Kathleen Madigan is one of seven children in the large Irish Catholic family of Jack and Vicki Madigan, a lawyer and a nurse respectively. She grew up mostly in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, although the family also lived for periods of time in House Springs, Missouri and in the Lake of the Ozarks region of central Missouri. Madigan received the first eight years of her education largely in private Catholic schools, although she also attended the public school of the Osage. It was there she excelled as a student athlete, participating in volleyball, track, and basketball. In the latter, she set a record by winning the 1978 Mid-Missouri Hoops Shoot Championship. At the time 4\'5" tall, she was the shortest person to ever win the event. She shot under-handed, sinking 14 of 15 attempts.\n', '

Madigan attended McCluer North High School, graduating in 1983. She admitted in a 2012 interview with St. Louis Magazine, however, that she participated in few activities like float decorating or prom, choosing instead to work at a steakhouse where she could make up to $200 per night. Madigan attended University of Missouri–St. Louis for two years, but, according to Madigan, all she did was accumulate $7,000 in campus parking tickets. At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, she earned a B.A. in Journalism in 1988. While at SIUE she was in charge of the student newspaper and also served an internship with the St. Louis Blues professional ice hockey team.\n', '

Madigan first took a job in print journalism, working for the St. Louis-area Suburban Journals newspapers as well as the publications department of the Missouri Athletic Club. At the same time she performed stand-up during "open mic" nights at St. Louis area comedy clubs. She credits her father, Jack, with encouraging her to try a comedy career. Her growing popularity at these soon led to the offer of a paying job in stand-up from The Funny Bone, a nationwide chain of comedy clubs. With a thirty-week booking of guaranteed dates, Madigan gave up her jobs in Missouri. She cites Ron White, Richard Jeni and Lewis Black among her influences in those early comedy club days.\n', '

Return to Kathleen Madigan Autograph Profile