Vanessa Bayer

Vanessa Bayer (born November 14, 1981) is an American actress and comedian. Bayer is best known for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2017, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She co-created, co-executive produces, and has the lead role in the Showtime comedy I Love That for You, which is loosely based on her experience as a survivor of childhood leukemia. Bayer has appeared in such films as Trainwreck (2015), Office Christmas Party (2016), Carrie Pilby (2016), Ibiza (2018), and Wander Darkly (2020). Bayer was born in Orange, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and raised in nearby Moreland Hills. She is the daughter of Carolyn and Todd Bayer. Bayer's family is Jewish, and she has stated that her Jewish upbringing "influenced [her] life and comedy". She has a brother, Jonah, who is a music journalist and the guitarist of the punk supergroup United Nations. At age 15, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Bayer stated that while battling the disease, she discovered the meaning of comic relief. "I don't know if it made me funnier, but it was so amazing, how it made everything be O.K.", she said.