Natalie Palamides

Natalie Palamides is an American actress, comedian and television writer.

Career

Aspiring to work at Saturday Night Live, Palamides moved to Los Angeles and joined the Upright Citizens Brigade after college. She began voice-over and commercial work. She also took classes on clown performance at the Idiot Workshop and the Lyric Hyperion. Early sketches featured Palamides' characters: fantasizing about eating salad from a man's pants; complaining to the manager of sandwich shop Eggslut as an anthropomorphic egg; insisting on being objectified. Through her classes, variety shows and open mic shows, she began developing longer-form performance from improvisations in unusual outfits.

Palamides took the egg costume from her sketch and used it to make her first hour-long show, Laid. Members of the audience participate, such as by wrestling Nate, with audience consent and sexual consent as themes. After winning the Total Theatre Award at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it was commissioned by Amy Poehler's production company Paper Kite and released on Netflix on December 1, 2020.

Palamides starred as Buttercup in the 2016 reboot of The Powerpuff Girls.

She won Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017.

Palamides plays the character "Mara" in TV commercials for Progressive Insurance.

She also co-hosts the Disney-themed podcast Hidden Mickeys alongside Carrie Poppy.

In 2022, Palamides interviewed clown teacher Philippe Gaulier alongside Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton for their Apple TV+ series Gutsy. This has led to the misunderstanding that she trained with him, something she has corrected several times on social media.

Palamides played a horror movie–style clown, Funzo, in Apocalypse Clown (2023). The low-budget comedy film won Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh. Though reviews had mixed opinions towards the humour and writing, Funzo was acclaimed. Simon Henderson of Blazing Minds lauded that Palamides "ranges from seeming innocence to apparent insanity, sometimes in the same scene". Digital Spys Ian Sandwell praised her "deranged and hilarious" performance, particularly for minor comedic details such as a scene in which her character removes her clown nose.

In August 2024, Palamides performed WEER at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show, which has been described as a "one-woman romcom", received widespread acclaim. WEER came to New York City in 2025.

"Broadcast", a series Palamides worked on with fellow clown Courtney Pauroso, is yet to be released.

+ Television Year Title Role Notes 2012ThunderCats Kathleen (voice) Episode: "The Forever Bag" 2013–2015 Burning Bridges Janice Recurring role 2014 Therapy Annie Episode: "Episode 1" The Tinsel Zone Judy Episode: "Pitches in Stitches" Tattoo Nightmares Sara Episode: "Murder Boner" 2015 The Great Indoors Natalie Episode: "Pilot" Pitiful Creatures Student #2 Episode: "College Professor Blows Minds" Stardumb Basil Recurring role The Brat Cave Sluts the Cat/Bikini Recurring role 2016 Last Moments of Relationships Mona Episode: "Nicest Breakup Ever" The Real Housewives of Shakespeare Ophelia Recurring role Very Important House Frolie (voice) Pilot Uncle Grandpa Buttercup (voice) Episode: "Pizza Eve" Uncle Buck Amy Episode: "Pilot" I Ship It Interviewee #1 Episode: "Let's Start a Band" Teen Titans Go! Buttercup (voice) Episode: "TTG v PPG" 2017–2019 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Foolduke, Kitten Barrel, additional voices Recurring role 2018 Please Understand Me Natalie Episode: "Rory & Natalie" Ghost Story Club Natalie Episode: "Natalie" OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Winnie (voice) Episode: "Monster Party" 2025–present Haunted Hotel Esther (voice) Main role 2026 Regular Show: The Lost Tapes Brunch