Bio

ACE-Award nominee and Oscar-winning¹ comedienne Jenna Maroney has attempted to delight audiences for decades. From her salad days as a Mouseketeer in the ill-fated 1970s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club to her current stint as Tracy Jordan's foil on TGS, she has long wowed legions of viewers with her exceptional singing voice and willingness to fearlessly sacrifice her dignity in the name of comedy.

Drawn to the spotlight at a young age by an unhealthy obsession with My Fair Lady, Jenna studied voice at Northwestern University2. When her studies ended, she remained in the Chicago area, where she made her mark with The Jenna Chronicles: A One-Womyn Show, recognized by Chicago Reader as a "startlingly... solo... staged... performance." She also spent time at The Second City, where she teamed up on stage with future TGS showrunner Liz Lemon, and took a detour to Clearwater, Florida, where she was the talk of Broadway Street for her work in the title role of Peter Pan.

In spite of the joy and accolades generated by her stage successes, television was beckoning. Jenna answered its call in high style, making her small-screen mark with a crime-themed hat trick: a memorable turn as werewolf/lawyer Sparky Monroe in the controversial final season of NBC's Night Court; a harrowing portrait of a female rapist on the long-running Law & Order; and an idiosyncratic rendering of criminal profiler Jill St. Ferrari in Lifetime's Hushed Rapings. Throughout these triumphs, Maroney and her old friend Liz Lemon worked tirelessly to bring a version of their Chicago revue to the television airwaves. This finally came to pass in 2006, when The Girlie Show (later titled TGS with Tracy Jordan) premiered on NBC.

While acting has remained her top priority, Jenna still finds ways to let her golden voice soar. During TGS's second season, she realized a dream by reaching the peak of the Israeli pop charts - and hitting number four in Belgium - with the novelty single "Muffin Top." Legendary producer Phil Spector was so taken with Maroney's sound that he generously agreed to produce an album3 for her.

In 2007, Jenna's prowess as a vocalist led her back to the theater world, where she fearlessly gained weight for the highly successful Mystic Pizza: The Musical. Her other notable film appearance of the TGS era was her fearless portrayal of righteous vixen Constance Justice in the film adaptation of Kevin Grisham's The Rural Juror. She hopes against hope to soon see a theatrical release for a project that combines her passions for music, drama, and human spectacle: Sing Dem Blues, White Girl, in which she stars as the "legendary" Jackie Jormp-Jomp.

Jenna lives alone in New York City.

1. In no way affiliated with the Academy Awards. The Oscars are two gentlemen from Ms. Maroney's gym. She claims they like her.
2. May or may not have just been a gay man's apartment in Evanston, Illinois.
3. Mr. Spector took a production credit for menacing Ms. Maroney with a firearm during vocal takes and drinking Brandy Alexanders during tracking, playbacks and breaks.

The Girlie Show

Behind the Scenes

Get Behind The Girlie Show. Visit with Jenna as she takes you behind the scenes of America’s favorite late-night entertainment show!

30 Rock

Watch full episodes from this season of 30 Rock online today!

@JennaMaroneyTGS