// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Joy Gohring a joyful ring?
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Joy Gohring | |
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| Education | University of Texas at Austin |
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Joy Gohring is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, and producer. Her comedy career has included performing with the Austin improv and sketch troupe Monks' Night Out, co-writing and performing Without Pants with Johanna Stein at the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, and work for Oxygen, including Ripe Tomatoes and the comedy series Good Girls Don't, in which she starred as Jane. Gohring wrote, directed, and produced the short film 18 through the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women and directed the documentary web series Undergrads: South, produced by James Franco's Rabbit Bandini Productions.
Early life and career in Austin
[edit]Gohring was born in Cincinnati and moved to Austin, Texas, when she was a few months old.[1] In 1990, she was a student at Anderson High School in Austin.[2] Gohring graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992 after majoring in journalism and history.[1] A 2007 profile described her as the child of a former monk and former nun; her mother taught English and her father taught mathematics.[3]
Gohring's early work in Austin included the role of Yora in the comedy film Teenage Catgirls in Heat, directed and produced by Scott Perry.[4][5] During the 1990s, she also performed with the Austin alternative improv and sketch comedy troupe Monks' Night Out.[6]
Acting and comedy
[edit]In 1999, Gohring and Johanna Stein co-wrote and performed Without Pants at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Following the festival appearance, they performed the show at ImprovOlympic in Hollywood.[7] In July 1999, they performed Without Pants: The 11 1/2 Month Anniversary Show at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. A review in the Winnipeg Sun gave the show three and a half stars, praising the pair's combination of physical and verbal comedy and their choreography.[8]
Ripe Tomatoes was a half-hour weekend primetime sketch comedy show featuring Gohring and Stein alongside Tracy Vilar and Emmy Laybourne.[9] A March 2000 profile in Los Angeles Magazine described Gohring and Stein as having risen over the previous two years from performances at ImprovOlympic and reported that their Aspen appearance led to a deal with Oxygen.[10] Producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner saw Without Pants at the festival and signed Gohring to create and star in Ripe Tomatoes. Gohring later said that six or seven episodes were filmed, although only a couple aired. She also appeared in another Oxygen comedy, Running with Scissors.[1]
She began performing stand-up comedy. Her first appearance was at an Austin's Cap City Comedy Club where she had notes written on her hand.[11][3] In September 2000, she and Stein hosted the first annual Class Clowns benefit comedy show at the El Rey Theatre in Hollywood, with performers including Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and Jamie Kennedy.[12] Gohring and Stein also appeared together in the comedy film Radio Free Steve, alongside Dean Haglund.[13] A 2004 profile described Gohring as a longtime regular at Austin's Cap City Comedy Club, which she credited with helping develop her comedy.[1] She described her comedy as rooted in observations of real people and herself, often beginning with a light tone before turning darker.[3]
Oxygen commissioned seven episodes of an untitled live-action sitcom starring Gohring and Bree Turner. The production was Oxygen's first live-action sitcom and the first Carsey-Werner-Mandabach series made specifically for cable.[14] Later that year, Gohring starred as Jane in the Oxygen comedy series Good Girls Don't, written by Claudia Lonow. Carsey and Werner called Gohring in to audition for the lead, and by June eight episodes had been filmed for broadcast that summer.[1] The Frederick News-Post later described the role as her "biggest break."[3] The Austin Chronicle reviewer Belinda Acosta praised Gohring's comic ability while criticizing the material given to her character.[15]
In March 2004, Gohring performed The Joy Show at the Comedy Central Stage in Hollywood.[16] She later performed the show at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2005. Reviewing the Edinburgh production for The Sunday Herald, Iain Macwhirter praised its "touching humour" and Gohring's energy while finding the remainder of the material less successful.[17] The following month, she performed with Bernadette Pauley and Rachel Feinstein in a University of Alaska Fairbanks benefit show for Hurricane Katrina relief; the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner described the three performers as "nationally known comedians."[18]
