 |
Amber RuffinAmerican comedian, writer and actress
Date of Birth: 09.01.1979
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Career Beginnings
- National Recognition
- "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
- The Amber Ruffin Show
- Literary and Broadway Success
- Personal Life
Early Life and Education
Amber Ruffin, born in Omaha, Nebraska, completed her high school education at Benson High School in 1996. She was the youngest of five siblings and learned Signing Exact English to communicate with her deaf neighbor.
Career Beginnings
Ruffin's comedy journey began in 2001 with local theater and improv performances in Omaha. At an event in Chicago, she met Charna Halpern, a comedian and owner of iO Theater, who encouraged her to relocate to the city, believing she could pursue comedy full-time. In 2008, after completing classes at iO, Ruffin moved to Amsterdam to work as a writer and performer for Boom Chicago Amsterdam.
National Recognition
After returning to the US, Ruffin performed with The Second City in Denver and Chicago, where she met future "Late Night" writing partner Jenny Hagel. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2011, joined the YouTube comedy group RobotDown, and made an appearance on "Key & Peele." Ruffin also became a member of Story Pirates, an acclaimed sketch and musical comedy troupe.
"Late Night with Seth Meyers"
In 2014, Ruffin became the first Black woman to write for a late-night network comedy show in the US when she joined the staff of "Late Night with Seth Meyers." She has since written for the show and appeared in several recurring segments, including "Amber Says What?," "Amber's Minute of Fury," "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" (with fellow writer Jenny Hagel), and "Point, Counterpoint."
The Amber Ruffin Show
In 2020, Ruffin premiered her own late-night talk show, "The Amber Ruffin Show," on NBC and Peacock. The show deviates from traditional late-night formats, forgoing guests and instead focusing on topical sketches. It has received critical acclaim and nominations from the Writers Guild of America and the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Literary and Broadway Success
Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar co-authored "You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism," which became a New York Times bestseller in 2021. In 2022, they released a follow-up book, "The World Record Book of Racist Stories." Ruffin also co-wrote the Broadway musical adaptation of "Some Like It Hot" with Matthew Lopez, winning a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
