Esther Povitsky (born March 2, 1988),[1][2] formerly known by the stage name "Little Esther", is an American actress and comedian. She is the co-creator and star of the comedy series Alone Together (2018), and starred as Izzy in the Hulu series Dollface. Her debut comedy special, Hot for My Name, premiered on Comedy Central on July 17, 2020.
Esther Povitsky | |
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![]() Povitsky in 2015 | |
Born | (1988-03-02) March 2, 1988 (age 34) |
Other names | Little Esther |
Education | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (did not finish) |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2008–present |
Known for | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Alone Together |
Esther Povitsky was born in Chicago, Illinois[3] to Mary and Morrie Povitsky.[4] Her father is of Russian-Jewish descent and her mother is a Christian of Finnish descent[5][6] who worked as an administrative assistant at the Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook.[7] She has one older half-sister from her mother's first marriage.[8] Povitsky was raised in the Chicago suburb of Skokie,[9] where she graduated from Niles North High School in 2006.
Following high school, Povitsky attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and acting.[10] "I was really unhappy at my school," Povitsky recalled. "A lot of people were in sororities and a lot of people drank all the time, and I wasn't into either of those things, so I really did not feel like I fit in."[11] She subsequently studied comedy at iO Chicago and The Second City in Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles, where she took classes with The Groundlings.[12] In Los Angeles, Povitsky has performed regularly at The Comedy Store, The Ice House, and The Improv.[13][14]
Povitsky recurred as Maya on the series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from 2016 until 2019. Other television appearances include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Love, and Parks and Recreation. Povitsky also survived several rounds of 2015's Last Comic Standing (season 9).[15]
Povitsky was the first[citation needed] female guest to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, after which she began podcasting with Deathsquad.tv regularly. She hosted Little Esther's Piecast[16] and was the former co-host of Brode & Esther with fellow comedian Brody Stevens[17] as well as Weird Adults with Little Esther[18] and Glowing Up, a makeup and beauty-themed podcast which she co-hosts with writer Caroline Goldfarb.[19] She often appears as a guest on the network's Ice House Chronicles.[20]
In 2012, Povitsky turned down an offer from MTV to do a reality show based on her life as a comedian because she felt the series would be too invasive.[21][22]
In 2015, Povitsky wrote, starred in, and produced the short film Alone Together. The short was later adapted into a pilot for Freeform, produced by The Lonely Island.[23] In December 2016, the pilot was picked up to series.[24] In October, 2017, Freeform renewed the series for a second season ahead of its January 2018 debut.[25] The series was canceled after its second season in 2019.[11]
On July 17, 2020, Povitsky's debut comedy special, Hot for My Name, was released through Comedy Central.[26]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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2008 | The Express: The Ernie Davis Story | Teen Model | Uncredited | |
2010 | April | Val Monroe | Short film | |
2011 | All in All | Nicole | Short film | |
2011 | The Eater | Sandy | Short film | |
2014 | My Daughter's Boyfriend | Sara Martinson | Short film | |
2015 | Alone Together | Esther | Short film | |
2015 | What a Nice Party | Short film | ||
2016 | Worst Birthday | Short film | ||
2018 | Dude | Alicia | ||
2021 | Mark, Mary & Some Other People | Esther | ||
2021 | Home Sweet Home Alone | Daisy Breckin |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010–2011 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Little sister / Bristol Palin / Jimmy's Sister | Guest role; 3 episodes | |
2011 | New Girl | Krystal | Episode: "Bells" | |
2012 | Daddy Knows Best | Babysitter | Episode: "The Babysitter" | |
2013 | Parks and Recreation | Julie | Episode: "Swing Vote" | |
2013–2015 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Herself | Guest role; 2 episodes | [27] |
2013 | Last Call with Carson Daly | Herself | Guest appearance | [27] |
2013 | Brody Stevens: Enjoy It! | Herself | Recurring role; 3 episodes | |
2013 | Adam Devine's House Party | Herself | Episode: "Space Jump II" | [27] |
2014 | Talking Marriage with Ryan Bailey | Herself | Episode: "Comedians in Car Ports" | |
2014 | Esther With Hot Chicks | Herself | Web series (3 episode run for MTV) | |
2014 | Pound House | Phone Girl | Recurring role; 2 episodes | |
2014 | Hope and Randy | Hope | Television mini-series | |
2014 | Key and Peele | Cassie | Episode: "Alien Impostors" | |
2014 | Six Guys One Car | Pawn Shop Girl | Recurring role; 2 episodes | |
2015 | Difficult People | Cissy Donato | Episode: "The Children's Menu" | |
2015 | Candidly Nicole | Herself | Episode: "Ex-Girlfriend" | |
2015–2017 | Cocktales with Little Esther | Herself | Web series; host | |
2015–2016 | @midnight | Herself | Guest appearance; 4 episodes | [27] |
2016 | Workaholics | Jordana | Episode: "Save the Cat" | |
2016 | Lady Dynamite | Kristy Coombs | Episode: "Loaf Coach" | |
2016 | The Amazing Gayl Pile | Jenny | Recurring role; 3 episodes | |
2016 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Emily | Episode: "Coral Palms: Part 2" | [27] |
2016 | Not Safe with Nikki Glaser | Herself | Episode: "I'm the Boat" | |
2016–2018 | Love | Alexis | Guest role; 3 episodes | |
2016–2019 | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Maya | Recurring role; 19 episodes | |
2018 | Alone Together | Esther | Main role; 20 episodes; also co-creator, executive producer | |
2018 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Herself | Episode: "Leslie Jones/Tracy Letts/Esther Povitsky/John Stanier" | |
2018 | Harry | Herself | Guest appearance | |
2018 | The Story of our Times | Candace | Television film | |
2019 | Shrill | Kayla | Episode: "Pencil" | |
2019–2022 | Dollface | Izzy | Main role | |
2021 | iCarly | Brooke | Episode: "iTake a Girls Trip" and Writer for "iMLM" | |
2022 | Reboot | Marcy | Episode: Season 1 Episode 5 "What We Do in the Shadows" | |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
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2020 | Hot for My Name | Premiered on Comedy Central | [26] |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
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2011–2014 | Brode & Esther | Co-hosted with Brody Stevens | [17] |
2012–2017 | Weird Adults with Little Esther | Interview-style podcast | [28][29] |
2017–present | Glowing Up | Beauty and lifestyle-themed podcast; co-hosted with Caroline Goldfarb | [30] |
2020–present | Esther Club | Solo podcast | [31] |
2021–present | Trash Tuesday (formerly Bloodbath) | Co-hosted with Annie Lederman and Khalyla Kuhn | [32] |
2021 | Edith! | Plays Trudie Grayson |
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