Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we
take all that noise and information out there.
And really boil it down. Exactly. Boil it down
to the stuff you actually want to know. The really
fascinating bits. And today, wow, we're focusing
on someone whose voice is just... Yeah. Well,
you hear it, you know it. Instantly. Instantly
recognizable. But her career is this incredibly
complicated, like, layered thing. Kristen Scholl.
Yeah, Kristen Scholl. And you hear that voice,
like you said, and it pulls you in two directions,
doesn't it? You've got the pure, you know, chaotic
energy of Louise Belcher on Bob's Burgers. Skimming
away with the pink bunny ears. Classic. Right.
Total cynic. Hilarious. But then you flip it
and you've got the guide from What We Do in the
Shadows. Oh, yeah. Completely different vibe,
deadpan, kind of bureaucratic. An ancient vampire
dealing with admin. It's amazing. The same person,
the same vocal instrument can do both. A 10 -year
-old agent of chaos and this immortal being.
It's wild. It really is. And that's kind of our
mission here, right, in this deep dive. We want
to go beyond just those two roles, even though
they're absolutely central. Can't ignore them.
No way. Yeah. But we're looking at an artist
who took this super specific. Really unique presence.
Her voice, her delivery. Exactly. And she managed
to make it work across so many different things,
like radically different mediums. So we're going
to track that path. Look at her beginnings in
live comedy. Some pretty out there stuff. The
alt comedy scene. Yeah. Then her massive voice
acting roles, obviously. Her writing career,
which is significant. And... maybe most interesting
how it all links up exactly how these really
diverse projects kind of talk to each other okay
so let's start where we have to start really
it's impossible to talk about kristen's goal
without zoning in on well her voice the voice
that distinctive high -pitched almost childlike
sound it's central but it's not just a gimmick
is it it's not a limitation it's like her superpower
It's totally a strategic asset. She's used it
so smartly. It can be pure innocence. One minute.
Like Mabel Pines. Right. And then the next, it's
delivering this really biting, super cynical,
observational humor. Yeah, it cuts right through.
It's her sonic signature, no doubt. And what's
really cool is how he plays with it, you know?
Modulates it. Yeah, exactly. She could be kids,
teenagers, weird creatures. Talking dinosaurs.
Talking dinosaurs, yeah. And even, like, serious
adults sometimes. Yeah. But it always had that
core Skoll energy, that kind of enthusiastic,
slightly manic, definitely off -kilter thing.
But her fans just love. Absolutely. And it's
what made her pop, you know, back in the day
in New York's alternative comedy scene, which
was super competitive. Okay, so where does that
persona even come from? Because you hear her
all hyperverbal, kind of theatrical. They picture
a certain upbringing, right? Totally. Like art
schools, big city background. But her early life,
it's this fantastic contrast, really surprising.
It really is. It's like the first big contradiction
that maybe feeds into her comedy later on. Kristen
Joy Skoll, born January 24th, 1978, in Longmont,
Colorado. Colorado. Now get this. Raised on the
family's cattle ranch, rural area near Boulder.
Wow. A cattle ranch. Yeah. Lutron family, Dutch
ancestry. Sounds pretty traditional, grounded.
Yeah. Like. Heartland America. A world away from
the surreal, absurdist stuff she became known
for. Absolutely. The sources mention her dad
was a construction worker, her mom a secretary.
She has an older brother, David. Just a regular
Colorado upbringing, it seems. That grounding,
though. Maybe it gives her observations a different
kind of texture. Like she knows that world too.
Could be. So she graduates from Skyline High
School. That's in 96. Does a year at the University
of Colorado in Boulder. Keeping it local. For
a bit. Yeah. But then she transfers and finishes
her B .A. at Northwestern University. Ah, Northwestern.
Okay, that makes more sense. Strong theater program
there. Big time. But finishing school was just
like the warm -up act. The real turning point.
Moving to New York City in 2000. And not just
moving, right? The sources say it was specifically
to chase a comedy career. Totally focused. Yeah.
And she didn't mess around. By 2005, she gets
her first major shout out. New York Magazine
puts her on their list. Oh, I remember those
lists. The 10 funniest New Yorkers you've never
heard of. Huge deal back then. Massive boost.
Yeah. And that really kicks things off. What
happens next is just this rapid fire. series
of awards a total blitz yeah establishing her
cred not on tv yet but in that really tough experimental
alt comedy world she's proving herself to the
comedy nerds first you know so what awards are
we talking okay so 2006 she wins best alternative
comedian at the hbo u .s comedy arts festival
in aspen That's a big one. Huge. HBO backing.
