Little Weirds

Jenny Slate
Born	1982 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, comedian, writer
Years active	2005–present
Known for	Saturday Night Live, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Obvious Child, Bob's Burgers, Parks and Recreation

Jenny Slate (born 1982) is an American actress, comedian, and writer known for her work in television, stand-up, and film. She initially garnered attention through her live variety performances in New York City and as co-creator of the children’s short film and book series Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2010–2014), developed alongside her then-husband Dean Fleischer Camp. Slate gained broader prominence as a cast member on the 35th season of Saturday Night Live in 2009. Subsequently, she took on roles in popular sitcoms including Bob's Burgers (2012–present), Parks and Recreation (2013–2015), House of Lies (2013–2015), and Kroll Show (2013–2015).

Her breakthrough performance came with the lead role in Gillian Robespierre’s dramedy Obvious Child (2014), which earned her the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy. Slate lent her voice to numerous animated features such as The Lorax (2012), Zootopia (2016), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and Despicable Me 3 (2017). She also ventured into dramatic roles, appearing in Gifted (2017) and the acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Early life and education

Born in 1982 in Milton, Massachusetts, Slate grew up in a Jewish household alongside two sisters. She graduated as valedictorian from Milton Academy before pursuing literature studies at Columbia University. During her time at Columbia, she co-established the improv troupe Fruit Paunch, performed in the Varsity Show, and met comedy collaborator Gabe Liedman. She completed her degree in 2004.

Career

Together with Gabe Liedman, Slate formed the comedy duo Gabe & Jenny. Their collaborative stand-up series with Max Silvestri, titled "Big Terrific," was recognized as the best new variety show of 2008 by Time Out New York. The trio concluded the show in 2015 due to conflicting schedules but have reunited occasionally for performances. Slate first connected with Liedman in 2000 while at Columbia University, describing their partnership as a "nonsexual romance," likening it to the dynamic between Elaine Benes and George Costanza from Seinfeld. Throughout 2008 and 2009, she regularly showcased her solo performance Jenny Slate: Dead Millionaire at New York City's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Slate frequently contributed as a commentator on VH1 talk shows. In early 2009, she featured on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon within the recurring sketch "7th Floor West," portraying an NBC page who becomes Fallon’s assistant. She held a recurring role on Bored to Death and made guest appearances across various television series.

Joining the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 2009–10 season marked a significant step in her career. During her first episode, she unintentionally uttered "fucking" during a live sketch; this was edited out of subsequent reruns. Her most notable impersonation on the show was Tina-Tina Cheneuse, an infomercial spokesperson. Slate has clarified that her exit from SNL was not related to this incident but stemmed from feeling that she did not fit well with the ensemble.

In August 2010, Slate co-wrote and voiced the animated short film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which subsequently inspired a sequel. She also authored a children's book based on Marcel, published in November 2011. Her initial live-action film appearance was as Zoe in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, followed by voice roles including Ted’s mother in The Lorax. In 2013, she portrayed Mona-Lisa Saperstein on Parks and Recreation. That year, she also released a YouTube mini-series titled Catherine, which paid homage to soap operas from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Slate starred in the 2014 comedy-drama Obvious Child, playing a young stand-up comedian confronting an unexpected pregnancy and abortion. For this role, she received multiple accolades including the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Breakout Performance at Newport Beach Film Festival, the Virtuosos Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and Best Comedic Actress from the Women Film Critics Circle. She appeared alongside Judy Greer and Nat Faxon in FX’s inaugural season of Married, featuring in several episodes before being succeeded by Sarah Burns after season one.

Until its conclusion in 2015, Slate appeared as Liz B. in recurring sketches on Kroll Show. In 2016, she provided voices for Dawn Bellwether in Disney’s Zootopia and Gidget in The Secret Life of Pets. That same year, Slate co-authored a book titled About the House with her father, chronicling their experiences living together in her childhood home located in Milton, Massachusetts.

From 2017 through 2019, Slate voiced Missy Foreman-Greenwald on Netflix’s animated series Big Mouth, stepping down from this role in June 2020 to support casting Black actors for Black characters on animated programs. In addition, she starred as Bonnie Stevenson—a teacher to a mathematically gifted child—in the film Gifted. October 2019 saw the release of her stand-up special Stage Fright on Netflix.

