Jackie Kashian
Midwestern politeness covering up a deep well of exasperated nerd rage.
3 specials · 2003–2026
Start with I Am Not The Hero of This Story, the breakout (2017 · 54 min · Stand Up! Records)
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Jackie Kashian talks fast. She delivers punchlines with a slightly breathy Wisconsin cadence, packing an absurd amount of joke density into a very small space. Her persona is that of a perfectly reasonable person explaining basic logic to a universe that refuses to listen. She will describe wanting to shoot billionaires into the sun using the exact same upbeat, practical tone she might use to explain a crockpot recipe. When a joke lands hard, she gives a quick, satisfied nod and immediately launches into the next setup.
Specials
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YouTube
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I Am Not The Hero of This Story
A veteran comic meets national anxiety with practical midwestern charm.
Stand Up! Records · Album · 54 min
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A dorky half-hour about retail anxiety and killing Game Boy deities.
Comedy Central
On stage
She is an institution in the alternative comedy scene, a lifer who has been writing new hours since the late 1980s. Alongside comics like Maria Bamford, whom she frequently tours with, she helped build the bridge between traditional clubs and the hyper-specific, nerd-friendly alt rooms of Los Angeles. She does not chase trends. She just methodically turns out sets that other comics watch to see how a premise gets built.
Her material relies heavily on specific enthusiasms and family mythology. She anchors a lot of jokes by quoting her octogenarian Armenian father, treating his bizarre worldview as a perfectly logical way to navigate the earth. She addresses fantasy novels, video games, and historical trivia with the same gravity as relationship problems. The comedy works best when she stays rooted in her own stubborn fixations rather than attempting broad social commentary.
Kashian grew up in South Milwaukee, a background that permanently installed the polite Midwestern buffer she uses to deliver her angriest thoughts. She catalogs other people’s obsessions on her long-running podcast The Dork Forest, a project that mirrors her standup by treating niche interests as the only things that matter.
Turning points
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Heckling Sam Kinison in Madison
After Kashian heckled Sam Kinison at a club in Madison, management sarcastically informed her that open mic night was on Sundays, initiating her career in standup.
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Pioneering Comedy Podcasting with Dork Forest
Kashian launched Dork Forest Radio from her living room on BlogTalkRadio, becoming an early adopter of podcasting dedicated to niche pop-culture obsessions.
At a glance
- Born
- , South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- On stage
- since 1986
- Style
- observational, storytelling, alternative, satire
- Breakout
- I Am Not the Hero of This Story
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Laurie KilmartinKilmartin shares Kashian's comedic roots starting in the 1980s and co-hosts The Jackie and Laurie Show, creating a shared fanbase built around their sharp takes on the stand-up craft.
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Maria BamfordBamford and Kashian have a longstanding personal and professional partnership, frequently performing standup and touring together.
Podcasts
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The Dork Forest · host
Features dork-on-dork dialogues where Kashian interviews guests about their passions and favorite dorkdoms.
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The Jackie and Laurie Show · co-host
Two veteran road and club headliners discuss the realities of stand-up comedy, life on the road, and women in the industry.
Also on screen
- Murphy Brown
- Bam Bam and Celeste
- Maron
- Looking Forward: 2016
A clip to start with
Jackie Kashian: Marry A Nerd | CONAN on TBS