Janet Varney

She is the co-founder, creative director and producer of the long-running comedy festival SF Sketchfest in San Francisco.

• Name — Janet Varney • Birthplace — Tucson, Arizona, U.S. • Education — San Francisco State University (BA) • Occupation — * Actress • comedian • writer • producer • Years Active — 2003–present • Website — http: janetvarney.com/

Varney was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She graduated as salutatorian from Rincon High School in 1993 and is an alumna of San Francisco State University, where she majored in theater, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997. She later pursued a career in interior design before eventually finding her way back into acting. Varney was raised Mormon, but left the church at 17 and began to identify as an agnostic. Varney is of English and Scottish descent.

Varney made her television debut in 2004 as a guest on the Comedy Central debate show Crossballs. She has appeared as a guest star in series including Bones, Better Off Ted, How I Met Your Mother, Hot in Cleveland, and Psych. Varney has had recurring roles on the shows Entourage (HBO), Burning Love (Yahoo! Screen), Country Comfort (Netflix), You're the Worst (FX), and Take My Wife (Seeso). • Illustration — Varney at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024 In 2012, she co-created Neil's Puppet Dreams with Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. That same year, Varney also began her role voicing the main character of Korra on the Nickelodeon animated series The Legend of Korra, a spin-off of the series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Varney voiced the character of Korra for all four seasons of the show, which ended in 2014. After a decade of voicing Korra in both the series and several video games, Varney later stepped down from the role with her final outing as the character being in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway in 2022. In 2016, Varney was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her role on Everyone's Crazy But Us, a web series produced on Funny or Die. Varney was a main cast member on IFC's Stan Against Evil, playing Sheriff Evie Barret. The show ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. She was also the host of ESCAPE!, a web series broadcast on Geek & Sundry where teams of celebrities work together to get out of an escape room. The show ran for one season in 2017. In 2018 Varney created, produced and starred in Fortune Rookie, an 8-episode web series presented by IFC.

In 2005, Varney replaced Lisa Kushell as the host of the TBS cooking and entertainment show Dinner and a Movie. She appeared with Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann in each episode, introducing films and injecting humor during the preparation of a creative dinner for some themes. The series was cancelled in 2011.

Varney has written and performed several comedic audio commentaries for films along with fellow SF Sketchfest co-founder Cole Stratton. These appear on the RiffTrax website under the RiffTrax Presents branding, as they are officially sanctioned by RiffTrax founder and Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumnus Michael J. Nelson. She has performed in Rifftrax commentaries for the following films: • Footloose • Poltergeist • Ghost • Dirty Dancing • Jaws 3-D • Flatliners • The Lost Boys • Dreamscape • Batman vs Superman • Ladyhawke • Illustration — Varney at the 2021 San Diego Comic-Con

In March 2012, Varney launched a podcast titled The JV Club, hosted on Nerdist.com from 2012 to 2018. In November 2018, it was announced that The JV Club would be moving to the Maximum Fun network. The podcast released its 500th episode in Jan 2023. Varney has participated on a regular basis on the improv comedy podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, where she is referred to as "Little Janet" Varney. She is also one of the core cast members of the improvised SciFi podcast Voyage to the Stars, and the podcast Thrilling Adventure Hour. Avatar: Braving the Elements, an official Nickelodeon companion podcast to Avatar: The Last Airbender, premiered on June 22, 2021, hosted by Varney (the voice of Korra) and Dante Basco (the voice of Zuko). Varney and Basco discuss key moments and behind-the scenes information from each episode. • Illustration — Varney at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con Between 2017 and 2020, she appeared in three episodes on the improvised comedy fiction podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern as Braidwynn, an Elven warrior who later returns under the disguise of Crone Bakeress. From 2023 onwards, she returned as a different character, the evil queen Red Queen Merzia. She is also a frequent guest on the puzzle, riddle and lateral thinking podcast Hey Riddle Riddle. Since 2022, Varney has voiced the character of Janet Lubelle on Welcome to Night Vale.

Varney is the co-founder, creative director and producer of SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival, and is also the co-founder of the San Francisco sketch group Totally False People. She is a core member of the Los Angeles based improv group Theme Park Improv. She performed with the Los Angeles and San Francisco-based group Sequel 4000.

