Early Life
Kathleen Madigan was born Kathleen Elizabeth Madigan on September 30, 1965, in Florissant, Missouri. She grew up in an Irish Catholic household with mother Vicki (a nurse), father Jack (a lawyer), and six siblings. Besides the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, the Madigan family also lived in House Springs, Missouri, and in central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks region. Kathleen attended private Catholic schools as well as the public School of the Osage. She was a student athlete, joining the basketball, volleyball, and track teams and setting a record as the shortest person (4′ 5″ tall) to win the Mid-Missouri Hoops Shoot Championship. Madigan graduated from McCluer North High School in 1983, then she spent two years at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where she racked up $7,000 in campus parking tickets. She transferred to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, graduating in 1988 with a B.A. in journalism. There, Kathleen ran the student newspaper and had an internship with the professional ice hockey team the St. Louis Blues.
Career
Madigan worked for the St. Louis “Suburban Journals” and the Missouri Athletic Club’s publications department during the day while performing at open mics at local comedy clubs at night. She has said that her father encouraged her to pursue a comedy career and that he instilled an “intense work ethic” in her. As her popularity grew, Kathleen was offered gigs at the nationwide comedy club chain The Funny Bone, and she subsequently quit her jobs in Missouri. Her earliest television appearances include “Stand-Up Spotlight” (1988), “An Evening at the Improv” (1991), “1/2 Hour Comedy Hour” (1991), and “Bob Hope Presents the Ladies of Laughter” (1992). Later in the ’90s, Madigan appeared on six episodes of “HBO Comedy Half-Hour” (1997–1998), and she released her first comedy album, “Kathleen Madigan” (1998), which was reissued as “Live” in 2000. That year she also got her first “Comedy Central Presents” special, then she appeared on “Late Friday” (2001), “Comic Remix” (2002), “National Lampoon’s Funny Money” (2003), “Hollywood Squares” (2003–2004), “Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins” (2004), “Just for Laughs” (2004), “Shorties Watchin’ Shorties” (2004), “I Love the ’90s: Part Deux” (2005), “Celebrity Poker Showdown” (2005), “History of the Joke” (2008), and “Root of All Evil” (2008). In 2004 and 2005, she wrote for Garry Shandling when he hosted the Primetime Emmys.
Personal Life
Kathleen launched a podcast, “Madigan’s Pubcast,” in August 2020. On her official website, she said of her decision to start a podcast, “During COVID it was so strange to be home. I haven’t been off and home for more than 3 weeks in 32 years so it was odd. Once it was clear we weren’t going out on the road anytime soon, I decided a podcast would be a fun way to stay in touch with people. I have never had the time with the road being kinda all consuming. I plan to keep doing it now just because it’s been so much fun and something different.” Kathleen has participated in several USO tours, entertaining troops all over the world. She said of the experience, “The USO shows are the best. Trust me, no crowd is as appreciative and fired up to see any entertainer. I’m glad I have the chance because God knows I don’t wanna have to do their job!”
Awards and Nominations
Madigan earned two consecutive American Comedy Award nominations for Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic, winning in 1996. She has also won a Phyllis Diller Award for Best Female Comedian.
Real Estate
In 2015, Madigan put her 1,144-square-foot West Hollywood home on the market for $1.349 million. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home sold for $1.371 million less than three weeks after it was listed for sale. Kathleen paid $973,500 for the home in 2010.
