Desi Lydic (/ˈdɛzi ˈlaɪdɪk/ DEZ-ee LY-dik)[2] is an American comedian and actress who plays a senior correspondent on the satirical news program The Daily Show. From 2011 to 2016, she starred as guidance counselor Valerie Marks on the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward.[3] She got her start in the 2001 parody film Not Another Teen Movie.[4] She also starred in the Spike miniseries Invasion Iowa alongside William Shatner and the parody series The Real Wedding Crashers.[5]
Desi Lydic | |
|---|---|
 Lydic in 2024 | |
| Born | June 30, 1981[1] Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse | Gannon Brousseau |
| Children | 1 |
She appeared as Shea Seger in the 2011 film We Bought a Zoo alongside Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, and in the 2013 film The Babymakers with Olivia Munn.[4] Lydic also appeared as one half of a lesbian couple on an episode of the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie in 2014. She joined Trevor Noah's lineup of correspondents for The Daily Show on September 29, 2015. Lydic was among a number of guest hosts of The Daily Show after the departure of Trevor Noah.
Early life
editLydic was born June 30, 1981, in Louisville, Kentucky. Aged three, Lydic became enamored of comedic acting from watching Carol Burnett play Miss Agatha Hannigan in Annie.[6] As a child, she enrolled in the Young Actors Institute at the Youth Performing Arts School and starred in a Kroger commercial. After she graduated from Eastern High School, she attended the University of Louisville for two semesters before deciding to make the biggest move of her life to that point. When she told her parents about her plans to move to Los Angeles, she wasn’t sure what to expect. “I think they saw this creative side in me growing up,” she said. “I'm so fortunate because a lot of people don't have families that would've supported them in making such a huge decision like that. But not only did they give me their blessing, my mom and dad packed up a U-Haul and drove us out all the way across the country.”(https://www.kentuckytotheworld.org/blog/desi-lydic-offers-a-new-political-discourse-in-kentucky) Lydic told Kyle Meredith in a 2024 interview that it was during this time that she had an obsession with late '90s Saturday Night Live.[7] She later moved to Los Angeles and became an improvisational actor, performing at The Groundlings and Improv Olympic.[8]
Career
edit
On The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Lydic saw herself as a comedic actor with "a journalistic responsibility" to the truth, in regard to the serious topics she approaches through a humorous lens, as a correspondent for the show.[9] Lydic created her first one-hour special which aired on May 13, 2019, on Comedy Central, and was entitled The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents Desi Lydic: Abroad.[10] The special explores how the United States is now further apart in gender equality than many other countries in the world. The special was nominated for a Writers Guild Award.[11] After the passing of the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Lydic paid tribute to her work, and life in a half-hour special entitled The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remembering RBG – A Nation Ugly Cries with Desi Lydic aired on Comedy Central on October 30, 2020.[12][11] Lydic was among a number of guest hosts who hosted The Daily Show after the departure of Trevor Noah. Lydic hosted the show during the week of April 24, 2023.[13]
Personal life
editLydic has one son with her husband Gannon Brousseau.[14][15] Their son was born in late December 2015. While filming her Comedy Central special "Abroad"[10] Lydic got a "small upside-down triangle[16] tattoo representing female empowerment" as a commemoration of her time spent with Icelandic all-female rap collective Daughters of Reykjavík, marking her as the "23rd member" of the group.[17]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Cutie | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Delta Nu Sister | |
| 2004 | Adventures in Vegas | Desi/Skyler | Short film |
| 2007 | Stand Up | Veronica | |
| 2007 | Out at the Wedding | Jeannie | |
| 2008 | Screw Cupid | Betty | |
| 2008 | Big Heart City | Rita/Jane | |
| 2009 | As Advertised | Ronnie | TV film |
| 2009 | Stan Helsing | Mia | |
| 2010 | Darnell Dawkins: Mouth Guitar Legend | Helena | |
| 2011 | Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury | Diana Torres | |
| 2011 | We Bought a Zoo | Shea Seger (Lasagna Mom) | |
| 2012 | The Babymakers | Julie | |
| 2012 | Something Like a Butterfly | Joyce Humphrey | Short film |
| 2020 | Irresistible | Fox News anchor |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | What I Like About You | Becky | Episode: "No More Mr. Nice Guy" |
| 2004 | Complete Savages | Woman #1 | Episode: "Savage XXX-mas" |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Elaine Curtis | Episode: "Recycling" |
| 2005 | Invasion Iowa | Gryffyn Greene | 5 episodes |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis | Melinda | Episode: "Poker Clubs and Boob Cams - Film at Eleven" |
| 2008 | Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan | Herself (roommate) | Episode: "Spoiled Rotten" |
| 2010 | The League | Waitress | Episode: "The Marathon" |
| 2010 | Two and a Half Men | Veronica | Episode: "Chocolate Diddlers or My Puppy's Dead" |
| 2011 | Traffic Light | Renee | Episode: "Where the Heart Is" |
| 2011–2016 | Awkward | Valerie Marks[18] | Main role; guest (season 5) |
| 2012 | Raising Hope | Uma | Episode: "Sabrina's New Jimmy" |
| 2012 | The Client List | Dee Ann | 7 episodes |
| 2012 | How to Be a Gentleman | Chelsea | Episode: "How to Be Shallow" |
| 2013 | Dads | Joan | Episode: "Dad Abuse" |
| 2014 | Good Luck Charlie | Susan | Episode: "Down a Tree" |
| 2014 | Friends with Better Lives | Jess | Episode: "Window Pain" |
| 2015 | The Odd Couple | Kim | Episode: "The Blind Leading the Blind Date" |
| 2015–present | The Daily Show | Correspondent, Host | |
| 2019 | Desi Lydic: Abroad | Herself | TV special[19] |
References
edit- ^ "Six Moments To Make You Love Desi Lydic (Even More)". YouTube. Event occurs at 0:18-0:39. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "We Need a Lot More Women to Run for Congress - Desi Lydic Womansplains on The Daily Show". YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ "Desi Lydic | Awkward". MTV. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Desi Lydic Biography". Buddytv.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "Desi Lydic Credits". TV Guide. November 28, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "The Experience Questionnaire: Desi Lydic". expmag.com. May 13, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "The Daily Show's Desi Lydic on Indecision 2024: Podcast". March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Official Web Site". Out At The Wedding. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "'The Daily Show's' Desi Lydic Talks Gender Gap Special: 'The Joke Is on America'". Variety. May 10, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents Desi Lydic: Abroad". Comedy Central. May 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Correspondent Desi Lydic Bio". Comedy Central. 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remembering RBG – A Nation Ugly Cries with Desi Lydic". Comedy Central. October 30, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Ortiz, Andi (January 26, 2023). "Here's Everyone Who's Guest Hosting 'The Daily Show' This Season". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "'Awkward' Arrival: Meet Desi Lydic's Baby Boy". MTV. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016.
- ^ "Desi Lydic on Instagram: "Thank you @lansinohusa for all the incredible goodies for Brixton and me. Also for these awesome pacifiers! #Lansinoh #40weeks"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ PBS Newshour Weekend (May 12, 2019). "The Daily Show's Desi Lydic goes 'Abroad' exploring gender equality". youtube. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "The Experience Questionnaire: Desi Lydic". expmag.com. May 13, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Wieselman, Jarett (May 28, 2013). "5 Questions With 'Awkward' Star Desi Lydic". Yahoo!. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "Desi Lydic Soars As A DeSantis-Dissing Flight Attendant Aboard A Migrant Plane". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
External links
edit
- Desi Lydic on Twitter
- Desi Lydic at IMDb
