# Heather McDonald
**Heather McDonald** (born 1970) is an American comedian, writer, and podcaster best known as a writer and roundtable panelist on E!'s *Chelsea Lately* and as the host of the pop culture interview podcast *Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, in Southern California[1](https://thisdayinhistory.ai/event/birth-of-heather-mcdonald.807929) |
| *Chelsea Lately* | Wrote, produced, and appeared on the E! show for its entire 7-year run, and starred in its mockumentary spin-off *After Lately*[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/) |
| *Juicy Scoop* | Twice-weekly pop culture podcast launched in 2015; in its eleventh year it surpassed 1,200 episodes and 300 million downloads[3](https://www.ticketmaster.com/heather-mcdonald-tickets/artist/1382423?tt_scene=anchor_view) • [4](https://www.timeout.com/philadelphia/comedy/heather-mcdonald) |
| Stand-up specials | *I Don't Mean to Brag* (Showtime, 2015; later Netflix) and *Juicy Scoop* (Amazon Prime Video, 2020)[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/) |
| Books | Two New York Times bestsellers: *You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again* and *My Inappropriate Life*[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/) |
| Screenwriting | Contributing writer with featured roles in the Wayans Brothers films *White Chicks* and *Dance Flick*[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/) |
## Chelsea Lately
McDonald spent seven years on *Chelsea Lately*, the E! late-night talk show hosted by [Chelsea Handler](https://www.edgepedia.org/chelsea-handler), writing for the program and appearing regularly at the roundtable to trade quips with the host[4](https://www.timeout.com/philadelphia/comedy/heather-mcdonald). She also starred in *After Lately*, the show's mockumentary spin-off[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/). After the show ended in 2014, she needed a new outlet for her work; her touring schedule as a stand-up did not fill a full-time job, and she heard about a fellow comic who had launched a podcast to build his name and sell tickets[5](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/nov/ArabTimes14nov2023.pdf).
The end of the show also brought a personal rupture. McDonald has said that when a story about her appeared in the press, Handler ended their friendship by text message, believing McDonald had traded stories with a reporter[6](https://eathealthy365.com/the-truth-about-heather-mcdonalds-career-after-chelsea/).
## Juicy Scoop
McDonald launched *Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald* in 2015[7](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedian-heather-mcdonald.html). The show is published with Studio71 and covers Hollywood, celebrity romances, reality television including the *Real Housewives* franchise, and her own personal drama; guests have ranged from actors and comedians to reality stars[8](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/juicy-scoop-with-heather-mcdonald/id1135332109). By the show's eleventh year it had passed 1,200 episodes and 300 million downloads, ranked among the top comedy interview podcasts, and collected more than 25,000 five-star iTunes reviews; the [Ticketmaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/ticketmaster) artist page also calls it the number-one female comedy interview podcast[3](https://www.ticketmaster.com/heather-mcdonald-tickets/artist/1382423?tt_scene=anchor_view). The podcast carries a Patreon tier offering extended interviews and bonus content, and episodes are also posted to YouTube[9](https://www.patreon.com/cw/juicyscoop).
In 2026 she added a spin-off, *Juicy Crimes with Heather McDonald*[10](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/juicy-crimes-with-heather-mcdonald/id1803197933). The main show's cadence has shifted over time; Apple currently lists it as updated biweekly[8](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/juicy-scoop-with-heather-mcdonald/id1135332109), and Patreon editions have appeared each Tuesday and Thursday[9](https://www.patreon.com/cw/juicyscoop).
## Stand-up and other work
McDonald is a headlining comedian who has sold out theaters and clubs[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/). Her debut stand-up special, *I Don't Mean to Brag*, debuted on Showtime in 2015 and later aired on Netflix[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/) • [7](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedian-heather-mcdonald.html). Her second special, also titled *Juicy Scoop*, premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/). Critics reviewing the Netflix release noted her celebrity impressions of [Drew Barrymore](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-barrymore), Jennifer Aniston, and [Celine Dion](https://www.edgepedia.org/celine-dion), while judging the hour uneven overall[11](https://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/heather_mcdonald-i_dont_mean_to_brag). She appeared in the 2016 documentary *Can We Take a Joke?* alongside [Gilbert Gottfried](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-gottfried), Penn Jillette, and Adam Carolla, saying in the film, "If you're easily offended, please don't come to a comedy show"[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/can_we_take_a_joke_2016) • [13](https://time.com/4416667/jokesters-slap-back-at-the-pc-police/).
