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Jen Statsky

American television writer and comedian

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Jen Statsky (born November 19, 1985) is an American television writer and comedian known for her work on Hacks, The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Broad City. She is the co-creator and co-showrunner of the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks, for which she has received multiple awards including 3 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and 5 WGA Awards.

01Personal life

Jen Statsky was born November 19, 1985, in Milton, Massachusetts, where she grew up before moving to New York City to study at New York University. She attended Tisch School of the Arts where she studied Film and Television. She is a Los Angeles Clippers fan. She is married to Travis Helwig, the Emmy-winning writer formerly at Crooked Media.

02Career

Early beginnings

In school, Statsky developed an interest in writing. When she graduated from NYU in 2008, she was working in a coffee shop as well as performing stand-up comedy. Statsky continued her writing career as an intern for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Onion. She joined Twitter in 2009 and used it to write jokes, ultimately gaining a following over time. In 2011, while Statsky continued keeping her Twitter account active, A. D. Miles, the head writer of NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, messaged her, suggesting Statsky apply to a writing position that was available. She applied for the position and in March 2011 her manager confirmed Statsky was hired as a writer.

Television

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was Statsky's first experience as a television writer. She later worked as a staff writer for Hello Ladies and has worked as a writer for Parks and Recreation, Broad City, Lady Dynamite, and The Good Place. In 2019, Statsky joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging. In 2021, she signed an overall deal with Universal Television.

Books

Statsky has made a written contribution to the book The McSweeney's Book of Politics and Musicals that was published in 2012. Statsky also wrote a contribution for the book Notes From the Bathroom Line: Humor, Art, and Low-Grade Panic From 150 Of The Funniest Women In Comedy.

03Filmography

Year Title Credited as Notes
Writer Producer
2011 Onion SportsDome No Yes Associate producer
2011-13 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Yes No
2013 Hello Ladies Yes No Staff writer
2014-15 Parks and Recreation Yes No Wrote 2 episodes
Also story editor and executive story editor
2015-19 Broad City Yes Yes Wrote 4 episodes, also consultant
Consulting and co-executive producer
2016 The Characters Yes No Consultant writer, episode: "Paul W. Downs"
2016 Obamtourage Yes No Television short, idea by
2016-17 Lady Dynamite Yes No Wrote 2 episodes
Also story editor and executive story editor
2016 Another Period Yes No Wrote: "Tubman"
2018 Forever Yes Yes Supervising producer, story by: "Kase"
2016-2020 The Good Place Yes Yes Wrote 7 episodes
Also co-executive, supervising, and co-producer
2020 A Parks and Recreation Special Yes No Television special
2021-2026 Hacks Yes Yes Co-creator with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs
Wrote 14 episodes; directed "QuikScribbl"
2023 Chris Fleming: Hell No Yes Executive producer

04Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2012 Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy/Variety - (Including Talk) Series - Television Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Nominated
2014 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Parks and Recreation Nominated
2016 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Broad City Nominated
2019 Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television The Good Place Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series The Good Place Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series The Good Place (as Supervising Producer) Nominated
2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series The Good Place (as Co-Executive Producer) Nominated
2021 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Hacks (as Executive Producer) Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Hacks, (Episode: "There Is No Line (Pilot)")
(Shared with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs)
Won
Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Hacks Won
New Series Hacks Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy Hacks (as Executive Producer) Won
AFI Awards Outstanding Television Program of the Year Hacks Won
Peabody Awards Peabody Award, Entertainment Honoree Hacks Won
2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Hacks (as Executive Producer) Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Hacks, (Episode: "The One, The Only")
(Shared with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs)
Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Episodic Comedy Hacks, (Episode: "The One, The Only")
(Shared with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs)
Won
Comedy Series Hacks Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television Hacks (as Executive Producer) Nominated
AFI Awards Outstanding Television Program of the Year Hacks Won
2024 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Hacks (as Executive Producer) Won
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Hacks, (Episode: "Bulletproof") (Shared with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs) Won
Watch videos about Jen StatskyExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Jen Statsky, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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