Heather McDonald

Heather McDonald
McDonald in April 2011
Birth name	Heather Ann McDonald
Born	(1970-06-14) June 14, 1970 (age 46) San Fernando Valley, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Years active	1990s–present

Heather Ann McDonald (born June 14, 1970) is an American actress, comedian and author. Born and educated in California, she is best known for her appearances on the E! series Chelsea Lately. She was one of the eight writers on the show and often participated in sketches and segments. McDonald also appeared in the show's spin-off, After Lately. Her first book, a 2010 memoir of her college years, made the Bestseller List of the New York Times.

Born in the San Fernando Valley in 1970, McDonald and her four siblings were raised by their parents, who were both real estate agents. She is of three quarters Irish and one quarter French-Canadian descent. She and her brother and sister were raised Catholic and attended private, Catholic schools. After high school, McDonald went to the University of Southern California (USC), where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

After graduating from USC, McDonald began to take theatre classes at The Groundlings. During her time there, McDonald performed improvisational shows and sketch comedy at the Groundlings Theatre. At the same time, McDonald became a licensed realtor like her parents.

McDonald is married to Peter Dobias, an investment banker. The couple has two children, and Dobias has a daughter from a previous relationship.

In the late 1990s, McDonald began writing with Keenan Ivory Wayans. In 2001 and 2002, she was a writer and performer for MTV's Lyricist Lounge.

McDonald first gained popularity through her stand-up comedy shows in Los Angeles. She also began writing and performing for the Wayans Brothers in a couple of their films. She has been a writer as well as guest on Chelsea Lately since its premier in 2007.

In June 2010, McDonald published her first book, a memoir entitled You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up, which made The New York Times Best-Seller List. The memoir covers her college and sorority experience while attending the University of Southern California. McDonald published a second memoir in 2013, entitled My Inappropriate Life (Some Stories Not Suitable for Nuns, Children, or Mature Adults).