# Jennifer Robertson
**Jennifer Robertson** (also credited as Jenn Robertson) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian best known for playing Jocelyn Schitt on the CBC sitcom *Schitt's Creek* (2015–2020) and Ellen Baker on the Netflix series *Ginny & Georgia* (2021– ). She was born in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) |
| Signature role | Jocelyn Schitt on *Schitt's Creek* (CBC, 2015–2020), 66 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) |
| Current series role | Ellen Baker on *Ginny & Georgia* (Netflix, 2021– ), 38 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) |
| Hosting | Hosted the last two seasons of *Canada's Handyman Challenge* (HGTV, 2012–2014) and *The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down* (CBC, 2024)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) • [3](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series) |
| Awards | SAG Award winner with two SAG nominations and four Canadian Screen Award nominations[4](https://mail.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/32247/actress-shares-experience-on-schitts-creek) |
| Writing | Wrote and starred in the television film *To Die 4* (2004); eight writer credits listed on IMDb[5](https://castofus.com/tv-casts/jennifer-robertson-movies-nd-tv-shows/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) |
## Early life and family
Robertson was born into a comedic family. Her father, Bob Robertson, was a satirical writer and one half of the comedy duo Double Exposure, alongside her stepmother, Linda Cullen.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) She grew up in Vancouver and later took acting classes on Granville Island as a child, the same venue where [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen) trained; she has lived in Los Angeles as well as Canada.[3](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series)
## Canadian television and early American work
After years of small roles on Canadian television, Robertson made her U.S. television debut in the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) made-for-TV movie *[Twitches](https://www.edgepedia.org/twitches-film)* (2005), followed by two more made-for-TV movies, *Knights of the South Bronx* (A&E, 2005) and *Relative Chaos* (ABC Family, 2006), and an appearance on *Hannah Montana*.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson)
In 2007 she co-starred as anchorwoman Jennifer Lange on *The 1/2 Hour News Hour* ([Fox News](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-news)), a satirical program intended as a right-wing counterpart to *The Daily Show*; the show was poorly received by critics and canceled after a single season.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) She returned to Canada for the teen sitcom *Wingin' It* (Family Channel, 2010–2012), on which she was a series regular, and took a recurring role on the high school drama *Degrassi: The Next Generation* (CTV, 2001–2015).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) • [6](https://schitts-creek.fandom.com/wiki/Jennifer_Robertson) Her other Canadian series work includes regular roles on the sketch show *Comedy Inc.* and *The Sean Cullen Show*, and appearances on *Little Mosque on the Prairie* and *Mr. D*.[6](https://schitts-creek.fandom.com/wiki/Jennifer_Robertson) • [7](https://www.tv-eh.com/2015/03/11/interview-jennifer-robertson-no-1-with-a-nutribullet/)
## Schitt's Creek
In 2015 Robertson was cast as Jocelyn Schitt, the schoolteacher wife of Mayor Roland Schitt ([Chris Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-elliott)), in [Eugene Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-levy) and Dan Levy's sitcom *Schitt's Creek* (CBC, 2015–2020), a "riches to rags" comedy about the wealthy Rose family forced to relocate to a small town they once bought as a joke.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) • [8](https://time.com/4259152/eugene-levy-schitts-creek/) She appeared in all 66 episodes across the show's six seasons.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/)
Robertson has described her first day on set, a scene with Eugene Levy and [Catherine O'Hara](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-ohara), as nerve-wracking, and said the show's subtle humor required her to scale back the broader style she had used on *Comedy Inc.*.[7](https://www.tv-eh.com/2015/03/11/interview-jennifer-robertson-no-1-with-a-nutribullet/) She auditioned for the role at a time when she was struggling to find work in Los Angeles and was looking for part-time jobs to pay the bills.[9](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/jennifer-robertson-on-playing-jocelyn-in-schitts-creek-and-the-series-finale-interview.html/) Among her favorite moments was Jocelyn's unraveling in season 4 after her baby, and singing with the Jazzagals, the show's choir group, in the series finale; she noted that most of the Jazzagals were professional singers while she was not.[9](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/jennifer-robertson-on-playing-jocelyn-in-schitts-creek-and-the-series-finale-interview.html/) The series concluded its six-season run on April 7, 2020, and went on to win [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards).[9](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/jennifer-robertson-on-playing-jocelyn-in-schitts-creek-and-the-series-finale-interview.html/) • [4](https://mail.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/32247/actress-shares-experience-on-schitts-creek)
