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Patti Harrison

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For the English model and photographer, see Pattie Boyd. For the American feminist comedian, see Patty Harrison.
Patti Harrison
Born (1990-10-31) October 31, 1990 (age 34)
Orient, Ohio, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active2015–present

Patti Harrison (born October 31, 1990) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her roles in comedy series such as Shrill (2019–2021) and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–present), as well as the comedy film Together Together (2021), with the latter earning her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Early life

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Harrison was born in Orient, Ohio, on October 31, 1990,[1] the youngest of seven children of a Vietnamese mother and an American father. Her father, a native of Detroit, was in the U.S. Army and met her mother during the Vietnam War[2] when she was working as a janitor in his barracks.[3] He died of a heart attack when Harrison was six years old.[4][5][6] Her first involvement in comedy came from her participation in an improv team during her time at Ohio University, from which she did not graduate.[2][7]

Career

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Harrison moved to New York City to pursue a comedy career in 2015, but later moved to Los Angeles.[4] She has said that her stand-up comedy style has changed drastically since her early days of performing, having initially felt anxious about making jokes about sex and her sexuality due to internalized transphobia stemming from being a trans woman.[4] In an interview with Vogue, she described her comedic persona: "I'm a nasty, stupid person—that's my voice. I'm an evil, shitty person on stage, in a very conscious way—the evil is punching up."[5]

In 2017, Harrison gained wider prominence for her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she made jokes about then-President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people in the military. Since then, she has appeared in the television shows High Maintenance, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Broad City, and Search Party, as well as the film A Simple Favor.[4] In 2019, she began playing Ruthie in the Hulu comedy series Shrill after the show's co-creator and star Aidy Bryant contacted her through Instagram and encouraged her to audition.[8] She later joined the team of writers for the animated comedy series Big Mouth during its fourth season.[8][9]

Harrison was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Comics to Watch" in 2019.[2][10][11] Later that year, she co-hosted Comedy Central's digital series Unsend with Joel Kim Booster.[8] She also co-hosts a podcast called A Woman's Smile with River L. Ramirez.[4] In 2020, she co-starred in Yearly Departed, alongside other comedians such as Rachel Brosnahan and Ziwe Fumudoh.[12] That same year, she began hosting a monthly show called Died & Gone to Heaven! at Largo in Los Angeles.[13]

In February 2021, Harrison was banned from Twitter after a stunt in which she impersonated the account of Nilla Wafers in a parody of corporate pinkwashing, and in particular a tweet from the Oreo brand of cookies.[14] The controversy led to her appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss it.[15] Later that year, she became the first transgender actor to take part in a Disney animated film when she voiced Tail Chief in Raya and the Last Dragon.[16] She also made her debut feature film leading role in Together Together,[17] for which she earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Influences

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Harrison has said one of her early comedic influences was Mad TV which she enjoyed watching during her childhood and admired the female comedians on the show, especially Mo Collins, Nicole Sullivan, and Debra Wilson.[2] She has also said Kristen Wiig and Lisa Kudrow are her idols and her favorite movies as a child were the Scary Movie film series.[18]

Personal life

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Harrison came out as a transgender woman shortly after dropping out of Ohio University; she described her family as supportive.[5][11] She was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021, telling The New Yorker that she delayed seeking a diagnosis until she had "reached a point where [she] was so frustrated with [her] inability to just stay on track".[7] She is also an artist and frequently posts her work on Instagram.[5] She has canvassed for the Democratic Socialists of America.[19]

Filmography

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Film

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Patti Harrison film work
Year Title Role Notes
2018 A Simple Favor Kiko
2021 Together Together Anna Caper
Raya and the Last Dragon Chief of Tail (voice)
2022 The Lost City Allison
Mack & Rita Stephanie
2023 Theater Camp Caroline
Trolls Band Together Brandy (voice)
2024 The Luckiest Man in America Post-production