And maybe even more telling. Yeah. Style -wise.
She wins the second ever Andy Kaufman Award.
Okay. The Andy Kaufman Award. That's very specific.
That's not just about telling jokes. Exactly.
It's for people pushing boundaries, doing weird
experimental stuff. Performance art meets comedy.
Winning that connects her directly to that lineage
of really challenging kind of theatrical comedy.
It says a lot. It absolutely does. And you see
that theatricality later, right? Even in roles
like The Guide. That dry, precise weirdness.
Totally. It comes from the stage. And the local
scene loved her, too. She won Best Female Stand
-Up at the Nightlife Awards in 06. Then he ended
the ECNY Awards in 07. Building that New York
buzz. And then it goes international pretty quick,
right? Yeah, 2008's a big year. She wins the
Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy
Festival. Major international prize. For her
show, Kristen Scull, as you have probably never
seen her before, great title. Isn't it? And she
actually tied for that one with Nina Conti. Oh,
wow. Another super unique, high -concept comedian.
And Triloquist, right. So tying with her, winning
in Melbourne. It proves her weirdness translates.
Critics everywhere got it. It wasn't just a New
York thing. Nope. And it wasn't just solo stuff
either. She was deep in the collaborative scene,
co -hosting that weekly variety show, Hot Tub.
Right, in L .A. Voted best variety show by Time
Out New York readers in 05, so she was doing
bi -coastal stuff too. Seems like it. Always
working, always collaborating. She was on an
improv team, Big Black Car. At the People's Improv
Theater. Honing those improv chops, which you
definitely see later in her character work. That
quickness. Essential skill. And here's a really
fun detail. I think it says a lot about her whole
five. She was a founding member of the Striking
Viking Story Pirates. Okay, what is that? Sounds
amazing. It's a theater company, right? And they
take stories written by actual kids. Real kids.
Yeah. And they turn them into sketches and songs.
Live on stage. That is so perfectly Kristen Scholl.
whimsical, creative, a bit strange working with
that childlike imagination. Literally. Totally
indicative of her style, right? And she kept
hitting the big festivals, too. Edinburgh Fringe
in 07. Got nominated there in 08 for a show with
Kurt Braunohler. Double Down Hearts, her regular
comedy partner. And she even performed at the
Royal Albert Hall in London for the Secret Policeman's
Ball. Whoa, that's a legendary event for Amnesty
International. Yeah. So, I mean, by the late
2000s, she'd basically conquered the live stage,
alt comedy, international festivals, high profile
benefits, all before she became like a household
name on TV. So that quirky voice, that delivery,
it wasn't just, you know, a thing. It was the
engine for some seriously acclaimed. boundary
pushing comedy she was recognized as an artist
first and that probably gave her the freedom
later to pick and choose those really interesting
unusual projects okay so she nails the live performance
thing that theatrical inventive energy it didn't
just stay on stage did it it translated perfectly
to the sound booth oh absolutely her move into
animation wasn't just a side gig it was like
discovering her voice was this well creative
Superpower. Yeah, superpower is a good word for
it because it let her play characters all over
the map, right? Different ages, different species
even. Totally. And what's really interesting
is how she uses that quote -unquote childlike
quality. It's not just for laughs. Right. Sometimes
it's really vulnerable or surprisingly deep.
Exactly. She can pivot on a dime within one line
reading. It's an incredible skill. So let's talk
about the big three. The animated trio that,
I mean, really cemented her voice in pop culture.
These are iconic roles. Okay, gotta start with
the cornerstone. Louise Belcher. Bob's Burgers.
Since 2011, still going strong. Her longest running
main cast role in animation, right? And just
the perfect use of that voice for pure calculated
chaos. Absolutely. Louise is all scheme all the
time, wrapped in that slightly cynical but still
kind of vulnerable package. And the industry
noticed. She won the Annie Award for voice acting
in 2015 for Louise, which is huge in animation.
Deservedly so. Think about the technical skill
needed to keep that. character consistent that
specific blend of mania and hidden heart for
over a decade it's remarkable okay then roll
number two the total opposite end of the spectrum
almost mabel pines mabel From Gravity Falls.
Yeah. Ran from 2012 to 2016. Main cast, 39 episodes.
