Aparna Nancherla is an acclaimed comedian, writer, and actor. Praised by critics and fans alike for her distinctive dry, existential, and whimsical sense of humor, Aparna has toured her stand-up comedy extensively around the U.S. and the world. A true multi-hyphenate, Aparna’s work spans film, TV, podcasts, and books.
Most recently, Aparna’s debut book Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome, a collection of personal essays, was published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House in September 2023. Unreliable Narrator received widespread recognition, with the Los Angeles Times calling the book a “super-smart, deliciously readable, achingly poignant… new collection of essays.”
Aparna presently hosts The Introvert’s Survival Guide, a new eight-part self-help interview podcast that premiered on Audible via Fresh Produce Media, which features a plethora of notable guests such as Seth Meyers, Elyse Myers, and Eric Smith.
On TV, Aparna has starred in many memorable roles on such series as Peacock’s Lopez vs Lopez, Max’s Search Party, Netflix’s Space Force and BoJack Horseman, and Comedy Central’s Corporate. Her TV stand-up appearances include Netflix’s The Standups, HBO’s Two Dope Queens, and Comedy Central’s The Half Hour. Aparna’s late-night stand-up debut was on TBS’ Conan in 2013 and she was one of the breakout “New Faces” at the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. She’s since made appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Late Show with James Cordon.
Aparna has also written for Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, as well as Late Night with Seth Meyers, and FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.
In 2018, Aparna made her feature debut in the Paul Feig movie A Simple Favor and was also seen in Hulu’s The Drop.
Aparna has also contributed multiple op-eds to the New York Times.
She lives in Los Angeles.