Television

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Patti Harrison television work
Year Title Role Notes
2016–2017 The Special Without Brett Davis Patti / Sharting Woman / Maygan Mason 6 episodes
Writer (3 episodes)
2017 Broad City Anthropologie Employee Episode: "Bedbugs"
The Chris Gethard Show Sharon Herron Episode: "Take a Chance"
Search Party Renee 3 episodes
2017–2018 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Correspondent 3 episodes
2019 High Maintenance Chrinty Episode: "Breathwork"
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Correspondent Season 4, Episode 13[20]
BoJack Horseman Barbara (voice) Episode: "Feel-Good Story"
2019–2021 Shrill Ruthie 16 episodes
2019–2023 I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson Various Characters 4 episodes
Writer (6 episodes)
2020 Magical Girl Friendship Squad The Mushroominations (voice) Episode: "Anti Fungal Spit Skanks"
2021 History of Swear Words Herself 3 episodes
Bob's Burgers Patti / Pixie Princess Patricia (voice) 2 episodes
Ziwe Various Characters 3 episodes
Tuca & Bertie Martha (voice) 4 episodes
Q-Force Stat (voice) 10 episodes
Jimmy Kimmel Live Herself 1 episode[15]
Adventure Time: Distant Lands Weapon Head (voice) Episode: "Wizard City"
2021-2022 The Great North Debbie, Momma Marita (voice) 9 episodes
Made for Love Bangles de la Morga 3 episodes
2022 Three Busy Debras London England Episode: "Operation: Seal Team Debra"
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Lulu Episode: "Just Jen"
American Dad! Ali (voice) Episode: "Smooshed: A Love Story"

References

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  1. ^ "Patti Harrison". IMDb. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Reghay, Nayomi (October 13, 2017). "Meet Trans Comedian Making Fart Jokes an Act of Resistance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "Patti Harrison". Don't Ask Tig (Podcast). February 9, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Escandon, Rosa (February 16, 2019). "28-Year-Old Patti Harrison Makes Filthy Jokes With Heart". Forbes. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Read, Bridget (February 27, 2018). "Patti Harrison—Trans Comedian, Beauty Icon—*Sometimes* Washes Her Hair". Vogue. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Heidecker, Tim (April 2, 2019). "Comedian Patti Harrison Asks Tim Heidecker for Tips on Allergies and Anxiety". Interview Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Syme, Rachel (February 20, 2022). "Patti Harrison Means It (Except When She Doesn't)". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Dommu, Rose (March 27, 2019). "Patti Harrison on 'Shrill' and the Art of Being Mean". Out. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Hawgood, Alex (May 1, 2019). "Patti Harrison Bucks Transgender Stereotypes, One Joke at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Variety Announces 10 Comics to Watch for 2019". Variety. June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Baritaux, Zio (October 10, 2017). "patti harrison is the trans comic we need desperately right now". Vice: i-D. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  12. ^ Strause, Jackie (December 30, 2020). "'Yearly Departed': Rachel Brosnahan on Amazon Female Comedy Special". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Pearson, Jesse (March 6, 2020). "Q&A: At the table with comedian Patti Harrison, talking Saltine cereal and the intimacy of boiled eggs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Wright, Megh (May 20, 2021). "Patti Harrison Apologizes to Bisexual People Who Love Nilla Wafers". Vulture. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Jimmy Kimmel Live (May 20, 2021). "Patti Harrison on Being Banned from Twitter for Impersonating Nilla Wafers". YouTube. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  16. ^ Kim, Michelle (March 8, 2021). "Patti Harrison Is the First Known Trans Actor Cast in a Disney Animated Movie | them". www.them.us. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  17. ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 16, 2020). "Bleecker Street Grabs Sundance Competition Title 'Together Together'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "Patti Harrison interview: 'Not everyone is ready to have a laugh at beheading videos'". The Independent. August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  19. ^ @DSA_LosAngeles (July 1, 2020). "Have you joined our Stimulus Solidarity Fundraiser yet??? So far @party_harderson, @ayoedebiri, @ihatejoelkim, and @NaomiandAndy have come by to hang. And there is PLENTY more to come" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Pride Like It's 1969". www.tbs.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
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