In 2019, Slate published her book Little Weirds, which delves into themes of life and relationships. In 2022, she appeared as Big Nose (renamed Debbie the Dog Mom for digital distribution due to concerns about Jewish stereotypes) in the critically praised sci-fi movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. The ensemble cast received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Personal life

Before relocating to Los Angeles in the early 2010s, Slate resided in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn alongside filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp. The pair married in September 2012 and worked together on the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On series, which includes books, short films, and the 2021 feature-length movie. They parted ways in May 2016. Soon after their separation, Slate began a relationship with actor Chris Evans.

In September 2019, Slate revealed her engagement to art curator and writer Ben Shattuck, who owns the Davolls General Store in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Their daughter was born toward the end of 2020. After three postponed wedding ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Slate and Shattuck finally tied the knot in their living room on New Year's Eve 2021. The couple intends to return to Brooklyn in autumn 2025 after living in Shattuck’s childhood home in Dartmouth.

In June 2025, during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, Slate mentioned that her daughter perceives Slate’s role as Marcel the Shell more as a fun game than an Oscar-nominated performance, often asking her to speak in Marcel’s distinctive voice.

Filmography

Key

†	Indicates projects that have not been released yet

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Marcel the Shell with Shoes On	Marcel (voice)	Short film; also credited as writer
2011	Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Two
	Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked	Zoe
2012	This Means War	Emily
	The Lorax	Mrs. Wiggins (voice)
2013	Bitch	Molly Horner	Short film
2014	Obvious Child	Donna Stern	Also served as executive producer
	The Longest Week	Jocelyn
	Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Three	Marcel (voice)	Short film; also writer
2015	Digging for Fire	Yoga Couple
2016	Joshy	Jodi
	Zootopia	Dawn Bellwether (voice)
	My Blind Brother	Rose
	The Secret Life of Pets	Gidget (voice)
	Brain on Fire	Margo
2017	Landline	Dana Jacobs	Also executive producer
	The Polka King	Marla Lewan
	The Lego Batman Movie	Harley Quinn (voice)
	Gifted	Bonnie Stevenson
	Aardvark	Emily Milburton
	Batman is Just Not That Into You	Harley Quinn (voice)	Short film
	Despicable Me 3	Valerie Da Vinci (voice)
2018	Hotel Artemis	Morgan Daniels
	Venom	Dr. Dora Skirth
2019	The Sunlit Night	Frances	Also credited as producer
	The Secret Life of Pets 2	Gidget (voice)
	Super Gidget		Short film
2020	On the Rocks	Vanessa
2021	Marcel the Shell with Shoes On	Marcel (voice)	Also writer and producer
2022	I Want You Back	Emma
	Everything Everywhere All at Once	Debbie the Dog Mom
	The Bob's Burgers Movie	Tammy Larsen (voice)
2024	It Ends with Us	Allysa
2025	The Electric State	Penny Pal (voice)
Template:TableTBA	At the Sea †	Template:TableTBA	Post-production status
	The Ark and the Aardvark †	Mitzi (voice)	Currently in post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Starved	Belt Tighteners Member	Uncredited; Episode: "The Breatharians"
2008	The Whitest Kids U' Know	Trevor's Date	Episode #2.1
2009	Important Things with Demetri Martin	Bride	Episode: "Chairs"
	Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	Jenny the Page	Appeared in 8 episodes
	Brothers	Annette	Featured in 2 episodes
2009–2010	Saturday Night Live	Various Characters	Participated in 22 episodes
	Bored to Death	Stella	Role in 5 episodes
2011	Ugly Americans	Jaclyn (voice)	Episode: "Lily and the Beast"
	The Electric Company	Runner	Episode: "Off Target"
2012	Raising Hope	Joan	Appeared in 2 episodes
2012–2016	Girls	Tally Schifrin	Featured in 2 episodes
2012–present	Bob's Burgers	Tammy Larsen (voice)	Voiced in 58 episodes
2013	Hello Ladies	Amelia Gordon	Participated in 4 episodes
2013–2015	Kroll Show	Various Roles	Appeared in 14 episodes
	Parks and Recreation	Mona-Lisa Saperstein	Featured in 9 episodes
2013–2016	House of Lies	Sarah Guggenheim	Role in 11 episodes
	Drunk History	Herself	Appeared in 3 episodes
2014	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Bianca	Episode: "Undercover"
2014–2015	Married	Jess	Featured in 14 episodes
2015–2019	Star vs. the Forces of Evil	Pony Head (voice)	Voiced in 25 episodes
2016	David: Story of David	Elizabeth	Web series role
	Animals	Snake (voice)	Episode: "Squirrels. Part I."
	Zoolander: Super Model	Nani (voice)	Television film appearance
2016–2017	Lady Dynamite	Karen Grisham	Participated in 4 episodes
2016–2018	Adventure Time	Huntress Wizard (voice)	Appeared in 3 episodes
2017	Comrade Detective	Jane (voice)	Featured in 6 episodes
2017–2025	Big Mouth	Missy Foreman-Greenwald and other characters (voice)	Voiced across 53 episodes
2018	Clarence	Pipi, Cookie Mama Cashier, Beatrice (voice)	Episode: "Belson Gets a Girlfriend"
2018–2022	Muppet Babies	Miss Nanny (voice)	Voiced in 69 episodes
2019	The Simpsons	Piper Paisley (voice)	Episode: "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion"
	The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience	Stacy	Television special appearance
	Jenny Slate: Stage Fright	Herself	Stand-up special performance
2020	Elena of Avalor	Cahu (voice)	Episode: "Coronation Day"
2021	Q-Force	Voice role	Episode: "Rogue"
2021–present	The Great North	Judy Tobin (voice)	Series regular role
2023	Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake	Huntress (voice)	Episode: "The Star"
2024	Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional	Herself	Stand-up special
2025	Dying for Sex	Nikki	Miniseries; featured in 8 episodes

