Jessica Kirson (born November 14, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and producer. Kirson is known for performing regularly at comedy venues in New York City — some of which include Gotham Comedy Club, Laugh Factory, Caroline's, and the Improv.
Early life
Kirson was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, and is of Austrian and Polish-Jewish descent. Her mother is a therapist who treated clients in Kirson's childhood home, which she has said has had a profound impact on her and her comedy.
Kirson graduated from Columbia High School in 1987. She described herself as a 'major class clown' who loved to make people laugh. Kirson is the stepsister of both actor Zach Braff and writer Joshua Braff, whose father her mother married when she was an adolescent. With the intention of becoming a therapist, Kirson graduated from the University of Maryland in family studies and from New York University with a Masters of Social Work. She describes her studies as 'very helpful' to her crowd work and the business 'because a lot of those people are crazy'.
After her university studies, Kirson turned to comedy, creating material and testing it out weekly in a class setting. She participated in open mics in New York in different venues. Over this time she worked as a bartender at a Houlihan's in Times Square and at an Upper West Side restaurant.
Career
Kirson made her career debut in the film School Dance. Her one-hour special Talking to Myself debuted on Comedy Central and was executive produced by Bill Burr. Other projects include her series The Call Girls with longtime friend and comedian Rachel Feinstein. In 2016, Kirson acted in and served as a consultant, producer, and writer on the Robert De Niro film The Comedian. Kirson was an executive producer of and main organizer behind the documentary Hysterical which follows a group of ground-breaking female comedians in their lives, on and off stage. Kirson also appeared in the film as herself. Kirson's style is self-deprecating, less 'punch type' and very character based.
Kirson has performed on The Tonight Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The View, and Kevin Can Wait. Kirson also hosts her own podcast, Disgusting Hawk. Kirson is also a contributor on The Howard Stern Show, where she produces and stars in prank calls for the program.
Comedic style
In her comedy, Kirson often narrates personal experiences of sobriety, her Jewish upbringing, and her identity as a lesbian, utilizing "gallows humor" and "biting, often crass asides." She sometimes performs humorous inner monologues during her sets while facing away from the audience: "A lot of the jokes, when I turn around, I've said before, but I only do it at certain times, when a joke doesn't work or I get uncomfortable or something happens in the audience... That's my way of saving it in the moment." Commenting on her approach to comedy, Kirson said:
She has cited Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett among her comedic influences.
Personal life
Kirson has four children. She has been open about her struggle with food addiction as well as substance abuse throughout her life.