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crew · Producer · Actor · Writer

United States · Female

22 series in the catalog

Michelle Buteau (born July 24, 1977) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, television host, writer, director, producer, and podcast host.

Early life

Buteau was born in New Jersey to a Haitian father and a Jamaican mother. She attended college at Florida International University, where she pursued her dream of becoming an entertainment reporter and studied television production.

Career

After college, Buteau worked as a local TV news producer in New York City, often working the overnight shift. Her co-workers found her funny and suggested that she do standup comedy. It wasn't until three days after the September 11 attacks in 2001 that Buteau finally performed comedy for the first time, having burned out on covering the news.

After five years as a stand-up comedian, Buteau landed her first television spot on Comedy Central.

In 2017, Buteau was listed as one of ten comedians to watch by Esquire.

In 2018, Buteau started hosting the Late Night Whenever! podcast, which was labeled as "one of the best podcasts of 2018 so far" by Time. Buteau was also part of The Comedy Lineup on Netflix where up-and-coming comedians have 15-minute standup sets.

In 2019, Buteau appeared in the movies Someone Great, Isn't It Romantic, Sell By, and Always Be My Maybe. She also began hosting the WNYC podcast Adulting with co-host Jordan Carlos. That same year, Buteau appeared in two television series: First Wives Club and Tales of the City. In 2020, Buteau started hosting The Circle, a reality TV show on Netflix.

In 2020, Buteau published her first book, a collection of personal essays titled Survival of the Thickest, with Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. A TV adaptation of the memoir premiered in 2023 on Netflix.

Buteau's Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia won a 2021 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Special.

Buteau was cast with a prominent role in the 2024 film Babes directed by Pamela Adlon. Buteau played the role of Dawn, the main character's best friend. Buteau starred in the animated film Fixed.

Personal life

Buteau married Dutch photographer Gijs van der Most in 2010. Buteau and van der Most have twins who were born in January 2019 via surrogacy.

She is Catholic.