Nick Kroll Bio
Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He first gained widespread recognition for playing Rodney Ruxin on the FX comedy series The League, which aired from 2009 to 2015, and for creating and starring in the Comedy Central sketch series Kroll Show, which ran from 2013 to 2015. He is also a co-creator and lead voice actor on the long-running Netflix animated series Big Mouth.
Beyond television, Kroll has built a steady film career with comedic and voice roles in projects including I Love You, Man, Get Him to the Greek, Sing, Sausage Party, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and Sing 2. He is also the co-creator, with writing partner John Mulaney, of the Broadway and Netflix hit The Oh, Hello Show. His wide-ranging work spans stand-up, sketch comedy, voice acting, film, and producing.
Early Life and Background
Nicholas Kroll was born on June 5, 1978, in Rye, New York. He is the youngest child in his family, with a brother, Jeremy, and two sisters, Vanessa and Dana. His father is Jules Kroll, the billionaire businessman who founded the corporate investigations and risk consulting firm Kroll Inc. Kroll grew up in a Conservative Jewish household in suburban Westchester County.
He attended the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester for his early education and went on to high school at Rye Country Day School. During his teenage years he briefly attended The Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont, where he developed a lasting fondness for hiking and the outdoors. These formative years in Rye gave him both the stability of a close-knit family and the curiosity that would later shape his creative path.
In 2001, Kroll graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He majored in history and minored in art and Spanish, but said he found himself gravitating toward media studies as his college years progressed. His time at Georgetown helped him realize that storytelling and performance, rather than traditional academics, would become the focus of his professional life.
Path to Comedy
After finishing college, Kroll moved into the stand-up and improv scene in New York City. He began writing for Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show and MTV’s Human Giant, sharpening his skills in sketch and character work. He also became a regular performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in both New York and Los Angeles, where he developed many of the oddball personas that would later define his career.
In November and December 2008, Kroll toured with Aziz Ansari on the Glow in the Dark comedy tour across the United States. The following year, Comedy Central featured him in his own stand-up special, Thank You Very Cool. Along the way he co-hosted the stand-up show Welcome to Our Week with writer and comedian Jessi Klein, building a reputation as a sharp, inventive voice in alternative comedy.
Kroll also created several memorable characters that circulated online, including Bobby Bottleservice, Ref Jeff, and Fabrice Fabrice. With writing partner John Mulaney, he developed the duo Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland for The Oh, Hello Show. These characters, which mixed absurdist humor with old-man banter, became a viral hit and later moved to Broadway in 2016 before being filmed for Netflix in 2017.
Nick Kroll Career
Early Career (2004–2008)
Kroll’s first significant screen credit came with the ABC sitcom Cavemen, based on the Geico insurance commercials. The show was cancelled after seven episodes, but Kroll has called the role the most important experience of his professional career. He went on to appear on VH1’s Best Week Ever and to land guest roles on shows like Parks and Recreation, Community, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and New Girl.
During this same period, he wrote for Chappelle’s Show and Human Giant and performed in character on Comedy Central series such as Reno 911!, John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, and The Benson Interruption. He also published the 2005 book Bar Mitzvah Disco, co-written with Jules Shell and Roger Bennett, showing an early willingness to experiment across formats.
Breakthrough (2009–2015)
In 2009, Kroll landed the role of Rodney Ruxin on the FXX comedy series The League, which ran until December 9, 2015. The show, centered on a group of friends obsessed with fantasy football, became a cult favorite and gave Kroll one of his most recognizable live-action parts. That same period also brought supporting film roles in I Love You, Man, Get Him to the Greek, Date Night, Dinner for Schmucks, and A Good Old Fashioned Orgy.
On January 16, 2013, Kroll debuted Kroll Show on Comedy Central, a sketch comedy series built around his many characters. The show ran until March 24, 2015, and earned him the Breakout Star of the Year award at the 2013 Just For Laughs festival. He also became a familiar presence as one of the roasters on the Comedy Central Roast of James Franco, further cementing his reputation in the comedy world.
In 2014, he starred in the film Adult Beginners, and in 2015 he appeared in the comedy Vacation. The year 2016 brought his first major voice-villain role as Douche in the adult animated film Sausage Party, originally performed with a British accent before the creative team shifted the film’s tone. That same year, he voiced Meena’s father, Big Daddy, in the animated musical Sing.
Animated Success and Beyond (2016–Present)
In 2017, Kroll co-created, wrote, and voiced multiple characters on the Netflix animated series Big Mouth, including Nick, Coach Steve, Maurice the Hormone Monster, Lola, Rick the Hormone Monster, the Jansen twins, and Lady Liberty. The series, which explores the chaos of puberty through a group of seventh graders, became one of Netflix’s longest-running animated hits and led to the spin-off Human Resources (2022–2023) and the series Mating Season (2026).
His later voice work includes Professor Poopypants in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), Sergei in The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019), Buster Moon’s father in Sing 2 (2021), and the Belchers’ friend in The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022). On the live-action side, he took on more dramatic parts as Bernie Cohen in Loving and as Rafi Eitan in Operation Finale, showing a wider range than his earlier comedic roles. More recently, he has appeared in How It Ends (2021), The House (2017), First Time Female Director (2023), Red One (2024), and Smurfs (2025).
Notable Works and Milestones
Nick Kroll’s signature achievements include co-creating Big Mouth and its growing Netflix animated universe, headlining Kroll Show on Comedy Central, and co-starring in The League for six seasons. The Oh, Hello Show, which he co-created with John Mulaney, transferred from a cult stage act to a Broadway run and then to Netflix. His breakout recognition came with the 2013 Just For Laughs Breakout Star of the Year award.
Nick Kroll Family
Nick Kroll is the son of Jules Kroll, the founder of the corporate investigations firm Kroll Inc., and Lynn Kroll. He has three siblings: a brother, Jeremy, and two sisters, Vanessa and Dana. Through his sister Vanessa’s marriage to journalist Roger Bennett, his brother-in-law is Roger Bennett. Through his wife, his cousin-in-law is fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra.
Personal Life
Kroll dated comedian and actress Amy Poehler from May 2013 until 2015. He later met landscape artist Lily Kwong in 2018, and the two married in November 2020. Their son was born in January 2021, and in November 2023 the couple announced the birth of their daughter. Kroll has also been active in civic efforts, joining the 2020 #IDCheck Challenge from VoteRiders ahead of the United States elections to raise awareness about voter identification requirements.