Gohring played Glory in the film Mojave Phone Booth, a woman convinced that aliens had invaded her body. Reviewing the film, Variety described the storyline involving Gohring's character as its "funniest, most surprising segment."[19] Later that year, Gohring performed as Senator Kim McFriendly, a fictional candidate for the 2008 United States presidential election, in a series of online political-comedy videos.[20]
Gohring performed during the opening night of the Alameda Comedy Club. In its coverage of the event, the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted her pandemic-themed opening material and wrote that her set brought "much-needed laughter back to 2020."[21]
Filmmaking
[edit]Gohring made her directorial debut in March 2007 with the short drama You Wish, about a teenage girl caring for her bedridden mother. She said the film retained the rhythms of her comedy, beginning lightly before becoming darker.[3]
Gohring later participated in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women. She was among the workshop participants featured at the program's annual showcase at the Directors Guild Theater.[22] Through the program, she wrote, directed, and produced the short film 18. The film starred Portia Doubleday, Jake Abel, and Nolan Gerard Funk, and concerned a young woman deciding whether to remove her mother from life support on her eighteenth birthday.[23] In its "25 New Faces of Independent Film" feature, Filmmaker described 18 as an "excellent AFI-sponsored short" while profiling its cinematographer, Paula Huidobro.[24] Gohring also co-created and directed the science-fiction comedy web series Date a Human.[11]
Gohring directed Undergrads: South, a documentary web series produced by James Franco's Rabbit Bandini Productions and filmed with students in the University of Texas Department of Radio–Television–Film. The series followed four student filmmakers and incorporated their work on a scripted film project.[25][26] Gohring and Franco presented the pilot during South by Southwest in March 2012.[27] Her short film Mental, a previous Female Eye Film Festival winner, was screened at the festival's 2013 Sudbury edition.[28] Gohring later served as a producer on the short film Play Nice.[29]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role / credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Shameless | Waitress | [30] |
| 1994 | Teenage Catgirls in Heat | Yora | [4] |
| 2000 | Radio Free Steve | Crystal | [31][13] |
| 2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Albino Folk Singer | [32] |
| 2001 | On Edge | Whistle Blower | [33] |
| 2002 | The Third Wheel | Drunk Office Girl | Uncredited[33] |
| 2003 | Melvin Goes to Dinner | Extra | [33] |
| 2006 | Mojave Phone Booth | Glory | [19] |
| 2007 | Shelter | Ellen | [34] |
| 2007 | You Wish | Director | Short film[3] |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Willow | [33] |
| 2008 | Pedro | President's Secretary | [33] |
| 2009 | Peacock Season | Amy | [33] |
| 2009 | 18 | Writer, director, producer | Short film[23] |
| 2010 | Annie in the Aisle of Irma | Makeup Queen | Short film[35] |
| 2011 | Bad Actress | Dr. Monika | [36] |
| 2011 | Balls to the Wall | Li'l Ben's Mom | [33] |
| 2011 | Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best | Jim's Drunk Date | [33] |
| 2012 | Black November | Susan | [37] |
| 2013 | Bloom | Producer | Short film[38] |
| 2014 | They Dissect Frogs, Don't They? | Woman | Short film[39] |
| 2014 | Play Nice | Producer | Short film[29] |
| 2015 | Chatty Catties | Joy | [40] |
| 2016 | Gay Cake | Director | [41] |
| 2021 | Shook | Interviewer | [42] |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role / credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ripe Tomatoes | Creator, star | Oxygen sketch comedy series[9][1] |
| Running with Scissors | Actor | Oxygen comedy series[1] | |
| Street Smarts | Writer | [43] | |
| 2004 | Good Girls Don't | Jane | Oxygen comedy series[15][1] |
| 2004 | The World Stands Up | Self | Stand-up comedy series[33] |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Donna | [33] |
| 2005 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Self | [33] |
Web series and online work
[edit]| Year | Title | Role / credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Senator Kim McFriendly videos | Senator Kim McFriendly | Online political-comedy videos[20] |
| Date a Human | Co-creator, director | Science-fiction comedy web series[11] | |
| 2012 | Undergrads: South | Director | Documentary web series[25][26] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Holloway, Diane (June 1, 2004). "This 'Good Girl' does comedy - Joy Gohring goes from stand-up in Austin to the lead in Oxygen's sexy new sitcom". Austin American-Statesman – via NewsBank.
