janet varney

Janet Varney is an all-around creative polymath: an actor, improviser, writer, producer, and musician. In addition to being the host of The JV Club Podcast, Janet lent her voice to the character of Korra on Nickelodeon’s critically-acclaimed animated hit The Legend of Korra. Her BTVA-winning performance has inspired a spirited fan community, and she continues to be invited to comic cons to give sweaty handshakes the world over.

Janet is a member of the creative team behind the partially-scripted, partially-improvised sci-fi comedy podcast Voyage to the Stars, wherein she plays an A.I. named Sorry. She was also a regular performer on Paul F. Tompkins’ acclaimed podcast Spontaneanation and continues to appear in live shows as a part of SpontTourCo, the Spontaneanation touring company.

In 2018, Janet created, produced, and starred in the original digital series Fortune Rookie, in which she plays a fictitious version of herself who quits show business to become a psychic.

She can also be seen as the entitled and bitchy Becca on FXX’s You’re the Worst, and fighting dark forces as Sheriff Evie Barret opposite John C. McGinley on IFC's Stan Against Evil, a horror-comedy from the mind of Dana Gould. She was nominated for an Emmy for her role as wine-loving Denie in Christy Stratton Mann’s Everyone’s Crazy But Us, and recurred as Melina on Seeso’s Take My Wife.

Onstage, Janet performs with Rachel Dratch, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Oscar Nunez and more in their improv supergroup Theme Park, and is a WorkJuice Player for the beloved Thrilling Adventure Hour. She is a writer/performer for Rifftrax with Mystery Science Theatre 3000’s Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy, and can be seen on Geek & Sundry’s series Escape! which she hosts and produces.

In 2001, Janet co-founded SF Sketchfest: the San Francisco Comedy Festival, which has grown into one of the largest and most acclaimed events of its kind in North America. She has continued to serve as producer and creative director for SF Sketchfest, in addition to co-programming comedy for the Outside Lands music festival.

On the development and production side, Janet co-created, co-wrote and co-produced Neil’s Puppet Dreams, a series featuring Neil Patrick Harris and his puppet-filled dreams, now in pre-production for a second season.

Janet spent seven wonderful years hosting TBS's Dinner and a Movie and was a series regular on the beloved E! and Yahoo series Burning Love seasons 1 and 3. She recurred on HBO's Entourage and showed up on hits like How I Met Your Mother, American Housewife, Maron, Shameless, Key and Peele, Kroll Show, Psych, Childrens Hospital, Bones, and Chelsea Lately. She also appeared in films such as Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse, Still Waiting, Drillbit Taylor, and Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (sporting maybe her weirdest movie hair to date). She also launched, produced and co-hosted for HuffPost Live, the Huffington Post’s news and conversation television network.

You can reach Janet directly by email at janet@janetvarney.com or @janetvarney on twitter, and find even more information about Janet's projects at janetvarney.com.

Janet hails from Tuscon, AZ, and is the proud dog-mom of Scott & Whitley.