Janet Varney Bio
Janet Varney is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer who has established herself as a versatile performer across television, animation, podcasting, and live comedy. She is best known for voicing the title character of Korra in the Nickelodeon animated series The Legend of Korra, portraying Sheriff Evie Barret in IFC’s Stan Against Evil, and her recurring role as Becca Barbara in the FX series You’re the Worst. Varney has also made significant contributions to the comedy community as the co-founder and creative director of SF Sketchfest, the long-running San Francisco comedy festival.
Beyond her on-screen work, Varney has built a substantial presence in podcasting and digital media. She launched The JV Club podcast in 2012, which continues to feature interviews with women in comedy and entertainment. She co-hosts Avatar: Braving the Elements, the official Nickelodeon companion podcast to Avatar: The Last Airbender, alongside Dante Basco. Her creative endeavors extend to writing, producing, and hosting various web series and television projects that showcase her distinctive comedic voice.
Early Life and Background
Janet Varney was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She attended Rincon High School, where she graduated as salutatorian in 1993, demonstrating early academic excellence. Varney is of English and Scottish descent, and her family background in the American Southwest shaped her formative years before she ventured into the entertainment industry.
Following high school, Varney pursued higher education at San Francisco State University, where she majored in theater. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997, providing her with formal training in dramatic arts. During her university years, she developed the foundational skills that would later serve her across various performance mediums.
Before fully committing to an entertainment career, Varney briefly worked in interior design. This detour proved temporary as her passion for performance ultimately drew her back to acting and comedy. During her young adulthood, Varney was raised in the Mormon faith but left the church at age 17 and began identifying as agnostic. She was also diagnosed with depersonalization disorder during this period of her life.
Path to Actress
Varney’s journey into professional entertainment began in San Francisco, where she co-founded Totally False People, a sketch comedy group. Her involvement in the local comedy scene led her to become a co-founder, creative director, and producer of SF Sketchfest in 2002. This annual comedy festival would become one of San Francisco’s premier comedy events and provided Varney with valuable experience in production and performance management.
She performed with several improv groups, including Theme Park Improv based in Los Angeles and Sequel 4000, which performed in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. These early comedy experiences allowed her to hone her improvisational skills and develop her unique comedic voice. Her work in live comedy established connections that would prove instrumental as she transitioned to television and voice acting.
Varney’s television debut came in 2004 as a guest on the Comedy Central debate show Crossballs. This appearance marked the beginning of her transition from live comedy to on-screen performances. Her early television work included guest spots on popular series such as Bones, Better Off Ted, How I Met Your Mother, Hot in Cleveland, and Psych, building her resume with diverse character roles.
Janet Varney Career
Early Career (2003-2011)
In 2005, Varney took on a significant hosting role when she replaced Lisa Kushell as the host of TBS’s Dinner and a Movie. She appeared alongside Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann in each episode, introducing films while adding humor during the preparation of themed dinners. This role allowed Varney to reach a wider television audience and showcased her abilities as both a host and comedic performer. The series ran until its cancellation in 2011.
During this period, Varney continued building her television resume with recurring roles on HBO’s Entourage and Yahoo! Screen’s Burning Love. She also developed her voice acting skills through various projects. In 2011, her relationship with comedian Chris Hardwick ended, marking a personal transition as her professional career was gaining momentum. This era established Varney as a reliable character actress with particular strength in comedy.
Breakthrough (2012-2018)
Varney’s career reached new heights in 2012 when she was cast as the voice of Korra, the protagonist of Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra. This animated series, a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, became a critical and commercial success. Varney voiced the character across all four seasons through 2014, establishing herself as a prominent voice actress. She continued voicing Korra in video games for a decade, with her final performance as the character occurring in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway in 2022.
Also in 2012, Varney co-created Neil’s Puppet Dreams alongside Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, expanding her credentials as a content creator. That same year, she launched The JV Club podcast, which would become a long-running platform spotlighting women in comedy. The podcast initially ran on Nerdist.com before moving to the Maximum Fun network in 2018, eventually reaching its 500th episode in January 2023.
Varney’s television career flourished during this period with a recurring role as Becca Barbara in the critically acclaimed FX series You’re the Worst, which premiered in 2014. Her performance as the no-nonsense studio executive added depth to the show’s ensemble. In 2016, she took on the role of Sheriff Evie Barret in IFC’s Stan Against Evil, playing the lead alongside John C. McGinley. The horror-comedy series ran for three seasons until 2018, cementing Varney’s status as a television leading lady.
In 2016, Varney received critical recognition when she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her work on Everyone’s Crazy But Us, a web series produced for Funny or Die. This nomination highlighted her versatility across both traditional and digital media formats. Throughout this period, she also hosted ESCAPE!, a web series on Geek & Sundry where celebrity teams competed to solve escape room challenges.
Notable Works and Milestones
In 2018, Varney created, produced, and starred in Fortune Rookie, an eight-episode web series presented by IFC. This project demonstrated her ability to develop original content from concept to execution. Her podcast work expanded significantly during this period as she became a regular participant on Paul F. Tompkins’ improv comedy podcast Spontaneanation, where she earned the nickname Little Janet. She also joined the core cast of the improvised science fiction podcast Voyage to the Stars and appeared on Thrilling Adventure Hour, further showcasing her improvisational talents.
Varney’s relationship with the Avatar franchise continued to grow when she began co-hosting Avatar: Braving the Elements in 2021, an official Nickelodeon companion podcast examining episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Between 2017 and 2020, she appeared on the improvised comedy podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern as multiple characters, returning in 2023 as the evil queen Red Queen Merzia. Since 2022, she has voiced Janet Lubelle on the popular fiction podcast Welcome to Night Vale, adding another notable voice role to her extensive portfolio.
Janet Varney Award Nominations
Janet Varney has received recognition from prestigious award bodies throughout her career. Her most notable nomination came in 2016 when she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. This nomination honored her performance in the web series Everyone’s Crazy But Us, produced for Funny or Die, and acknowledged her ability to deliver compelling performances in emerging digital formats.
Janet Varney Awards Won
While Varney has earned critical acclaim and industry recognition, including a significant Primetime Emmy nomination, specific award wins are not documented in the available verified sources. Her contributions to animation, television, and podcasting have garnered widespread appreciation from audiences and peers alike, establishing her as a respected figure in the entertainment industry.
Janet Varney Family
Information about Janet Varney’s parents and family background in Arizona remains private in public sources. She was born in Tucson and completed her early education there before moving to San Francisco for college. Her family heritage includes English and Scottish ancestry. Varney has maintained privacy regarding her family life, focusing public attention on her professional endeavors and creative projects.
Personal Life
Janet Varney was in a relationship with comedian and television host Chris Hardwick from 2004 to 2011. The relationship was a significant part of her personal life during her early career years in Los Angeles. In 2018, Varney publicly came out as bisexual, sharing this aspect of her identity with her audience and fans. She has been open about her diagnosis of depersonalization disorder, using her platform to raise awareness about mental health conditions. Varney continues to reside in the United States where she maintains an active career in entertainment and podcasting.