| Birth date | October 31, 1990 (age 35) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Orient, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress · comedian |
| Years active | 2015–present |
Patti Harrison (born October 31, 1990) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her roles in Shrill (2019–2021), I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–2023), and Together Together (2021). For her role in Together Together, she earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.
Early life
Patti Harrison was born in Orient, Ohio, on October 31, 1990,[1] to a Vietnamese mother and a white American father. She has six older siblings. Her father, who was from Detroit, served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and met Harrison's mother when she was a janitor in his barracks.[2][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 dropped out.[2][7]
Career
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 career, as she initially felt anxious about making sex and sexuality jokes 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 U.S. President Donald Trump's transgender military service ban. She has appeared in comedy series such as 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 writing team of the animated comedy series Big Mouth for 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 the podcast A Woman's Smile with River L. Ramirez.[4] She co-starred in Yearly Departed (2020) alongside other comedians such as Ziwe Fumudoh.[12] That same year, she began hosting the monthly show Died & Gone to Heaven! at Largo.[13]
In February 2021, Harrison was banned from Twitter after she impersonated the account of Nilla Wafers in a parody of corporate pinkwashing, particularly satirizing a tweet from Oreo.[14] The controversy led to her appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss it.[15] 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 (2021)[16] and had her debut feature film leading role in Together Together (2021),[17] for which she earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She serves as Miss Culturista at the annual Las Culturistas Culture Awards, hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.[18]
Influences
Harrison has said one of her early comedic influences was Mad TV, which she enjoyed watching during her childhood; she admired the female comedians on the show, especially Mo Collins, Nicole Sullivan, and Debra Wilson.[2] She has also said that Kristen Wiig and Lisa Kudrow are her idols and that the Scary Movie films were her favorites as a child.[19]
Personal life
Harrison came out as a trans woman shortly after dropping out of Ohio University, later describing her family as supportive.[5][11] In 2020, she canvassed for the Democratic Socialists of America.[20] In 2021, she was diagnosed with ADHD, 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 frequently posts her artwork on Instagram.[5]
Filmography
Film
| 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) | ||
| Milennial Hunter | Claire (voice) | ||
| 2024 | The Luckiest Man in America | Janie | |
| 2026 | She Keeps Me Young † | Post-production | |
| TBA | Close Personal Friends † | Post-production |
Television
| 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[21] | |
| 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" |
| ' | Lulu | Episode: "Just Jen" | |
| American Dad! | Ali (voice) | Episode: "Smooshed: A Love Story" | |
| 2025 | Poker Face | Alex | 4 episodes |
| Sausage Party: Foodtopia | Jill (voice) | Recurring role | |
| Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Witch Wizard (voice) | 3 episodes | |
| 2026 | Regular Show: The Lost Tapes | Valencia (voice) | Episode: "Coffee Shop Wars" |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | "Bicstan" | Hudson Mohawke | Starring, co-directed w/ Alan Resnick |
References
- ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/DQpzXZGEpew
- ^ Reghay, Nayomi (October 13, 2017). "Meet Trans Comedian Making Fart Jokes an Act of Resistance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Patti Harrison". Don't Ask Tig. February 9, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ Escandon, Rosa (February 16, 2019). "28-Year-Old Patti Harrison Makes Filthy Jokes With Heart". Forbes. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Read, Bridget (February 27, 2018). "Patti Harrison—Trans Comedian, Beauty Icon—*Sometimes* Washes Her Hair". Vogue. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Heidecker, Tim (April 2, 2019). "Comedian Patti Harrison Asks Tim Heidecker for Tips on Allergies and Anxiety". Interview Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Syme, Rachel (February 20, 2022). "Patti Harrison Means It (Except When She Doesn't)". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ Dommu, Rose (March 27, 2019). "Patti Harrison on 'Shrill' and the Art of Being Mean". Out. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Variety Announces 10 Comics to Watch for 2019". Variety. June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Baritaux, Zio (October 10, 2017). "patti harrison is the trans comic we need desperately right now". Vice: i-D. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Strause, Jackie (December 30, 2020). "'Yearly Departed': Rachel Brosnahan on Amazon Female Comedy Special". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wright, Megh (May 20, 2021). "Patti Harrison Apologizes to Bisexual People Who Love Nilla Wafers". Vulture. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ Jimmy Kimmel Live (May 20, 2021). "Patti Harrison on Being Banned from Twitter for Impersonating Nilla Wafers". YouTube. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 16, 2020). "Bleecker Street Grabs Sundance Competition Title 'Together Together'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Frank, Jason P. (18 June 2023). "The True Winners & Losers of the Las Culturistas Culture Awards". Vulture. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "Patti Harrison interview: 'Not everyone is ready to have a laugh at beheading videos'". The Independent. August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ "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.". No. 1278508330118524930. July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Pride Like It's 1969". www.tbs.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
External links
- Patti Harrison on Instagram
- Patti Harrison at IMDb