Kristen Toomey
High-volume Chicago comedy that treats polite self-censorship as a waste of breath.
1 special · 2025
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She does not ease into a set. Toomey comes out loud, planting her feet and talking to the back wall from her first breath. A bit might start on an ordinary grievance, like arguing with her teenagers or dating in her forties, before spiraling into screaming exasperation. When a crowd flinches at a graphic line about bodily changes or divorce, she does not backpedal. She steps into the tension, drops into a conspiratorial growl, and dares the front row to pretend they live cleaner lives than she does.
Stand-up specials
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A loud, Chicago-tested forty minutes on divorce, kids, and public restrooms.
Comedy Dynamics · 40 min
On stage
There is no detached coolness in her act.
A longtime staple of the Chicago scene, she headlines nationwide and works rooms like The Stand in New York. Her material lives in family chaos. In Shriller, she talks about single motherhood, aging, and working day jobs with Alzheimer’s patients, where she compares soothing dementia sufferers to high-stakes improv. The writing works best when the anger points inward or takes on the physical indignities of getting older. It can flatten out when she relies on shouting to push an ordinary observation over the finish line, but her commitment never wavers.
Toomey came up through Chicago open mics and indie showcases starting in 2008, well before viral clips dictated club bookings. That background shows in how she works. She builds sets designed to survive a rowdy room at midnight, treating standup not as a curated confession, but as a live brawl where the realest take wins.
Turning points
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Began Standup Career and Chicago Producing Roles
Started performing standup comedy in Chicago in 2008, later co-founding the all-female comedy collective Hoo Ha Comedy and becoming the first female producer of Comedians You Should Know.
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Debut Album Reaches #1 on iTunes
Released her debut comedy album Mother. F*cker in 2019, which climbed to #1 on the iTunes charts.
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Debut Comedy Special Shriller Released
Released her 40-minute debut special Shriller via Comedy Dynamics on August 12, 2025, which was voted Best Special by Comedy Gazelle.
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First Solo Female Chicago/Midwest Emmy Host
Hosted the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards, becoming the first woman to host the ceremony solo.
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Viral Parenting Clips Amass 20M+ Views
Her Modern Parenting clip reached 21 million views on Instagram alongside back-to-back viral reels totaling over 20 million views.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2008
- Style
- truthful, energetic, candid, parenting
- Breakout
- Shriller (2025 Comedy Dynamics special)
- Influences
- Lucille Ball
- Topics
Podcasts
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I'm Upset! · host
Podcast hosted by Kristen Toomey.
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BUTTHURT · co-host
Weekly podcast on the Laugh Factory Network co-hosted by Kristen Toomey and Danny Rhodes.
Also on screen
- Bad Sides
- Nate & Margaret
- Chicago Med
- Dirtbags
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- Man of the People
A clip to start with
Poly is the New Vegan | Kristen Toomey | Stand Up Comedy