# Robby Hoffman
**Robby Hoffman** (born 1989, real name Rivkah Sarah Hoffman) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor known for her Emmy-nominated role as Randi on the HBO comedy *Hacks*, her Daytime Emmy-winning writing on the PBS children's series *Odd Squad*, and her 2025 Netflix stand-up special *Robby Hoffman: Wake Up*, directed by [John Mulaney](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mulaney).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-hoffman/) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robby-hoffman) • [3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/) • [4](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/robby-hoffman-wake-up-limited-edition-vinyl-release/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Brooklyn, New York; birth name Rivkah Sarah Hoffman[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-hoffman/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/200303/robby-hoffman) |
| Upbringing | Seventh of 10 children raised by a single mother in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn, then in Montreal[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) |
| Before comedy | Studied accounting and finance at McGill University; briefly worked for KPMG[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) |
| Writing career | *Odd Squad* (Daytime Emmy win), *The Chris Gethard Show*, *Workin' Moms*, *Baroness Von Sketch Show*[3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-hoffman/) |
| Breakthrough role | Randi on *Hacks*, a part written for her; 2025 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robby-hoffman) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) |
| Stand-up specials | *I'm Nervous* (2019, Just for Laughs); *Robby Hoffman: Wake Up* (Netflix, December 2025, directed by John Mulaney)[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) • [4](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/robby-hoffman-wake-up-limited-edition-vinyl-release/) |
| Current projects | Recurring role on HBO's *Rooster*; developing the HBO series *UnEntitled*[3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/) • [6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) |
| Personal life | Married to reality television star Gabby Windey[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) |
## Early life
Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, New York, where her parents belonged to a Hasidic Jewish community, which she has described in her comedy as a cult and in interviews as a "fanatic religious sect."[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) She is the seventh of 10 children raised by a single mother who divorced her father and moved the family back to her native Montreal when Hoffman was in grade school.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) The family relied on welfare payments, and Hoffman attended a Jewish private school on subsidized tuition, later winning a scholarship her grandfather helped secure.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
**A rejected audition.** As a child in Montreal, at around age 12 or 13, she was offered an audition for *Degrassi Junior High* after scouts visited her school, but her mother refused to let her travel to Toronto alone, ending the possibility.[9](https://www.televisionacademy.com/news/features/emmy-magazine/articles/hacks-robby-hoffman) She left home at 17, renting her own place and working part-time to support herself through Cégep, the pre-university college system in Quebec.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
## Accounting and the move to comedy
Hoffman studied accounting and finance at [McGill University](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcgill-university) and pursued the profession in Toronto after graduation, briefly working for the consultancy KPMG.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) She began doing stand-up while still at McGill. To avoid being fired over her extracurricular comedy, she adopted a stage name, paying homage to her uncle Rob, whom she and her siblings considered "the nerdiest, greatest guy in the world."[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) She eventually left accounting for a writing job on *The Chris Gethard Show*, which took her back to New York.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/)
She has said she did not grow up watching stand-up specials and only became familiar with the format in adulthood, learning of it through Montreal's Just for Laughs festival.[9](https://www.televisionacademy.com/news/features/emmy-magazine/articles/hacks-robby-hoffman) Her first hour special, *I'm Nervous*, was recorded for [Just for Laughs](https://www.edgepedia.org/just-for-laughs) in 2019, the same year she won a Daytime Emmy as a writer on *Odd Squad*.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6959013/)
## Television writing
Hoffman built her early career as a writer and story editor on children's and comedy series. Her credits include PBS's *Odd Squad* and its spin-off movies, the CBC's *Workin' Moms*, IFC's *Baroness Von Sketch Show*, TruTV's *The Chris Gethard Show*, and *Dino Dana*.[3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-hoffman/) The *Odd Squad* writing work won her a Daytime Emmy Award.[3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/)
## Hacks and acting breakthrough
Hoffman met [Paul W. Downs](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-w-downs), a co-creator and star of *Hacks*, in the alt-comedy scene before the pandemic.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) The show's creators, Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky, wrote the character of Randi for her, drawing on her life: a former Hasidic Jew from Crown Heights hired as an assistant to Hollywood agents Jimmy and Kayla despite having seen only one movie, 1994's *Speed*.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) Hoffman has called the part "a life-changing" one.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
The role earned her a 2025 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the episode "Cover Girls"; she lost to her *Hacks* co-star [Julianne Nicholson](https://www.edgepedia.org/julianne-nicholson) and later said she walked out of the ceremony, calling herself a "sore loser."[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robby-hoffman) • [11](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/robby-hoffman-admits-she-stormed-out-of-emmys-after-losing/) In 2025 she also appeared opposite [Michelle Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-williams-actress) in the FX limited series *Dying for Sex*, playing a character who instructs Williams's character in BDSM.[12](https://www.vogue.com/article/robby-hoffman-season-is-officially-upon-us)
