
As featured artist
Singles Year Title Album Writer(s) Producer(s) 2025"Celebrity Moms"Ruckus Comedy Presents: Gotham Comedy Live, Vol. 33Heather McDonald rowspan="3" "Medication""Cheap Husbands"2014"Forget About the Boy (From 'Thorougly Modern Milly')"Heartsongs: Melodies of LoveJeanine Tesori, Raul Benitez, Dick Scanlan, Garrett BreezeEric Hansen"Gimme, Gimme That Thing Called Love (From 'Thorougly Modern Milly')"
References
External links Official website
Heather McDonald at Facebook