Karen Kilgariff

With her wealth of experience as a stand-up comedian, writer, and hugely popular podcast host, Karen Kilgariff quietly became one of the most accomplished people in entertainment. Born in Petaluma, California, Kilgariff enrolled at Sacramento State University but dropped out after two years and set her sights on a career in comedy. She worked for two years in the San Francisco comedy scene before moving to Los Angeles on the advice of friend Margaret Cho and was quickly cast on the then-new sitcom "The Drew Carey Show" (ABC, 1995-2004), but her ability to work on the series was seriously affected by a high dose of amphetamines that a doctor had prescribed her for weight loss. Kilgariff would struggle with her addiction to the substance as well as to alcohol until, when she was 27, she began experiencing seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy. The health crisis served as a wake-up call and Kilgariff subsequently became sober. She soon joined the cast of the critically acclaimed sketch comedy series "Mr. Show" (HBO, 1995-98). Then in 2001, Kilgariff was hired on as a writer on the series "Hype" (WB, 2000-01). The show was short lived but the experience prompted Kilgariff to discover a strong suit as a comedy writer. She was soon hired as a writer on Ellen Degeneres' comedy special "Ellen Degeneres: Here and Now" (2003) and quickly hired as the head writer on "Ellen: The Ellen Degeneres Show" (Syndicated, 2003-), where she remained until 2007. She would move on to serve as head writer on "The Rosie Show" (OWN, 2011-12) and "The Pete Holmes Show" (TBS, 2013-14) in addition to writing for acclaimed comedy series like "Portlandia" (IFC, 2011-18) and "Baskets" (FX, 2016-). However, during this time, Kilgariff was beginning yet another phase of her career-this time as a podcast host. After meeting Cooking Channel host Georgia Hardstark at a Halloween party in 2016, the two discovered their common interest in true crime and in the feelings of anxiety that often drove it. The two decided to incorporate these themes into a true crime podcast titled "My Favorite Murder," which they launched in 2016. The show hit a chord with listeners and instantly became a massive hit. Within six months, the pair were recording live tapings of their show in front of sold-out crowds around the country soon they were touring internationally. The pair launched their own podcast network, Exactly Right Media, in November of 2018, and the following year they published a combination memoir and self-help book with a true crime theme titled Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered, which was an instant No. 1 on the New York Times Best-Seller List.