Kate Elizabeth Méndez Berlant (born July 16, 1987) is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She is known for her surrealist and absurdist style.
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Early life and education
Kate Elizabeth Méndez Berlant was born in Los Angeles on July 16, 1987, the daughter and only child of performer Helen (née Méndez) and artist Tony Berlant. She is of Spanish descent on her mother's side and Jewish descent on her father's. She attended The Archer School for Girls in West Los Angeles. She received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in performance studies from New York University.
Career
Early work
Berlant first appeared on television in a 2002 episode of Lizzie McGuire. She has since had roles in various comedy series, as well as films including Sorry to Bother You (2018), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), and Don't Worry Darling (2022). She has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show and The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, and starred in two episodes of the Netflix sketch comedy series The Characters in 2016. She has performed regularly at the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival.
She has also performed at (and collaborated with) arts institutions including MoMA PS1, White Columns, the Getty Center, and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. She won the American version of Taskmaster in 2018. She and John Early created the Vimeo original series 555, which was produced by Abso Lutely Productions.
Would It Kill You to Laugh? comedy special
In June 2022, Berlant and Early released the one-hour sketch comedy special Would It Kill You to Laugh? on Peacock. It was directed by Andrew DeYoung and co-starred Berlant and Early, who play fictionalized versions of themselves in the future who had previously been on the sitcom He's Gay, She's Half-Jewish and are reunited by Meredith Vieira after a bitter falling out. They use the framing device of the reunion to display short skits with absurdist characters that they liked and built upon over a decade of creating and filming short comedy videos, and structured the special around shorter, digestable segments that would be consistent with the popularity of short-form video, but aimed to use comedy that would be timeless. Some of the sketches had been planned for years, but were not filmed until Berlant and Early secured the budget for them. Would It Kill You to Laugh? was backed by both Peacock and A24.
Paste positively compared Would It Kill You to Laugh? to Bo Burnham's special Inside for the way that both use identity in comedy to cause audience reflection, and praised its "no-holds-barred surrealism". Vulture praised the work as a "thoughtful and striking about partnerships and, in particular, about male–female relationships" and considered it "darker and more alarming" than Berlant and Early's previous collaborations. Decider recommended that audiences view it for the pair's ability to mine the "rich comedic tradition for overconfident characters who find themselves in way over their heads but cannot seem to get themselves out of the situation without making things worse". The special was nominated for Best Comedy Special at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards.
Cinnamon in the Wind solo standup special
Cinnamon in the Wind, Berlant's largely improvised debut stand-up special, was recorded in March 2019 at the Upright Citizens Brigade for FX. It was directed by Burnham, who first suggested that Berlant film a special after going to see one of her performances. For reasons that were never explained, the special remained unreleased for over three years until debuting on Hulu in September 2022, coincidentally while Berlant's next one-woman show Kate (also directed by Burnham) was still running in New York City. A Decider review praised Cinnamon in the Wind and pointed out the meta-textual element of the comedy. The New Yorker similarly praised Berlant's comedy for "breaking down the typical relationship between performer, ego, and audience". Kate finished its run at the Pasadena Playhouse on February 11, 2024, with a filmed special of the same name expected to be released in the future.
Poog comedic podcast
In November 2020, Berlant and fellow comedian Jacqueline Novak launched Poog, a comedic wellness podcast under iHeartRadio's Big Money Players network. The show satirized the wellness industry as the duo explored "various products and practices, consulting experts and questioning their own pursuits of health and happiness". Poog amassed a cult following and aired more than 200 episodes before concluding on October 15, 2024, with a final episode titled Goodbye Poog, marking the end of their contract with iHeartRadio. Subsequently, on October 22, 2024, Berlant and Novak debuted a new independently produced and self-titled podcast, Berlant & Novak. This venture continues their comedic exploration of wellness themes, offering subscribers access to video episodes and bonus content. In April 2026, Berlant and Novak acquired the distribution rights to Poog and relaunched the podcast under its original title. The podcast remains independently produced.
Personal life
Berlant lived in New York City for much of her twenties before returning to her native Los Angeles, a city for which she has frequently expressed a strong affection. On her podcast, she has spoken regularly about her interest in cooking and film, as well as her enthusiasm for Los Angeles restaurants and the city's food culture.
As of April 2024, Berlant lives in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
She joined the Democratic Socialists of America in December 2019.
Berlant remains close with screenwriter Samy Burch, whom she met while attending the Archer School for Girls; She has described Burch as her first deeply creative friendship. Berlant counts several frequent collaborators among her close friends, including John Early and Jacqueline Novak.
She is in a relationship with music producer and MUNA band member, Naomi McPherson.