## Ginny & Georgia and recent work
Since 2021 Robertson has played Ellen Baker, the mother of twins Maxine and Marcus and neighbor and friend of Georgia Miller, on the Netflix series *Ginny & Georgia*, which streams in 64 countries.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) • [3](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series) • [10](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g35618777/ginny-and-georgia-cast-netflix/) She has described Ellen as "the light in the dark situations in the show."[4](https://mail.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/32247/actress-shares-experience-on-schitts-creek)
Her film work leans toward television movies and streaming titles. She played Lisa in the Netflix holiday romantic comedy *[Single All the Way](https://www.edgepedia.org/single-all-the-way)* (2021) and Nancy in *Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between* (2022), with 2022 also bringing roles in *Crawlspace* and *In Merry Measure*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/) • [5](https://castofus.com/tv-casts/jennifer-robertson-movies-nd-tv-shows/) Upcoming credits include *Reminders of Him* (2026) and *Kissing Is the Easy Part* (2026).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/)
## Hosting
Robertson has hosted two Canadian reality competition series. She hosted the last two seasons of *Canada's Handyman Challenge* (HGTV, 2012–2014), in which contestants built items from a single sheet of plywood, and in 2024 she hosted *The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down* (CBC and CBC Gem), filmed on Granville Island, with Seth Rogen as an executive producer and guest judge.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson) • [3](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series) She has said she was a pottery fan rather than a potter, and that she pursued the hosting job after her *Schitt's Creek* publicist told her a pottery show was in development.[3](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series)
## Recognition
Robertson has been nominated for two [Screen Actors Guild Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild-awards), winning one, and four [Canadian Screen Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-screen-awards), and is described in press coverage as a SAG Award-winning actress.[4](https://mail.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/32247/actress-shares-experience-on-schitts-creek) IMDb lists 3 wins and 12 nominations overall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/)
## References
1. [Jennifer Robertson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731897/)
2. [Jennifer Robertson Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jennifer-robertson)
3. [Award-winning actress is back with a new series, Richmond Sentinel (May 24, 2024)](https://www.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/46309/award-winning-actress-is-back-with-a-new-series)
4. [Actress shares experience on "Schitt's Creek", Richmond Sentinel (March 3, 2023)](https://mail.richmondsentinel.ca/article-detail/32247/actress-shares-experience-on-schitts-creek)
5. [Jennifer Robertson Movies and TV Shows: Full Filmography & Roles, Cast Of US](https://castofus.com/tv-casts/jennifer-robertson-movies-nd-tv-shows/)
6. [Jennifer Robertson, Schitt's Creek Wiki](https://schitts-creek.fandom.com/wiki/Jennifer_Robertson)
7. [Interview: Jennifer Robertson, No. 1 with a (Nutri)Bullet, TV, eh? (March 11, 2015)](https://www.tv-eh.com/2015/03/11/interview-jennifer-robertson-no-1-with-a-nutribullet/)
8. [Eugene Levy on Playing the Straight Man in Schitt's Creek, TIME (March 16, 2016)](https://time.com/4259152/eugene-levy-schitts-creek/)
9. [Jennifer Robertson on Playing Jocelyn in 'Schitt's Creek' and the Series Finale, Showbiz Cheat Sheet (April 15, 2020)](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/jennifer-robertson-on-playing-jocelyn-in-schitts-creek-and-the-series-finale-interview.html/)
10. [The 'Ginny and Georgia' Cast: Your Guide, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g35618777/ginny-and-georgia-cast-netflix/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames R to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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