Laura Kightlinger (born June 13, 1964) is an American comedian. She hosted Stand-Up Stand-Up on Comedy Central.
She worked as a writer and consulting producer on Will & Grace, and had a recurring guest role on the series as Sheila, a nurse at a fertility clinic. She was a Correspondent on The Daily Show in 1998. She was also cast in the HBO sitcom Lucky Louie, until it was cancelled after the first season.
After touring as a stand-up comic, she got her break writing for "Roseanne" after an unsuccessful trial as the wife of Tom Arnold on his sitcom. She has also been a writer for the MTV animated series Daria and for the 20th season of Saturday Night Live. During that season, she impersonated several celebrities, including Brooke Shields, Marcia Clark, Paula Poundstone, Mary Hart, and Connie Chung. In the UK she presented United States of Television and TV Pizza for Channel 4 which were both a selection of public access TV clips interspersed with Kightlinger's wry commentary.
In 1999, she released a book, Quick Shots of False Hope, a collection of short autobiographical stories.
She created, wrote, executive produced and stars in The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, a comedy series about two best friends maneuvering through the not-so-glamorous side of Hollywood that began airing on IFC August 4th, 2006 and completed two seasons.
Kightlinger was born in Jamestown, New York. Kightlinger reportedly suffers from sleep apnea. She has four cats and one dog. She is a feminist and has often described the persistent sexism that exists in Hollywood and show business.
Kightlinger dated actor Jack Black, with whom she guest-starred on an episode of Will & Grace, from 1997 until 2005. Jack Black had, in previous interviews, claimed that he and Laura would never marry as he didn't believe in it, due to his parents' unhappy marriage and subsequent divorce. Black went on to marry Tanya Haden on March 14, 2006.