## Stand-up success and current work
Hoffman's second stand-up special, *Robby Hoffman: Wake Up*, premiered on Netflix in December 2025, directed and produced by John Mulaney, who said on announcing the collaboration, "No one has owned a stage like her since James Brown."[4](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/robby-hoffman-wake-up-limited-edition-vinyl-release/) • [13](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about) Mulaney had found her work online and reached out about directing a special after her outspokenness at a writers guild meeting drew his attention.[14](https://pod.wave.co/podcast/mike-birbiglias-working-it-out/214-robby-hoffman-its-a-new-dawn) In 2025 she was named one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch."[13](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about) The special was later released as an album on the indie label Secretly Canadian, digitally and as a limited run of signed vinyl.[4](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/robby-hoffman-wake-up-limited-edition-vinyl-release/)
**Television and development.** Hoffman joined the HBO comedy *[Rooster](https://www.edgepedia.org/rooster-tv-series)*, a college-campus series starring [Steve Carell](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-carell) from Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, as a recurring guest star, and she is developing *UnEntitled* at HBO, a series she is writing, executive producing, and set to star in.[3](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/) • [6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [13](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about) She also co-hosted the Patreon podcast *Too Far* with the comedian [Rachel Kaly](https://www.edgepedia.org/rachel-kaly), which *The New York Times* called "an addictive listen."[13](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about) • [15](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/jury-duty-season-2-company-retreat-cast/)
## Comedy style and public reception
Hoffman's comedy draws on her religious upbringing, her queer identity, and a working-class childhood, delivered in a persona she describes as coming in hot: exasperated, coarse, and unapologetic.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) *The New York Times* has described her as a "bulldozing stand-up" and compared her to [Larry David](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-david), while *The Daily Beast* called her "the future of comedy" and *The Wall Street Journal* "an original comic talent."[13](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about) Some of her material, including jokes about abortion and the non-binary community, has drawn criticism; she responds that she does not choose her thoughts and that joking about everything is "more democratic," adding that "being offended isn't the worst thing. Being poor is."[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
She has described herself as being in a "genderqueer space" and has had top surgery, saying she prefers a boyish physical appearance.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) During the 2023 [Writers Guild of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/writers-guild-of-america) strike she publicly questioned the decision to strike before pursuing litigation, drawing boos at an initial meeting and later interest from hundreds of members.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
Hoffman married [Gabby Windey](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabby-windey), a former star of *The Bachelorette*, in a 20-minute ceremony in Las Vegas; the couple's announcement drew wide attention online.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix) She has characterized her rise as deliberately slow: "I've never been the overnight success. I've always been the 'slow and steady wins the race' kind."[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/)
## References
1. [Robby Hoffman, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-hoffman/)
2. [Robby Hoffman, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robby-hoffman)
3. ['Hacks' Breakout Robby Hoffman Joins Steve Carell's New HBO Comedy, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/robby-hoffman-hacks-hbo-steve-carell-comedy-24689/)
4. [Robby Hoffman Drops Limited-Edition Vinyl of Her Latest Comedy Special 'Wake Up', Rolling Stone Canada](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/robby-hoffman-wake-up-limited-edition-vinyl-release/)
5. [Robby Hoffman, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/200303/robby-hoffman)
6. [Robby Hoffman's slow and steady rise to the top, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-next/interactive/2026/robby-hoffman/)
7. ['Being offended isn't the worst thing. Being poor is': how Robby Hoffman became a controversial comedy sensation, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/robby-hoffman-controversial-comedy-sensation-netflix)
8. [Robby Hoffman, TV Guide credits](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/robby-hoffman/credits/3000859973/)
9. [The TV That Made Me: Robby Hoffman, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/news/features/emmy-magazine/articles/hacks-robby-hoffman)
10. [Robby Hoffman, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6959013/)
11. [Robby Hoffman Says She Left the Emmys After Losing Her Category, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/robby-hoffman-admits-she-stormed-out-of-emmys-after-losing/)
12. [Robby Hoffman Season Is Officially Upon Us, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/robby-hoffman-season-is-officially-upon-us)
13. [About, robbyhoffman.com](https://www.robbyhoffman.com/about)
14. [214. Robby Hoffman: It's a New Dawn, Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out](https://pod.wave.co/podcast/mike-birbiglias-working-it-out/214-robby-hoffman-its-a-new-dawn)
15. [Your Guide to the 'Jury Duty' Season 2 Cast, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/jury-duty-season-2-company-retreat-cast/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screenwriters and television writers › Television writers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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