Michaela Watkins

Michaela Watkins (born December 14, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. After several years performing with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Watkins achieved widespread attention for her brief stint as a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 34th season between 2008 and 2009. Since leaving SNL, she has starred on the Hulu series Casual and on the short-lived sitcoms The Unicorn and Trophy Wife. Watkins has also had recurring roles on other television series, such as The New Adventures of Old Christine, Catastrophe, Enlightened and Search Party and appeared in films such as The Back-up Plan, Wanderlust (2012), Enough Said (2013), Sword of Trust (2019), and Suze (2023).

Early life Watkins was born in 1971 in Syracuse, New York, the daughter of former Latin teacher mother Myrna Watkins and Syracuse University mathematician father Mark Watkins. She has two sisters, Rebecca Kent and Sarah Fitts. a suburb of Syracuse, in a Jewish family.

Watkins attended Moses DeWitt Elementary School in DeWitt and Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston University, where she studied theater and acting. Watkins auditioned for a part in a British farce at a community theater when she was 15, and got the part. Joan Rivers was one of her inspirations to go into show business. She lived there from 1996 to 2000 and appeared onstage with Portland Center Stage and the defunct improv group Toad City Productions. She traveled around the country doing regional theater, then decided to move to Los Angeles. and 2100 Square Feet.

Regional theater Portland Center Stage: Hamlet (1999), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (1999), Bus Stop (2000) Portland Repertory Theatre: Arcadia Artist Repertory Theatre: The Misanthrope, How I Learned To Drive as well as Merchant of Venice, The Winter's Tale triangle productions: Angels in America, The Food Chain Circle X Theatre: Laura Comstock's Bag Punching Dog (2002) – LA Weekly award, Sperm (2004) Vineyard Playhouse: Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla (2003)

Improv She became a regular performer at The Groundlings, where she was discovered by Saturday Night Live. Watkins said the appeal of sketch work is that she can write her own material. Watkins remained on SNL as a featured player throughout the rest of the 2008–2009 season, up to the season finale on May 16, 2009.

However, while SNL was on summer hiatus, the news broke in early September 2009 that Watkins, along with fellow castmate Casey Wilson, were both to be let go from the show and would not be returning for the 2009–10 season.

Recurring character on SNL Angie Tempura: A geeky, iced coffee-drinking computer nerd who snarks on celebrities and movies and is the creator of the snarky website "Bitch Pleeze" (www.bitchpleeze.com, which redirects to the SNL site). Though she insults celebrities, Angie was revealed to have a crush on Zac Efron.

Later TV credits She recurred as Lucy opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hamish Linklater in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, as well as appearing in recurring roles in the comedy programs Enlightened, New Girl, and Anger Management. She has also made guest appearances on shows such as Hung, Childrens Hospital, Kroll Show, Key & Peele, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Modern Family.

Watkins also starred alongside Malin Åkerman, Bradley Whitford, and Marcia Gay Harden in the short-lived, but well-received ABC sitcom Trophy Wife. The series aired for one season from September 2013 to May 2014.

In 2015, it was announced that Watkins would star in the Hulu series produced by Jason Reitman called Casual, which would be executive produced by Liz Tigelaar.

In 2018, she recurred on season two of the Amazon Prime series Catastrophe, playing the sister of lead character Rob Norris (Rob Delaney). From 2019 to 2021, she has co-starred on the CBS sitcom The Unicorn.

In June 2026, she joins the Amazon Prime series, The Probability of Miracles, as Elaine.

Producing, writing Watkins co-created (with writing partner and fellow Groundling, Damon Jones) the short-lived 2014 USA Network comedy series Benched. The series starred Eliza Coupe and Jay Harrington and premiered on October 28, 2014. Watkins and Jones were also executive producers on the show.

Film Watkins has appeared in supporting roles in films such as Enough Said, In a World..., Afternoon Delight, The Back-Up Plan, Wanderlust, They Came Together and Lazy Eye.

In 2023, Watkins starred in Suze.

Podcasts In 2020, Watkins appeared in the supporting role of Irene O'Connor in the musical podcast In Strange Woods.

Personal life Watkins is married to Fred Kramer, who is a founding partner of Reason Ventures and General Manager of Critical Mass Studios, Inc. Kramer used to be Executive Director of the Jewish World Watch organization, a Los Angeles-based anti-genocide non-profit, focused on the situations in Sudan and Congo.

