Please join us for a special sneak peek screening of season two of The Jim Gaffigan Show followed by a Q&A with Jim Gaffigan, Jeannie Gaffigan, and Ashley Williams.
Moderated by Kim Potts, Yahoo! TV.
SHOW SYNOPSIS
Inspired by Jim Gaffigan’s real life, The Jim Gaffigan Show explores one man's struggle to find balance between fatherhood, stand-up comedy and an insatiable appetite.
EPISODE SYNOPSIS
"The Trial"
Jim finds himself jailed and on trial for a crime he may or may not have committed.
PANELIST BIOS
Jim Gaffigan - Actor, Executive Producer
Jim Gaffigan stars as a fictional version of himself on The Jim Gaffigan Show, returning for its second season on TV Land on Sunday, June 19th with two back-to-back premiere episodes at 10pm and 10:30pm ET/PT.
Jim Gaffigan is a GRAMMY®-nominated comedian, New York Times best-selling author, top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling father of five. Now starring on TV Land’s The Jim Gaffigan Show, lauded by The Los Angeles Times as “Fun and Funny,” and People Magazine as “One of Summer TV’s bright spots,” was developed by Peter Tolan along with Gaffigan and his wife, Jeannie, who both also serve as executive producers and showrunners. The single-camera comedy co-stars Ashley Williams, Michael Ian Black, and Adam Goldberg and revolves around one man’s struggle to balance fatherhood, stand-up comedy and an insatiable appetite.
With multiple projects in motion, Gaffigan is currently preparing to travel the country in a tour bus with his family on behalf of his Fully Dressed arena and theater tour which begins July 7th.
Last December, Gaffigan became one of only ten comics in history to sell out Madison Square Garden and few months prior, Gaffigan had the honor of performing in front of Pope Francis and over 1 million festival attendees at the Festival of Families in Philadelphia.
Gaffigan’s fourth special (Beyond the Pale in 2006, King Baby in 2009, Mr. Universe in 2012), Obsessed premiered on Comedy Central in 2014 and the DVD/CD was released soon after by Comedy Central Records. Obsessed premiered at #1 on iTunes which marked the fifth time Gaffigan reached the Top 25 Comedy category on iTunes. The album also earned a nomination for ‘Best Comedy Album of the Year’ at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
In 2013, Jim’s first book, Dad Is Fat, was released by Crown Publishing and debuted at #5 on The New York Times Bestseller’s List and remained on the list for 17 weeks. His second book, Food: A Love Story, was released in the fall of 2014 and debuted at #3 on The New York Times Bestseller’s List.
In addition to his own television show, widely popular stand-up comedy and best-selling books, Jim has guest starred on many television comedies and dramas, ranging from Portlandia to HBO's cult hits Flight of the Concords and Bored to Death to dramatic roles in all three versions of Law & Order. On the silver screen, his credits include Three Kings, Hot Pursuit, Super Troopers, and 17 Again amongst many others. Taking a dramatic turn, Gaffigan co-starred alongside Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder in Magnolia Picture’s 2015 drama, Experimenter, and will next be seen opposite Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Ron Perlman and Elisabeth Moss in the independent film, The Bleeder.
Gaffigan was born in Elgin, Illinois and is the youngest of six children. He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife Jeannie, and their five children.
Jeannie Gaffigan - Writer, Executive Producer
Actress, producer, writer, philanthropist, mother of five and all around comedic force Jeannie Gaffigan is most well-known for the comedy empire she created with her writing/producing partner and husband, Jim Gaffigan, one of the world’s premiere stand-up comedians and actors. Called “Comedy’s Quietest Power Couple,” by Vanity Fair, Jeannie and Jim have developed a critically-acclaimed TV show, bestselling books, and multiple sold-out tours and platinum status comedy albums.
