Jo Firestone

• Birthplace — St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. • Occupation — * Actress • comedian • writer • Education — Wesleyan University • Years Active — 2010–present

Jo Firestone's father is Fred Firestone, a speaker for corporate events. She has a brother, Ben Firestone, who works in commercial real estate. She grew up in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. She graduated from Clayton High School and later Wesleyan University in Connecticut, with a degree in theatre. Firestone is currently based in Brooklyn. She is a childhood friend of pastry chef Claire Saffitz.

As an actress, Firestone has appeared in the TV programs Search Party, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Broad City, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, CollegeHumor Originals, Boy Band, The Outs, Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, Animal Agent, High Maintenance, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, Thanksgiving, The Special Without Brett Davis, Shrill, The Great North and others. Firestone was a consulting producer on 21 episodes of The Chris Gethard Show and performed in three episodes of the series. In 2017, Firestone performed stand-up on Comedy Central as part of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents Jo Firestone. In the past, Firestone was a writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Special Without Brett Davis. She has also performed on the Tonight Show, portraying U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, demonstrating products from the New York Toy Fair, and appearing in other sketches opposite host Jimmy Fallon. Firestone portrayed the character Sarah Conner, a band teacher, on Joe Pera Talks with You, which aired during Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. The character's name is an homage to the Terminator movies. On the show, Firestone's character is a doomsday prepper and Joe Pera's girlfriend. In 2021, Firestone voiced Euthanasia "Annie" Fantasy in Teenage Euthanasia. In 2023, Firestone appeared on the show What We Do in the Shadows as a member of the council of energy vampires. In 2023, she was named the head writer of After Midnight, for which she is also a co-executive producer. Following the cancellation of After Midnight, Firestone appeared as a correspondent in a June 2025 episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

With Dylan Marron, Firestone wrote, performed in, and directed Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite, which received a Capital Fringe Festival Director's Award in 2010. In 2011, Firestone created the Pundersome, a pun-based comedy event after they heard of the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships hosted in Austin, Texas. Firestone has performed at the UCB Theater in Manhattan, and around New York City. About stand-up gigs in "cellar clubs," Firestone explained, "Doing comedy in New York, I've been conditioned to thrive in basements. I'm not ready to do a comedy show until I go down a flight of stairs."

Firestone was the host of the program Dr. Gameshow, which originated on WFMU radio and is now a podcast on the Maximum Fun network along with co-host Manolo Moreno. She and her father Fred Firestone created the game Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers (published by Random House subsidiary Clarkson Potter, 2016). Firestone voice acts in The National Lampoon Radio Hour podcast. She serves as the producer and senior writer along with Cole Escola. In February 2020, Firestone released the first episode of her podcast Everyday Decisions. Everyday Decisions is a comedy and personal stories podcast where Firestone interviews friends, family, and fellow comedians about the past 24 hours of their day. In March 2020, Firestone went on comedian Mike Recine's podcast The Sitdown. In March 2021, she made a guest appearance on the YouTube channel of her childhood friend Claire Saffitz.

In October 2023, Firestone self-published Murder on Sex Island: A Luella van Horn Mystery. On June 30, 2026, Penguin Random House published Sex on Murder Island, Firestone's sequel to her first book, also featuring private detective Luella van Horn.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 2015 — Broad City — 42 Squirts Employee — Episode: "Wisdom Teeth" • 2016 — Netflix Presents: The Characters — Jo — Episode: "Natasha Rothwell" • 2016 — The Jim Gaffigan Show — Pistachio — Episode: "The List" • 2017 — Search Party — Carla — Episode: "Denial" • 2017–2018 — The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Various roles — 10 Episodes, also Writer • 2018 — The Chris Gethard Show — Various roles — 3 Episodes • 2018–2021 — Joe Pera Talks With You — Sarah Conner — 25 Episodes, also Executive Producer • 2019–2021 — Shrill — Maureen — 12 Episodes • 2020–2021 — Summer Camp Island — Mallory — Voice role, 7 Episodes • 2021–2023 — Teenage Euthanasia — Euthanasia "Annie" Fantasy — Main role, voice role • 2022–2025 — The Great North — Greta Meatweep — Voice role, 4 episodes • 2023 — What We Do in the Shadows — Jo — Episode: "The Campaign" • 2025 — Win or Lose — Sweaty — Voice role, 2 Episodes