Amy Sedaris

A former member of Chicago-based Second City and Annoyance Theatre comedy troupes, Sedaris' first major foray into television began in 1995 on the Comedy Central sketch show, Exit 57, which also starred Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello.[8] The show ran for one season.[8]

Beginning in 1999, Sedaris played Jerri Blank, a middle-aged high school student, in the Comedy Central series Strangers with Candy.[9] The show, which she co-wrote with Dinello and Colbert, was based on Sedaris's impression of 1970s-era motivational speaker Florrie Fisher.[10] The show ran for three seasons and became a full-length movie.[11]

Sedaris has made numerous guest appearances on TV programs, including Rescue Me, Monk, Wonder Showzen, Just Shoot Me!, Sex and the City, My Name Is Earl, The Closer, The Middle, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Raising Hope, and Sesame Street.[11] She also hosted the series Film Fanatic on Trio.

Her talk show appearances include Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and WTF with Marc Maron.[11] Her performance on Chelsea Lately entailed giving host Chelsea Handler a presentation on vaginal hygiene, using a plush vagina created by fashion designer Todd Oldham.

Sedaris at the 2006 Texas Book Festival.

In 2007, Sedaris was featured in Dolly Parton's first mainstream country music video in 14 years, "Better Get to Livin'".[12]

In early 2010, she was a supporting character in the Canadian comedy series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour.[13] Later in 2010, she was with Paul Dinello in the "Mummified Hand" episode of the Discovery/Science Channel show Oddities.

In 2011, she appeared in a series of commercials for Downy (Lenor UK) Unstoppables, a fabric softener product. Grey Global Group designed the commercials as "kicking the old 'mom' image with spots featuring 'laundry expert' (and accomplished lifestyle guru) Amy Sedaris".[14]

In 2013, she replaced Kristen Schaal as the sex-crazed sister Hurshe Heartshe, in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler.[15] That same year, Sedaris appeared in eight episodes of Amazon's Alpha House, a political comedy series written by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau.[16] Sedaris played Louise Laffer, the Mormon wife of Nevada Senator Louis Laffer, who lives with three other Republican senators in a town house on Capitol Hill.

Since 2015, she has portrayed Mimi Kanasis on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Her 2016 projects include an appearance on Horace and Pete, as a character named Mara looking for a job at Horace and Pete's.[17] She co-starred with Chris Elliott on the Sony Crackle series Thanksgiving.

Sedaris appeared as Peli Motto in The Mandalorian in 2019.

Sedaris has voiced commercials for the discount hair salon chain Supercuts,[18][19] and was WordGirl character Miss Davis for two seasons. She also voiced the Bandit Princess in Adventure Time.[20]

She narrated the PBS special Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, a six-hour documentary on comedians and comedy in American history.[21]

Since 2014, she has provided the voice for Princess Carolyn on the Netflix original show BoJack Horseman, a role which some critics consider her best work.[22]

She voiced Cinderella in Shrek the Third and reprised her role in Shrek Forever After.[23]

She participated in seasons one and two of the podcast Homecoming as Audrey Temple.[24]

Around 2017, she has done voice work for the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe, and voice acted as Blue and Yellow zircon on the episode "The Trail".

Her most recent voice work is for Guinea Fowl in The Lion King (2019).[25]

Sedaris has had small roles in a number of films, including Elf, School of Rock, Maid in Manhattan, Bewitched, Snow Angels, Full Grown Men, Old Dogs, Shrek the Third, and Chicken Little.[11]

Her first lead film role was the 2006 film adaptation of Strangers with Candy. She also had a large role in the comedy The Best and the Brightest.[26]

In 2008, Sedaris starred as principal Abby Hofman in Nickelodeon TV's Gym Teacher: The Movie, directed by her Strangers with Candy co-star Paul Dinello.[11]

Sedaris at a book signing for her 2010 book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People

Sedaris co-authored the text-and-picture novel Wigfield with Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, published in 2003.

She has contributed articles to The Believer magazine since 2005.

Her guide to entertaining, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 12 weeks after its initial publication in 2006.

Her book, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People! (2010), included a cover that can be easily made into a hat, as David Letterman demonstrated during her appearance on his Late Show in October 2010.

Amy has co-written several plays with her brother David, credited only as "The Talent Family": Stump the Host (1993), Stitches (1994), One Woman Shoe (1995), Incident at Cobblers Knob (1997) and The Little Frieda Mysteries. She also co-authored the play The Book of Liz with him, which has been produced at regional theaters as No Name Players.[27]

She played a role as the stage manager in Paul Rudnick's play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.

In support of PETA's anti-fur campaign, Sedaris appeared as her Strangers with Candy character in an ad that reads, "When you wear fur, people laugh at you, not with you."[28]

She was the emcee for Microsoft's 2010 annual employee meeting in Seattle, Washington on September 28, 2010.[29]