And Mabel's got the high pitch, the energy, but
it's pure uncut optimism, right? Glitter and
sweaters and just joy. Exactly. It shows the
range right there. Same basic vocal tool, completely
different emotional output. So how did she keep
them sounding distinct? They're both energetic
kids. It's in the nuance, the emotional texture.
Louisa's voice is often guarded. like a weapon.
Mabel's is just wide open, totally transparent,
all that boundless enthusiasm, sometimes naivete.
You hear the difference immediately. Yeah. And
she got awards for Mabel too, a Behind the Voice
Actor Award and another Annie, both in 2012,
a Masterclass in Using Voice. Okay. And the third
one, this one hits different. Sarah Lynn on BoJack
Horseman. Ah, Sarah Lynn, yeah. Only 14 episodes
between 2014 and 2020, but what an impact. Huge
impact. The washed -up child star. That role
used her voice, that slightly manic, high energy,
to show someone completely broken. It was devastating.
Especially her final episodes. The performance
was just raw. So raw it got her a primetime Emmy
nomination, right? For Outstanding Character
Voice Over Performance in 2017. Yeah, for the
episode, that's too much, man. That nomination
really underscores her ability to use that comedic
voice for profound tragedy. It's incredible range.
Okay, so beyond those big three, the sources
show she's just... everywhere in animation, like
across huge franchises. Trixie the Triceratops
in Toy Story. Trixie, yeah, perfect example.
Using that distinct voice for a non -human character,
but still totally relatable and funny. And she
wasn't just in one movie. She's the voice of
Trixie. Exactly. Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, the
shorts, the video game. Forky asks a question.
She's woven into the fabric of that massive,
beloved Pixar universe. That's a huge deal. And
in other movies too, right? Supporting roles.
Yep. Shannon in Despicable Me 2. Barb in Cloudy
with a chance of meatballs too. Sure. Even popping
up in Shrek Forever After as a couple of witches.
She gets her own. And recurring TV roles too.
Loads of them. She was Victoria Best on Word
Girl. Oh, yeah. The super competitive kid genius.
Perfect casting. And Jake Jr. on Adventure Time,
Tiffy on Archer, Bella the bellhop on Amphibia,
Molly on Death Hacks. She just keeps popping
up in great shows. I want to go back to the Simpsons
guest spot for a second because there's a story
there, right? Oh, yeah. This is a great little
anecdote. Shows how much clout she had even back
in 2011. She guest starred as Taffy in Homer
Scissorhands. Okay. Standard guest spot for a
rising star. Right. Buds. They misspelled her
name in the credits. Put Kristen Schall. S -C
-H -A -L -L. Ouch. Awkward. Very. But what the
Simpsons did next is almost unheard of. The very
next week's episode. Yeah. Bart's chalkboard
gag in the opening credits, it read, It's Kristen
Schall, not Kristen Schall. No way. They gave
her a personal chalkboard apology. Yep. A public
correction from The Simpsons, a show that almost
never breaks the fourth wall like that for a
guest star. It tells you how much respect she
commanded in the animation world even then. That's
amazing. What a great story. It really is. So
when you line up all these roles, the kid genius,
the tragic pop star, the talking dinosaur. Louise,
Mabel, Sarah Lynn. It's clear she mastered using
that one unique voice like a precision instrument,
finding totally different notes and harmonies
for every single character. It's not just a voice.
It's like a whole toolkit. A massively successful,
critically acclaimed toolkit. Yeah. Okay, so
she dominates animation, but it's one thing to
kill it in the sound booth, right? It's another
to bring that alt -comedy experimental energy
into live -action roles. Physical comedy, ensemble
work. And make it stick. Yeah. And the role that
really blasted her onto the live -action scene,
showing off that amazing ability to play, well,
kind of obsessed characters, was Mill. on Flay
the Conqueror. Oh, Mel, yes. Her obsessive fan
character, 2007 to 2009. She was in, like, most
episodes, right? 21 episodes, yeah. She was the
ultimate stalker fan of Bret and Jermaine. And
she channeled that frantic energy, that slightly
unsettling vibe from her stand -up perfectly
into Mel. She was the ideal foil to the band's
low -key awkwardness. Just... Totally desperate
and hilarious. Got her an EW nomination for supporting
actress, too. It did. And that role really was
her big launch pad in live action. Yes. Proved
she could carry a recurring character on a hit
HBO show. So from there, she takes that comedic
voice and applies it to political satire. Yeah,
which makes sense. Her ability to deliver completely
absurd ideas with utter conviction is perfect
for satire. The Daily Show. Exactly. From 2008
to 2016, almost 10 years off and on. She was
an occasional commentator, did 31 episodes. Often
as the senior women's issues correspondent. That
was her main bit. Yeah. Using her specific delivery
to just like inject chaos and weird logic into
political discussions. Making fun of the way
people talk about serious issues. It really established
her as a sh**. sharp satirical voice nationally.
