Jackie Tohn

She also plays Esther in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.

Tohn was born and raised in a Jewish family in Oceanside, Long Island, New York, to physical education teachers Alan and Bella Tohn. She has two older brothers. Tohn began acting professionally while still a grade school student. She was a student at Boardman Middle School. After high school, she attended the University of Delaware and majored in elementary education, and in the fall of 1998 was in the a cappella group the Deltones. In 1999, an 18-year-old Tohn came to Los Angeles with her agent and mother and moved in with actress Jessica Biel and her family in Calabasas, after meeting at the TV Guide Awards, to pursue her career.

Tohn's onscreen debut was at age ten, in an extra role on the PBS children's series Ghostwriter. Her first credited role was on the CBS sitcom The Nanny. In November 1999, Tohn starred in the one-act play This Property Is Condemned by Tennessee Williams at the Chapel Street Theatre. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother and agent at the time. She played Tina in Tony-n-Tina's Wedding at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. She also originated the role of Joanie in Body Snatchers: The Musical at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. In March 2004, she starred in the play Jewtopia at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood in Los Angeles. The producers then decided to move the play to the Westside Arts Theater in New York and she relocated. She began performing solo acoustic guitar shows in April 2004. In November 2005, she released an EP, The Golden Girl, recorded at a studio in Tarrytown, New York. She has played at Pianos, The Living Room, CBGB, The Cutting Room, and The Rothko in New York and at Highland Grounds, The Mint, and Wizard Finger in Los Angeles. She has appeared in the films Dawg in 2002 (also known as Bad Boy) alongside Denis Leary, Deuces Wild as Mary Ann, and Return to Sleepaway Camp as Linda. She appeared as Faith in the film Postal and appeared in the 2008 television film Giants of Radio. Tohn performed in a pilot for MTV called Show Me the Movie and a pilot for Fox called Prudy and Judy, starring alongside Laura Bell Bundy. She has appeared in the television series The Sopranos, Strangers with Candy, Angel, Rules of Engagement, Veronica Mars and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In 2007, she appeared in the short films Smile, Discovering the Wheels, The Malibu Myth, The Legend of Donkey-Tail Willie and Catch (where she was shown playing the guitar) which were made during the reality show On the Lot. In 2009, Tohn appeared on the eighth season of American Idol and made it through to the Hollywood rounds. She advanced through the Hollywood rounds, making the Top 36 for season 8 and was in the first group of 12 to perform. She performed "A Little Less Conversation" from Elvis Presley during Top 36 (Group 1) under the theme Billboard Hot 100 Hits to Date and was eliminated without advancing to the finals. In 2011, she appeared on the songwriting-competition reality show Platinum Hit on the American cable network Bravo as one of 12 aspiring songwriters. She reached 7th place. In 2013, Tohn appeared on House of Lies. In 2016, she was cast in the Netflix series GLOW. In 2019, Tohn appeared in Epic Rap Battles of History portraying Joan Rivers in the episode "George Carlin vs Richard Pryor". In 2019, Tohn was the host of The Howard Stern Show Sternthology's week-long show of [Wack History Month]. The same year, Tohn debuted as Courtenay Fortney on The Boys, and later reprised the role on spinoff Gen V in 2023. Tohn is a judge on the 2020 Netflix cooking competition show Best Leftovers Ever! alongside Rosemary Shrager and David So. In 2021, Tohn co-created and starred in Do, Re & Mi, an animated series produced by Gaumont for Amazon Prime Video. On January 15, 2025, Tohn competed on the Season 3 of Celebrity Jeopardy! She earned a place in the semifinals with a correct Final Jeopardy! response and smart wager from 3rd place. She defeated astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson but lost in the semifinals to eventual winner W. Kamau Bell. Tohn's charity cause, PATH, supports global healthcare efforts.

In December 2025, Tohn underwent a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, which placed her at an 85-percent risk of developing breast cancer. Tohn was prompted to undergo the genetic test after her father, who was diagnosed with metastatic carcinoma, tested positive for the gene.