Bio
Michaela Watkins is an American actress best known for her various comedic roles on Saturday Night Live; in the Groundlings Company (Los Angeles); and as the role of Lucy in the fourth season of The New Adventures of Old Christine.
She also has a starring role as Jackie, Pete's second ex-wife and mother to their adopted son Bert who is eccentric, spiritual, new-age-y and completely unpredictable, in the television sitcom Trophy Wife.
She was seen in two feature films that premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival - the first, Lake Bell's comedy In a World; the second, Jill Soloway's Afternoon Delight, with Kathryn Hahn, Josh Radnor, Juno Temple, Jessica St. Claire and Jane Lynch.
She also appears in the Courtney Cox-directed film, Just Before I Go, opposite Sean William Scott. In addition she appears in Fox Searchlight's Untitled Nicole Holofcener Film, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener and Toni Collette.
Watkins also appeared in David Wain's They Came Together, co-starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. Feature film credits include her stand-out roles in the Universal Pictures comedy Wanderlust, opposite Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, and the indie dramedy Thanks for Sharing, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo.
Watkins' television credits include recurring roles on FX's Anger Management, opposite Charlie Sheen; Fox's New Girl, with Zooey Deschanel; HBO's Enlightened, opposite Laura Dern; as well as such other hit TV shows as The New Adventures of Old Christine, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy and Californication.
Watkins hails from the Los Angeles main stage company The Groundlings Theater, where many distinguished SNL alum have performed. She joined the SNL cast mid-season in 2008-09 and made her mark with spot-on impressions of Arianna Huffington, Barbara Walters and Kathie Lee Gifford's sidekick, Hoda Kotb.
Born in Syracuse, NY and raised in Boston, Watkins pursued a career in regional theatre before moving to Los Angeles. She studied acting and theatre and received her B.F.A. from Boston University.