And she brought that same energy later to last
week tonight with John Oliver. Did a great segment
on sex education. Right. Talking about abstinence
only versus comprehensive ed. Again, using humor
to tackle a tricky subject. It's clear she was
never just going to be an actor reading lines,
though. She's fundamentally a creator, a writer.
Which brings us to her behind the scenes work.
She was a writer and consultant for South Park
season 11. Which is, I mean, working at the absolute
pinnacle of TV satire. Huge deal. There's a catch
here, right? The source has mentioned something
else. Yeah, this is where it gets interesting.
The detail is she was actually fired after just
one month. Wow. Fired from South Park? Yeah.
It really speaks volumes, I think, about how
intense and maybe cutthroat those high -level
writers' rooms can be, especially South Park,
which is famously demanding. It shows the pressure,
even for someone super talented like her, high
stakes. Definitely. But she didn't just stay
in writer's room. She wrote a book, too. Right.
The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex. Co -wrote it with
her husband, Rich Blomquist. Who's also a Daily
Show writer. Published in 2010. And there's another
interesting tidbit about the book, about her
persona. Oh, yeah. This is fascinating. She apparently
originally wanted them to use pseudonyms for
the book. Really? Why? Because, and this is a
quote, she didn't want anyone to imagine me doing
those things described in the book. Uh -huh.
That's incredible. She was that aware of how
people perceived her, that sort of childlike
association? Seems like it. She knew her public
image was so tied to that voice and persona,
and she wrestled with how to square that with
writing, you know, a sexy sex book, even a humorous
one. Shows she thinks carefully about that line
between her art and her public image. Ended up
using her real name, though. She did. Okay, so
shifting back to major TV roles, anchoring big
shows, The Last Man on Earth. Carol Pilbajan.
2015 to 2018, 65 episodes. What a great character.
She was fantastic in that. Yeah. The emotional
and structural counterweight to Will Forte's
character, right? Totally. In that post -apocalyptic
chaos, Carol was desperately clinging to rules
and community. Using that school enthusiasm,
but for trying to maintain civilization. Yeah,
she really carried a lot of the show's heart.
in her own weird way. Showed she could handle
that kind of moral center role. And big step
here. She also directed an episode of Last Man
on Earth. Yes. Gender friender. That's a really
important detail. Moving behind the camera. Taking
all that experience, writing, consulting, acting,
and channeling it into directing. That signals
real ambition to control the whole creative process.
Often gets overlooked. Definitely. And then the
role that's made her a total icon for cult comedy
fans right now. The Guide. The Guide, What We
Do in the Shadows, started recurring, right?
Seasons three and four. Yep. just stole every
scene she was in. That perfect deadpan delivery
managing the Vampiric Council's bureaucracy.
With occasional flashes of insecurity. It's brilliant.
So brilliant they promoted her to the main cast
for season five. Sometimes a character just pops
like that because the performance is undeniable.
And she could also do family -friendly prestige
stuff too. The Mysterious Benedict Society on
Disney+. Right, playing number two from 2021
to 2022. Just shows her range across demographics.
She can do edgy cable, network sitcoms. and Disney
Plus win. She's just been everywhere. We didn't
even really dig into Hazel Wasser's name on 30
Rock. 11 episodes. Or her guest spot on Mad Men
as Nanette. How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family.
The list goes on. It really does. The resume
is just proof. She's one of the most versatile,
most bankable comedic actors working today. Period.
Okay, so to really wrap our heads around all
this, we kind of need to connect the work back
to the person, right? Especially when the sources
give us these... Quite personal details. It adds
a whole other layer. Absolutely. It provides
that crucial human context behind the comedic
force. We know she's married to Rich Blomquist,
the comedy writer, since 2012. And they have
a daughter, Ruby, born in February 2018. Right.