Her writing credits include the Wayans Brothers films *White Chicks* and *Dance Flick*, where she also had featured roles[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/). She published two New York Times bestselling books, *You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again* and *My Inappropriate Life: Some Material Not Suitable for Small Children, Nuns, or Mature Adults*, and writes a weekly column, "What Heather McDonald Noticed This Week," for *InTouch* magazine[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/). She has also hosted on TLC and appeared on shows including Bravo's *Watch What Happens Live*, *RuPaul's Drag Race*, and *The Tonight Show*[2](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/).
## Notable incidents
**Onstage collapse.** In February 2022 McDonald collapsed during a stand-up performance in [Tempe, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/tempe-arizona), an incident recorded by the audience; she suffered a skull fracture, and she later described her test results as lucky in an [Entertainment Tonight](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-tonight) interview[14](https://www.etonline.com/heather-mcdonald-describes-moments-before-collapsing-on-stage-and-her-lucky-test-results-exclusive). Video of the collapse continued to circulate widely online in the years afterward[15](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/MID_MID_141123/MID_MID_141123.pdf).
**Norman Pattiz recording.** In an episode released on October 27, 2016, McDonald said she had often been made uncomfortable by Norman Pattiz, the CEO of Podcast One and a [University of California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california) regent, and she released audio in which Pattiz asked to touch her breasts while she taped an ad for a memory foam bra; he apologized after the recording was made public[16](https://time.com/5027312/uc-regents-norman-pattiz-resignation-harassment/).
**Litigation.** In 2019 Jim Bellino, a former *Real Housewives of Orange County* cast member, named McDonald in a defamation lawsuit alongside Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador; McDonald submitted a sworn declaration in support of an anti-SLAPP motion (legal motion to dismiss meritless defamation suits quickly) to strike, stating that she asked each of her roughly 380 *Juicy Scoop* guests over the show's first four years, including Judge and Beador, whether they wanted anything removed before an episode was uploaded[17](https://www.jefflewislaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20191023-McDonald-Decl-iso-SLAPP.pdf).
## References
1. [Birth of Heather McDonald, June 14, 1970, This Day in History](https://thisdayinhistory.ai/event/birth-of-heather-mcdonald.807929)
2. [About, HeatherMcDonald.net](https://heathermcdonald.net/about/)
3. [Heather McDonald Tickets, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/heather-mcdonald-tickets/artist/1382423?tt_scene=anchor_view)
4. [Heather McDonald, Time Out Philadelphia](https://www.timeout.com/philadelphia/comedy/heather-mcdonald)
5. [Arab Times, November 14, 2023 (Associated Press feature on McDonald and podcasting)](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/nov/ArabTimes14nov2023.pdf)
6. [What Happened to Heather McDonald from Chelsea Lately?, EatHealthy365](https://eathealthy365.com/the-truth-about-heather-mcdonalds-career-after-chelsea/)
7. [Heather McDonald Stand-Up Specials in Order, Disciples of Comedy](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedian-heather-mcdonald.html)
8. [Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/juicy-scoop-with-heather-mcdonald/id1135332109)
9. [Heather McDonald, Creating EXTRA Juicy Scoop, Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/cw/juicyscoop)
10. [Juicy Crimes with Heather McDonald, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/juicy-crimes-with-heather-mcdonald/id1803197933)
11. [Heather McDonald: I Don't Mean to Brag review, Exclaim!](https://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/heather_mcdonald-i_dont_mean_to_brag)
12. [Can We Take a Joke?, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/can_we_take_a_joke_2016)
13. [Jokesters Slap Back at the PC Police, Time](https://time.com/4416667/jokesters-slap-back-at-the-pc-police/)
14. [Heather McDonald Describes Moments Before Collapsing on Stage, Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/heather-mcdonald-describes-moments-before-collapsing-on-stage-and-her-lucky-test-results-exclusive)
15. [Stripes weekend edition, November 14, 2023 (Associated Press feature)](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/MID_MID_141123/MID_MID_141123.pdf)
16. [University of California Regent: Students Should Be 'Ashamed' for Demanding I Resign, Time](https://time.com/5027312/uc-regents-norman-pattiz-resignation-harassment/)
17. [Declaration of Heather McDonald in support of anti-SLAPP motion, 2019](https://www.jefflewislaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20191023-McDonald-Decl-iso-SLAPP.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1970–1979*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license