There’s always a little bit of glee and a little bit of pride when an underrated comedy favorite hits the mainstream: so it is with Grace Kuhlenschmidt, the latest addition to The Daily Show team. Kuhlenschmidt made her debut on Thursday’s show, hosted by Desus Mero, and weighed in on the lunch with Jay-Z or $500,000 Internet debate. (Kuhlenschmidt would “definitely have lunch with Jay-Z” because he knows Beyoncé: “I’d pay that much to have Beyoncé spit on me.”)
“Thanks to everyone @thedailyshow for choosing me to play the role of grace kuhlenschmidt,” the comedian posted about the news on Twitter/X. “To the other actors who screen tested to play grace- ashlee simpson & dennis quaid- you’re both good but very clearly not good enough. you lost. straight up.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Kuhlenschmidt’s previous work, well, you’re in luck, because there’s a whole treasure trove waiting to be discovered. She had roles on Search Party (as an influencer-turned-cult follower of Alia Shawkat’s Dory) and Peacock’s Killing It, but you may recognize her more readily from any number of her viral comedy sketches that have proliferated the Internet over the past few years. Kuhlenschmidt excels at creating awkward, offbeat characters, playing with oblivious heterosexual stereotypes, and poking fun at TikTok trends.
Get to know Kuhlenschmidt with a primer of some of her greatest hits, below.
Woman Confuses Pete Buttigieg for Joe Biden
For a sense of Kuhlenschmidt’s political stylings, here’s a character who thinks she’s voting for the first gay president:
Woman who drinks, smokes, and bullies
Nuanced bullies are a recurring interest of Kuhlenschmidt’s:
See also, the bully who also happens to have a skinny gay uncle:
Inside stand-up
If you’ve missed seeing Kuhlenschmidt perform live, here’s some insight into her stand-up, as related on Brooke And Connor Make A Podcast:
And if you follow her on TikTok, you can get a taste of what her live shows are like:
BONUS: Singing with Phoebe Bridgers
Indie comedy met indie music when Kuhlenschmidt invited Phoebe Bridgers to join her for a college Zoom comedy show, where the two performed a duet to Justin Bieber’s “Monster.” If we’re lucky, we’ll get a primetime reprise on The Daily Show!