Varney dated comedian Chris Hardwick from 2004 to 2011. In 2018, Varney came out as bisexual. In young adulthood, Varney was diagnosed with depersonalization disorder.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2004 — Crossballs: The Debate Show — Additional Characters — Unknown episodes • 2005 — Back to Norm — Christine MacDonald — Television film • 2006 — Free Ride — Megan — Episode: "Up the Aunty" • Love, Inc. — Glenda — Episode: "Full House" • Happy Hour — Molly — Episode: "The Mix CD" • What About Brian — Carol — Episode: "What About First Steps" • 2007 — Home Purchasing Club — Debbie Driscoll — Unknown episodes • The — Ellie Tennant — Television film • Halfway Home — Kimberly Costas — 2 episodes • Die Hardly Working — Heroine — Television film • Eternal Waters — Lead • How I Met Your Mother — Stacey Gusar — Episode: "Little Boys" • The — Madelaine — Television film • 2008 — Chocolate News — Trina Johns — 2 episodes • Man Stroke Woman — Various — Television film • 2008, 2014 — Psych — Mindy Howland / Connie Camp — 2 episodes • 2008–09 — Back on Topps — Bev Cleary — Series Unknown episodes • Entourage — Amy Miller — 3 episodes • 2009 — Memory Lanes — Tracy Morris — Television film • Bones — Maureen Perot — Episode: "The Bones That Foam" • Better Off Ted — Lawyer — Episode: "Trust and Consequence" • Married Not Dead — Susan — Television film • 2011 — Hot in Cleveland — Ellen — Episode: "Bad Bromance" • Best Player — Tracy Saunders — Television film • 2012 — The — Summer Grayson — 2 episodes • Sullivan & Son — Kim Elliot — Episode: "The Bar Birthday" • Childrens Hospital — Stacy — Episode: "Ladies Night" • Neil's Puppet Dreams — Patron — 3 episodes; Also co-creator, writer, and executive producer • 2012–13 — Burning Love — Carly — Regular role (23 episodes) • Key & Peele — Campaign Advisor / White Woman #1 — 2 episodes • 2012–14 — The — Korra — Voice, main role (52 episodes) • The — Lorna — 2 episodes • 2013 — MyMusic — Nancy Spackman — 2 episodes • 2013–14 — Kroll Show — Wife / Mrs. Wilson / Jessica — 2 episodes • 2014 — Warehouse 13 — Elise — Episode: "Secret Services" • Maron — Delphine — Episode: "Therapy" • 2014–19 — You're the Worst — Becca Barbara — Recurring role (28 episodes) • 2014–16 — Sanjay and Craig — Various — Voice, 4 episodes • 2015 — Shameless — Park Mom — Episode: "Rite of Passage" • Other Space — Host — Episode: "Getting to Know You" • 2016 — Comedy Bang! Bang! — Movie Trailer Wife — Episode: "Kaley Cuoco Wears a Black Blazer and Slip on Sneakers" • American Housewife — Jenn — Episode: "Power Couple" • ESCAPE! — Host — Web series • 2016–17 — Mutt & Stuff — Janine / Pilot — Voice, 3 episodes • 2016–18 — Take My Wife — Melina Marquez — 5 episodes • Stan Against Evil — Evie Barret — Main role: 18 episodes • 2017 — Adam Ruins Everything — Mandy — Episode: "Adam Ruins Weight Loss" • Hidden America with Jonah Ray — Leona — Episode: "Cleveland: Can't Win Them All" • HarmonQuest — Sedona — Episode: "The Barely Cursed Bazaar of Commerce" • 2018 — Bravest Warriors — Ambulance Driver — Voice, episode: "I Just Can't Cope Without My Soap" • 2020 — Dicktown — Tracey — Episode: "The Mystery of the Moaning Ghost" • The Loud House — Dr. Carol Linnaeus / Automated Voice — Voice, episode: "Blinded by Science" • The George Lucas Talk Show — Self — 2 episodes • 2021 — Country Comfort — Summer — 8 episodes • Bless the Harts — Voice, episode: "Betty's Birthday" • 2023–24 — The Legend of Vox Machina — Vilya — Voice, 2 episodes • 2023 — Harley Quinn — Mera — Voice, episode: "A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special" • 2023–present — Platonic — Vanessa Miller — 5 episodes • 2024 — Um, Actually — Herself — Season 9, Episode 12 • 2025–present — Splinter Cell: Deathwatch — Anna Grimsdottir — Voice, 8 episodes

• Year — Title — Voice role — Notes • 2014 — The Legend of Korra — Korra • Smite • 2021 — Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl — Voiceover added in the June 2022 update • 2022 — Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway — Final time voicing Korra

• Year — Title — Voice role — Notes • 2017–2020 — Hello from the Magic Tavern — Braidwynn / Crone Bakeress — 3 episodes • 2023–2025 — Red Queen Merzia — 3 episodes