Aparna Nancherla
Born 1982 · Age 43
American stand-up comedian, writer, actress and voice actor known for stand-up, writing for late-night TV, recurring TV roles (BoJack Horseman, Corporate) and for her memoir and comedy album.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Washington, D.C.
Aparna Nancherla was born in Washington, D.C., into an Indian Telugu Hindu family.
Took public speaking classes
Attended public speaking classes as a child (described as around age 11), which helped build confidence speaking to groups.
Won temple speech competition
Won a speech competition (topic: an issue affecting South Asian community) by doing a humorous roast of Bollywood — an early comedic breakthrough.
Graduated Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Attended and (approx.) completed high school at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Enrolled at Amherst College (studied psychology)
Began undergraduate studies at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, majoring in psychology.
Professional activity begins (Years active: 2004–present)
Listed as active beginning in 2004 — early performances, improv and standup beginnings.
Began stand-up career in Washington, D.C.
Returned to Washington, D.C. after college and began performing stand-up comedy.
Graduated Amherst College
Graduated from Amherst College (psychology), class of 2005.
Performed improv and joined local improv team (DC)
Performed improv in Washington, D.C.; noted later as formative to her comedic skills.
Moved to Los Angeles (approx.)
Moved to Los Angeles as part of career development (preceding a later move to New York to write). Date approximate from career narrative.
Wrote for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
Staff/writer and on-screen contributor for Totally Biased (FX). Credited on the show 2012–2013; also appeared on 9 episodes.
Moved to New York to write for Totally Biased (approx.)
Reportedly moved to New York to work on Totally Biased; show cancelled in 2013.
Late-night appearance on Conan
Appeared on Conan (TeamCoco reference dated Oct 15, 2013).
Appeared on Comedy Central's The Meltdown
Performed on The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail (series active 2014–2015).
Staff writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers
Worked as a staff writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers (credited in 2015).
Multiple TV sketch and variety appearances
Performed on shows including Inside Amy Schumer, Nightcap, The Jim Gaffigan Show and other variety/sketch programs in 2015–2017 period.
Comedy Central half-hour special announced
Comedy Central announced that Nancherla would record a half-hour special (2016 announcement).
Appeared in Netflix Presents: The Characters & other TV bits
Credited appearance on Netflix Presents: The Characters and other TV sketches in 2016.
Featured widely on podcasts and long-form interviews
Multiple podcast appearances and features in 2016–2024 (You Made It Weird, interview features, etc.) that raised profile.
Published Broadly essay: 'Comedian Aparna Nancherla on Having Compassion in the Face of Bigotry'
Wrote an essay / piece for Broadly (Nov 28, 2016 listed in works).
Co-host of 'Blue Woman Group' podcast (media mention)
Described as co-hosting 'Blue Woman Group', a podcast about depression (Daily Beast article dated Feb 10, 2016).
Co-created and starred in web series 'Womanhood'
Co-created and starred in 'Womanhood', a satirical advice web series with Jo Firestone. First episode noted May 2, 2016.
Named by Variety as 'Top 10 Comics to Watch' for 2016
Variety included Nancherla on its 'Top 10 Comics to Watch' list (June 6, 2016).
Released debut comedy album 'Just Putting It Out There'
Debut album released through Tig Notaro's Bentzen Ball Records (July 8, 2016).
Profiled positively in The New York Times
The New York Times published a favorable profile, calling her 'a comic in demand' (July 18, 2016).
Recurring role on Crashing
Had a recurring role in the first two seasons of HBO's Crashing (aired 2017–2018).
Recurring TV roles and voice roles expand (2017 start)
Played roles in Master of None (season 2), voiced Kishy in Ginger Snaps, began recurring acting in Crashing and voice work on BoJack Horseman as Hollyhock (seasons 4–6 start 2017).
Voiced Hollyhock on BoJack Horseman (recurring)
Started recurring voice role as Hollyhock (BoJack's half-sister) in BoJack Horseman seasons 4–6 (2017–2020).
TED.com profile / talk listing (credited)
Has a TED.com listing/profile (date of content unspecified in sources).
Feature film debut in 'A Simple Favor'
Made feature film debut playing Sona in A Simple Favor (2018).
Voiced Mrs. Singh on Fancy Nancy (start)
Voiced Mrs. Singh on Disney Junior's Fancy Nancy (credited 2018–2022).
Began voicing Frankie in The Boss Baby: Back in Business (2018)
Voiced Frankie in The Boss Baby: Back in Business (credited ~45 episodes across seasons).
Appeared in 'Master of None' (season 2)
Played a ramen blogger (episode credited in 2017/2018 season).
Appeared on Netflix series 'The Standups'
Featured in the Netflix stand-up showcase The Standups (appeared March 2018).
Voiced Susmita on Bob's Burgers (first appearance)
Voiced Susmita in Bob's Burgers episode 'UFO No You Didn't' (aired Dec 2018) and later returned in subsequent episodes.
Featured in 'Laughing Matters' documentary about comedians & mental health
Featured in a 30-minute YouTube documentary 'Laughing Matters' about comedians discussing mental health (2019).
Disney Junior orders additional season of Fancy Nancy (show milestone)
Disney Junior ordered a 3rd season of Fancy Nancy (Nancherla voices a character on the show).
Wrote and co-produced for 'Mythic Quest' (2020)
Credited as writer and co-producer and acted as Michelle in Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (2020, 5 episodes).
Voiced Meena in 'Mira, Royal Detective' (start)
Began recurring voice role as Meena in Disney Junior's Mira, Royal Detective (2020–2022, 23 episodes credited).
Appeared on Netflix series 'Space Force'
Appeared as Pella Bhat on the Netflix series Space Force (credited in 2020 across 4 episodes).
Began voicing Moon Tobin on 'The Great North'
Started voicing Moon Tobin in Fox's animated series The Great North (credited since Jan 2021; main role).
NPR Tiny Desk contribution
Contributed 'Aparna Nancherla's 5 Favorite Tiny Desk Concerts' on NPR's Tiny Desk (Mar 26, 2021).
Voiced guest character Sheela on 'The Ghost and Molly McGee'
Guest voice role as Sheela on The Ghost and Molly McGee (Oct 2021).
Voiced Chelsea Hill on 'Fairview' (start)
Voiced Chelsea Hill on the adult animated series Fairview (2022 appearances).
Voiced librarian Miss Moufflé in 'Kiff' (March 2023)
Credited voice role as Miss Moufflé in the animated series Kiff (March 2023 mention).
Public discussion of mental health & creative practice
Became a noted public voice on mental health, participated in essays, interviews and the Laughing Matters documentary about comedians' mental health.
Published memoir 'Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome'
Debut memoir-in-essays published by Viking (Sept 19, 2023).
Ongoing: continued TV & voice roles (2020s)
Continued to voice and act across multiple series (The Great North, The Boss Baby franchise, Bob's Burgers, Summer Camp Island, Mira etc.).
Panelist-contestant on 'After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson' premiere
Appeared as one of the panelist-contestants on the premiere episode (Jan 17, 2024).
Casting announced for 'A Simple Favor 2'
Deadline reported Elizabeth Perkins, Alex Newell, Aparna Nancherla & more joining 'A Simple Favor 2' (casting announcement Mar 28, 2024).
Talk at Amherst College LitFest (conversation about new memoir)
Returned to Amherst College for a conversation during LitFest 2024 about her creative work and new memoir.
Listed in filmography for future projects (Another Simple Favor credit listed 2025)
Industry listings show a credit as Sona for 'Another Simple Favor' (listed for 2025 production/credit).
Key Achievement Ages
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