Kelsey Cook

Kelsey Cook was born in Spokane, Washington. Her parents, professional foosball champion Kathy Brainard and poet Chris Cook, met at a foosball competition. She graduated from Cheney High School and later attended Washington State University, where she began her stand-up comedy career in 2009. After college, Cook relocated to Seattle and then to Los Angeles to focus on her comedy full-time, building a foundation for her career in the entertainment industry.

Cook’s career progressed with notable appearances and specials. In March 2018, she made her late-night debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where she has since been featured multiple times. She also appeared on Comedy Central’s “This Is Not Happening.” Cook released her first comedy special, “The Hustler,” in 2023, which initially debuted on her YouTube channel before being acquired by Hulu. She has performed at significant comedy festivals, including the Moontower Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Austin and the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal in 2019.

Her second comedy special, “Mark Your Territory,” was taped live at Comedy on State in Madison, Wisconsin, and released in February 2025 on both Hulu and YouTube. This special discusses personal themes, including heartbreak and navigating a divorce that occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to her stand-up work, Cook created and executive produced the web series “Wrists of Fury” from 2018 to 2020. She also co-hosts the “Self-helpless” podcast and the “Pretend Problems” podcast with comedian Chad Daniels.