- ↑ Ward, Pamela (June 12, 1990). "Woman holds out to win car". Austin American-Statesman. p. B1 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 D'Agostino, Bill (March 28, 2007). "A Joyful Girl". The Frederick News-Post – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 "Teenage Catgirls in Heat – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Savlov, Marc (February 17, 1995). "Teenage Catgirls in Heat". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Jamie (May 15, 1997). "Big Stinkin' International Improv Festival". Austin American-Statesman. p. 52 – via NewsBank.
- ↑ Gittleson, Gia (April 1999). "the guide". Los Angeles Magazine. Vol. 44, no. 4. p. 123 – via Gale General OneFile.
- ↑ "Playgirls - women take centre stage at Fringe Fest". Winnipeg Sun. July 4, 1999. p. 22 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 Bernstein, Paula; Adalian, Josef (February 21, 2000). "Pair of exex ankle Oxygen network". Variety. Vol. 378, no. 1. p. 30 – via Gale General OneFile.
- ↑ Gittleson, Gia (March 2000). "Comic Strippers". Los Angeles Magazine. Vol. 45, no. 3. p. 20 – via Gale General OneFile.
- 1 2 3 "Boss Lady: Joy Gohring". Comediva. November 1, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Fernandez, Rosa (August 24, 2000). "Off the Wire ...". Back Stage West. Vol. 7, no. 34. p. 3 – via Gale General OneFile.
- 1 2 Harvey, Dennis (January 22, 2001). "Radio Free Steve". Variety. Vol. 381, no. 9. p. 47 – via Gale General OneFile.
- ↑ Umstead, R. Thomas (January 26, 2004). "Oxygen's first sitcom aims to be 'outrageous'". Multichannel News. Vol. 25, no. 4. p. 12 – via Gale General OneFile.
- 1 2 Acosta, Belinda (June 11, 2004). "TV Eye". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Gittleson, Gia Lauren (April 2004). "Guide". Los Angeles Magazine. Vol. 49, no. 4. pp. 148+ – via Gale General OneFile.
- ↑ Macwhirter, Iain (August 21, 2005). "The Sunday Herald: Love and sex . . . plus incest, prostitution and paedophilia Iain Macwhirter's restricted view". The Sunday Herald – via NewsBank.
- ↑ "UAF: Laugh for Katrina relief". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. September 21, 2005 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 Harvey, Dennis (March 12, 2007). "Mojave Phone Booth". Variety. Vol. 406, no. 4. p. 42 – via Gale General OneFile.
- 1 2 Fernandez, Jay A. (September 26, 2007). "'Lust, Caution' and the MPAA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Jones, Kevin L. (October 19, 2020). "Comedy club makes laughter safe again". San Francisco Chronicle. p. ED1 – via NewsBank.
- ↑ "Hot time for all at Maxim party". Daily News of Los Angeles. May 17, 2009. p. L2 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 "18". American Film Institute. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ "25 New Faces of Independent Film". Filmmaker. 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- 1 2 Nguyen, Chris (April 12, 2012). "Student filmmakers participate in James Franco's web series". The Daily Texan. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- 1 2 Jones, Kimberley (April 13, 2012). "Get Schooled". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Jones, Kimberley (March 10, 2012). "'Undergrads: South' Debuts at Digital Domain". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ Keown, Mary Katherine (November 7, 2013). "Film fest eyes women". The Sudbury Star. p. A1 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 "Play Nice – Full Cast & Crew". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Shameless – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Radio Free Steve". Moviefone. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Not Another Teen Movie – Full Cast and Crew". Moviefone. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Joy Gohring Movies and TV Shows". Plex. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Shelter – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Annie in the Aisle of Irma". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Bad Actress – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Black November – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Bloom". Plex. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "They Dissect Frogs, Don't They?". Plex. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Chatty Catties – Full Cast & Crew". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Gay Cake – Full Cast and Crew". Moviefone. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Shook – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Joy Gohring List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved August 9, 2026.