Blaire Erskine
Born (1991-08-25) August 25, 1991
MediumStand-up, video
NationalityAmerican
EducationGeorgia State University
Years active2017–present
GenresSatire
Subject(s)Right-wing politics, current events
Websiteblaireerskine.com

Blaire Erskine (born August 25, 1991) is an American comedian and writer. She is best known for her satirical Twitter videos spoofing various right-wing political figures and fictional Trump supporters. Erskine is a staff writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[1][2][3]

Early life

Blaire Erskine was born on August 25, 1991.[4] She was raised on a sod farm in Ellaville, Georgia.[5] She moved to Atlanta in 2011 to attend Georgia State University and began taking improv classes.[6]

Career

Erskine pursued acting for two years before turning her focus to writing.[7] She joined an all-women stand-up comedy class at The Punchline in 2017 and started doing open mics around Atlanta.[6]

Erskine regularly performed stand-up comedy in Atlanta prior to the COVID-19 pandemic's social distancing requirements.[6] She is also a contributing writer to Reductress and The List.[2]

She rose to prominence in 2020 for posting satirical Twitter videos in response to current events, often posing as the wives and daughters of prominent right wing politicians and pundits and various Trump supporting characters.[1][8][9] In her first viral video released in July 2020, she depicted the wife of Dan Maples, a Florida man who received media attention for refusing to wear a mask in Costco.[10] Another viral video depicted her giving a fake news interview as a Trump supporter stranded in freezing temperatures after an Omaha, Nebraska rally, spoofing a real event that took place in October 2020.[3][11] Celebrities such as Michael Moore, MC Hammer, and reporter Katie Couric responded to the video assuming it was real.[5]

Characters she has played in her videos include Jerry Falwell's daughter, Amy Coney Barrett's daughter, Tom Cotton's wife, Corey Lewandowski's wife, Marjorie Taylor Greene's daughter, and Tiffany Trump's best friend.[12][9][5][10] A.O. Scott of the New York Times referred to the videos as "small masterpieces, flawlessly capturing the attitudes and techniques we use when we’re alone with our phones."[12]

Erskine used her platform to help raise $25,000 for Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff's 2020 Georgia Senate campaigns.[5]

In December 2020, Erskine signed to the talent agency ICM Partners.[2] In 2021 Erskine joined the writing staff of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[13] She continued to produce viral parody videos on her social media accounts, including one posing as a fictional spokesperson for Facebook, after a whistleblower came forward about the company's financial motives, and another as a spokesperson for ERCOT, in response to the electricity issues resulting from a heatwave in June.[13][14]

Personal life

Erskine married her husband in October 2020.[5] They reside in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Sides Heidi Web series; also creator, writer and executive producer
2021 Stargirl Millie Myers Episode: "Summer School: Chapter Four"[15]
2021 Let's Be Real N/A Writer
2021–present Jimmy Kimmel Live! Various Writer[13]
2023 American Auto Christina Episode: "Funeral"[16]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2023 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy/Variety – Talk Series Jimmy Kimmel Live! Nominated [17]

References

  1. 1 2 Andrews, Travis M. "Can you tell a real Karen from a spoof?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Vlessing, Etan (December 21, 2020). "Blaire Erskine Signs With ICM Partners (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Michallon, Clemence (October 30, 2020). "Comedian goes viral with skit on Trump supporter stranded at freezing Omaha rally". The Independent. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ Erskine, Blaire [@blaireerskine] (August 26, 2021). "30" (Tweet). Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Fallon, Kevin (November 2, 2020). "The MAGA-Spoofing Comedian Who Duped Michael Moore". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Marquez, Jennifer Rainey (December 22, 2020). "Blaire Erskine is not a politician's daughter. Or the Costco guy's wife". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Stories, Local (January 3, 2018). "Meet Blaire Erskine of King George Productions in Doraville – Voyage ATL". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ Gifford, Storm (July 9, 2020). "SEE IT: Threatened Costco customer's 'wife' sets the record straight in satirical post". nydailynews.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Lloyd, Robert (October 30, 2020). "They made their names poking fun at Trump. The election may change that". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Wilstein, Matt (February 23, 2021). "Why MAGA-Mocking Comedian Blaire Erskine Makes Liberals So Mad". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Harvey, Josephine (October 28, 2020). "Comedian's Parody Of Stranded Omaha Trump Supporter Goes Viral". HuffPost. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Scott, A. O. (December 9, 2020). "The Two Minute Geniuses of TikTok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 Wilstein, Matt (October 5, 2021). "Blaire Erskine Drops Perfect Response to Facebook Outage". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wilstein, Matt (February 23, 2021). "Why MAGA-Mocking Comedian Blaire Erskine Makes Liberals So Mad". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  15. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 1, 2021). "Stargirl Recap: The Shade Reveals His Agenda — Plus, [Spoiler] Is Alive?!". TVLine. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  16. ↑ "American Auto: Season 2, Episode 11 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  17. ↑ "2023 Writers Guild Awards Nominees". awards.wga.org. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
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