Filmography

Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2001 Charmed Andrea Episode: "Death Takes A Halliwell" 2003 Without a Trace Marla Episode: "Maple Street" Miss Match Susan Scott Episode: "Divorce Happens" 2004 Strong Medicine Julia Episode: "Bleeding Heart" 2006 Medium Clerk 2 episodes Modern Men Amanda Episode: "Pilot" Grey's Anatomy Nikki Ratlin Episode: "Superstition" Malcolm in the Middle Receptionist Episode: "Hal's Dentist" 7 Deadly Hollywood Sins Jennifer 4 episodes 2007 Revenge Mary-Louise Unsold TV pilot 2008 Man Stroke Woman (American version) Various Unsold TV pilot Frank TV Julia Roberts Episode: "#2.1" Californication Executive 2 episodes 2008–09 Saturday Night Live Various 15 episodes The New Adventures of Old Christine Lucy 7 episodes 2009 Eli Stone Judge Leigh Rappaport Episode: "Sonoma" 2010 Parenthood Lucy Estman Episode: "Team Braverman" Miami Medical Carla Episode: "Time of Death" 2011 Mad Samus Aran / Sam Puckett / Mom (voice) Episode: "The Straight A-Team/Gaming's Next Top Princess" Curb Your Enthusiasm Saundra Episode: "The Safe House" Hung Judy Episode: "Don't Give Up on Detroit or Hung Like a Horse" Private Practice Laura Martin Episode: "Deal with It" 2011–13 Enlightened Janice Holm 9 episodes 2011–15 New Girl Gina 5 episodes 2012 The Life & Times of Tim Homeless Woman (voice) Episode: "Pudding Boy/The Celebrity Who Shall Remain Nameless" Bent Carol Episode: "HD" Childrens Hospital Detective Lacey Briggs Episode: "The Return of the Young Billionaire" Key & Peele Mary Magdalene 2 episodes Modern Family Susan Episode: "Schooled" 2012–22 Robot Chicken Nerd's Mom / various (voice) 8 episodes 2013 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Beth Episode: "Extra Terrorist-rial" Comedy Bang! Bang! Amber Episode: "Gillian Jacobs Wears a Red Dress with Sail Boats" Anger Management Lisa 2 episodes 2013–14 Trophy Wife Jackie Fisher 22 episodes Kroll Show Various 2 episodes 2014–15 Married Stacey 2 episodes 2014–16 Drunk History Nurse / Julia Child 2 episodes 2014–19 Transparent Connie / Yetta 6 episodes 2015 Marry Me Janet L'Amour Episode: "Dead Me" The Goldbergs Señora Taraborelli 2 episodes Veep Patti Episode: "East Wing" The Comedians Wendy Myers Episode: "Partners" Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp Rhonda 6 episodes 2015–18 Casual Valerie Meyers 36 episodes 2016 Pickle and Peanut Pickle's Mom / various (voice) Episode: "What Lies Beneath/The Rat King Moves In" Another Period Brothel Madam Episode: "Joplin" 2016–17 Angie Tribeca Melanie Burke 2 episodes 2016–21 American Dad! Various voices 5 episodes Family Guy Girl Pulling Train (voice) 2 episodes 2017 Speechless Becca Episode: "O-s-Oscar P-a-Party" Nobodies Herself Episode: "Not the Emmys" Idiotsitter Windy 2 episodes Danger & Eggs Various voices Episode: "Finding Cheryl/The Trio" Playing House Dr. Laura Meredith Episode: "You Wanna Roll with This" The Guest Book Phyllis 2 episodes The Mick Trish Episode: "The Friend" Do You Want to See a Dead Body? Herself Episode: "A Body and Some Pants" Easy Karen Treska Episode: "Conjugality" No Activity Erin Episode: "Golden Age of Tunnels" 2017–20 Big Mouth Cantor Dina Reznick (voice) 6 episodes 2019 Wayne Maureen McNulty 3 episodes Catastrophe Sydney 2 episodes Schooled Ms. Taraborelli Episode: "CB Likes Lainey" Get Shorty Ali Egan 6 episodes 2019–21 The Unicorn Delia Main cast 2020 Search Party Polly Danzinger 6 episodes Make It Work! Herself Television special 2021 Close Enough Brienne Bishop (voice) Episode: "Where'd You Go, Bridgette?/The Erotic Awakening of A.P. LaPearle" Archer Hijacker (voice) Episode: "Lowjacked" 2022 The Dropout Linda Tanner 3 episodes 2023 History of the World, Part II Israeli Ambassador Episode: "VII" Tiny Beautiful Things Amy Adler 2 episodes 2024 Dinner with the Parents Jane Langer Main Abbott Elementary Miss Barco Episode: "Smith Playground" Law & Order Judge Madeleine Bennett Episode: "Truth and Consequences" 2025 Hacks Stacey 7 episodes Will Trent Susan Barno Episode: "Love Takes Time" 2026 The Night Agent Freya Myers 3 episodesTBAThe Probability of MiraclesElaineRecurring role

Podcasts Year Title Voice role 2020–21 In Strange Woods Irene