Jeannie currently serves as executive producer and writer on the TV Land comedy The Jim Gaffigan Show,which premieres season two on Father’s Day, June 19th. The Jim Gaffigan Show revolves around one man’s struggle to balance fatherhood, stand-up comedy and an insatiable appetite. The show stars Jim as a heightened version of himself, Ashley Williams as Jeannie, Adam Goldberg as Jim’s less-than-dependable best friend, and Michael Ian Black as Jeannie’s now gay ex-boyfriend turned confidant. Season one of The Jim Gaffigan Show, was well received by critics, with Newsday proclaiming it as “a must see comedy smash,” and People Magazine calling it “one of TV’s bright spots.”
The first comedy special Jeannie co-wrote and executive produced was in 2006’s Beyond the Pale: Jim Gaffigan, which achieved Platinum sales for CD and DVD. Next was the highly successful King Baby, Jim’s 2009 Comedy Central special directed by Troy Miller, that she co-wrote, executive produced, and for which she wrote the opening sequence. She also helped co-write and executive produce Jim Gaffigan’s latest comedy specials, Mr. Universe in 2012 and Obsessed in 2014. Jeannie was also the story editor for Jim’s books, Dad Is Fat and FOOD: A Love Story, two New York Times best-selling books.
Jeannie is currently working on a new stand-up special with Jim. In addition to performing in theater, film and television, Jeannie was the founder and executive director of “Shakespeare on the Playground,” a not-for-profit theater company that produced Shakespearean plays with inner city teenagers with a focus on literacy and production skills. She lives in New York City with Jim and their five children.
Ashley Williams - Actor
Ashley Williams is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actresses and continues to bring her talents to comedies and dramas in the mediums of film, television and theatre. This summer, she’s starring alongside popular comedian Jim Gaffigan in The Jim Gaffigan Show, returning for season two on Sunday, June 19th at 10pm and 10:30pm ET/PT with two back-to-back episodes on TV Land.Ashley plays Jeannie Gaffigan, Jim’s TV wife (based on his real-life wife), the constant reality check Jim needs when he gets lost in his struggle to balance stand-up comedy, raising five kids in a two-bedroom apartment, and an insatiable appetite.
Ashley recently appeared alongside Jessica Chastain and Oscar Issac in the critically-acclaimed film A Most Violent Year. She also starred in the Warner Bros film Something Borrowed, alongside Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin. Her other film credits include the Oscar-nominated indie film Margin Call, that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and starred Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and Zachary Quinto.
Ashley first won over audiences as a teenager when she played Meg Ryan's daughter, Dani Andropolous, on As The World Turns. Later she starred alongside Mark Feuerstein in the NBC television series Good Morning Miami and in the Lifetime telefilm Montana Sky. Ashley also had a memorable recurring role on the comedy How I Met Your Mother, as Victoria, “the one that got away” for Ted (Josh Radnor). She was so popular on the show that she won an online poll conducted by the production staff as to whom fans would most like to see the as “the mother.” Her other television credits include recurring roles on the Holly Hunter series Saving Grace, Warehouse 13, and Huff, as well as guest-starring roles on The New Adventures of Old Christine, Monk, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Psych, and Law and Order: SVU to name just a few.
Born in Westchester, New York, Ashley studied at Boston University’s renowned School of Theatre Arts, and spent a year abroad at LAMDA and RADA in London. She was a member of the acting company at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival at Williams College. Her first job out of college was understudying both Rachel Weisz and Gretchen Mol in the Off-Broadway play The Shape of Things, which was written and directed by Neil LaBute. At various times during the run of the play, Ashley performed both roles. She also starred alongside Wendie Malick in the Off-Broadway play Burleigh Grimes at the Dodger Stages. Last year she starred on Broadwayopposite Tom Skerritt and Sebastian Arcelus in A Time To Kill, based on the best-selling John Grisham novel.
Ashley is currently producing projects for Hallmark as well as in the independent film and new media spaces. In addition to all of these other interests, Ashley is also a birth doula. A doula is someone who offers emotional, physical and informational support to the mother and her partner leading up to labor, through childbirth, and throughout postpartum. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles and New York with her husband and young son.