But the sources add this important detail. Ruby's
birth came after years of trying and some experimental
fertility treatments. Sharing that, it offers
this really rare personal glimpse. Shows the
same kind of perseverance and dedication in her
private life that you see in her career. And
they live in Los Angeles now. So that context
about starting her family is powerful. But there's
an even more intense, really harrowing personal
story in the sources. Something that happened
while she was working. Yeah, this one. Definitely
makes you pause. It really highlights the difference
between the cheerful voice we hear and the struggles
that could be happening behind the scenes. This
was revealed in 2017. She suffered an ectopic
pregnancy. And it wasn't just that. Her fallopian
tube ruptured during a recording session, an
unspecified one, for Gravity Falls. Oh, my God.
While recording Mabel Pines. The sources indicate
it happened during a gravity fall session. It
was incredibly serious. A life -threatening medical
emergency. Had to be rushed to the hospital.
Emergency surgery. The source mentions she lost
at least two liters of blood. Wow. Just absorbing
that. Dealing with something that terrifying,
that physically dangerous, while literally channeling
the voice of pure, innocent joy like Mabel Pines.
It completely reframes your perception of her
commitment, doesn't it? The resilience required.
It's that hidden struggle beneath the performance.
Yeah, deep respect. Okay, so beyond those really
heavy personal moments, the sources are also
full of these amazing deep cuts. Little things
that show just how completely woven into the
culture she is. Yeah, these are the fun nuggets
that show her total saturation, like video games.
She voiced a character, Serna, in the big EA
game anthem back in 2019. Different medium again.
requires that technical precision and showing
the artistic respect her voice commands she voiced
delirium in the audio drama version of neil gaiman's
the sandman delirium okay that's perfect casting
for her voice in the sandman act two stepping
into that huge respected mythology totally shows
her voice is seen as an asset even without visuals
and music videos she pops up in some cool ones
yeah pure alt comedy cred she was in the video
for conversation 16 by the national Back in 2010.
Oh, I remember that one. And, of course, the
big one. Weird Al Yankovic's tacky video. Yes.
The parody of Farrell's Happy from 2014. Being
in that lineup with all those other huge comedians,
it just confirms her status in that top tier
of American comedy. Definitely part of the zeitgeist.
And commercials, too, right? She's been the face
or voice of some big brands. Oh, yeah. Highly
visible. T -Mobile, Wendy's, Radio Shack, Starburst,
Sony Xperia, Zaxby's. Her specific persona, that
voice, clearly resonates with a mass audience.
It's commercially viable. Proves her unique thing
has broad appeal. And just to round it all out,
remember, she started in live action. Small parts
way back, like Miss Tree and Kate Leopold in
2001. Or Mary Ellen in a walk in the woods much
later, 2015. She's truly done, well, kind of
everything. A real multimedia force. Yeah. Hashtag
tag outro. So when you put it all together. The
Colorado Ranch Kid, the Andy Kaufman Award winner,
the voice of Louise Belcher and Sarah Lynn. What's
the big picture? Yeah, what's the main takeaway
from this deep dive? I think it's that Kristen
Schuhl isn't just defined by that incredibly
distinct voice, even though the voice is like
a massive part of it. Force multiplier, yeah.
She's defined by just how ubiquitous she is,
strategically everywhere, across every single
corner of modern comedy and media. It's really
rare, isn't it, to take such a singular, really
specific identity. That alt -comedy weirdness.
And leverage it into massive mainstream success,
both critical and commercial, without really
watering it down. She stayed true to those experimental
roots. She connected the dots between the edgy,
boundary -pushing stuff that won her that Andy
Kaufman Award and the kind of work that gets
Emmy nominations and Annie Awards, you know.
High -level mainstream stuff. It's the ultimate
tightrope walk, maybe. Delivering that chaos,
that invention she's known for. But with the
professional polish and consistency needed for
these huge franchises. Yeah. Controlled chaos.
Perfectly calculated. So thinking ahead, where
does she go next? She's been a writer, a consultant
on shows like South Park. She wrote the book.
She directed. Exactly. That's the big question,
isn't it? Given all that experience behind the
scenes. Where does that really unique inventive
perspective take her when she leans more into
directing or producing? She's conquered acting,
voice acting, live comedy. across pretty much
every medium you can think of. So the next step
feels like synthesizing all that, right? Shaping
the whole thing from the creator's chair. Yeah.
Taking everything she's learned and applying
it from that side, that feels like the next logical
and honestly really exciting frontier for her.
It really does. Fascinating career to keep watching
for sure. Absolutely. Well, thank you for joining
us for this deep dive into the wonderfully complex,
chaotic, and just brilliant career of Kristen
Scholl.