Music videos

Year	Title	Performer(s)	Character
2009	"Threw It On the Ground"	The Lonely Island	Girlfriend
2019	"Oakland Nights"	The Lonely Island (featuring Sia)	Stacy

Podcasts

Year	Title	Character	Details
2019	Earth Break	Lynn Gellert	Appeared in 9 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Awarding Body	Category	Work Nominated	Outcome
2014	Newport Beach Film Festival	Breakout Actress	Obvious Child	Template:Won
	Santa Barbara International Film Festival	Virtuoso Award		Template:Won
	Critics' Choice Movie Award	Best Actress in a Comedy		Template:Won
	Women Film Critics Circle	Best Comedic Actress		Template:Won
	Independent Spirit Award	Best Female Lead		Template:Nom
	Chicago Film Critics Association	Most Promising Performer		Template:Nom
	Gotham Independent Film Award	Breakthrough Actor		Template:Nom
	Seattle International Film Festival	Best Actress		Template:Nom
	Women Film Critics Circle Award	Best Screen Couple (alongside Jake Lacy)		Template:Nom
2016	BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award	Best Supporting Female Vocal Performance - Feature Film	Zootopia	Template:Won
	BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award	Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast)		Template:Nom
	BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award	Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film	The Secret Life of Pets	Template:Nom
2017	BTVA Television Voice Acting Award	Best Supporting Female Vocal Performance - Television Series	Star vs. the Forces of Evil	Template:Nom
2018	BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award	Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast)	Despicable Me 3 and The Lego Batman Movie	Template:Nom
2020	Annie Award	Outstanding Voice Acting in a Feature	The Secret Life of Pets 2	Template:Nom
2023	Annie Award	Outstanding Voice Acting in a Feature	Marcel the Shell with Shoes On	Template:Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture	Everything Everywhere All at Once	Template:Won
2025	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie	Dying for Sex	Template:Pending

Bibliography

• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Things About Me by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp, Razorbill, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59514-455-3
• Marcel the Shell: The Most Surprised I've Ever Been by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp, Razorbill, 2014, ISBN 978-1-59514-456-0
• About the House by Jenny Slate and Ron Slate, Concord Free Press, 2016, ISBN 9780990805922
• Little Weirds by Jenny Slate, Little, Brown and Company, 2019, ISBN 978-0-316-48534-0
• Lifeform by Jenny Slate, Little, Brown and Company, 2024, ISBN 9780316263931