Ali Barthwell

Ali Barthwell
Born
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationWellesley College (BA)
OccupationWriter
Years active2016–present
Notable workLast Week Tonight with John Oliver (staff writer)
AwardsPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2021; 2022)

Ali Barthwell is an American writer. She reviews television for Vulture and is a staff writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Life and career

Barthwell was born and raised in Chicago.[1] Both of her parents are physicians. She received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 2010, where she was the co-president of the improv group Dead Serious.[2] Shortly after graduating she won a scholarship to train in improv and sketch comedy at Second City.[3] She was inspired to apply after seeing Amber Ruffin perform on the Second City Mainstage.[2]

She has written television recaps and reviews for Vulture since 2016.[4] She has recapped programs including Empire, How to Get Away with Murder, and productions from The Bachelor franchise.[5]

Along with her two brothers and two friends, Barthwell organized the inaugural WakandaCon in Chicago in August 2018, inspired by the release of Black Panther.[1] The event was received positively and drew approximately 2,500 attendees.[6] Barthwell connected the event to afrofuturism and described WakandaCon as "a space for Black people to look past the present and into our future."[6]

She joined the writing staff of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in 2020.[2] Barthwell won successive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2021 and 2022 for her work.[7]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2021 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Won [7]
2022 Won [8]
2023 Pending
2021 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy/Variety Talk Series Nominated [9]
2022 Nominated [10]
2023 Won [11]

References

  1. ^ a b Maloney, Devon (13 August 2018). "How the first Wakandacon escaped the fan convention curse". The Verge. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "From Dead Serious to John Oliver: The Comedy Journey of the Emmy-Nominated Ali Barthwell '10". Wellesley College. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. ^ Ryzik, Melena (12 August 2020). "Second City Is Trying Not to Be Racist. Will It Work This Time?". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Ali Barthwell". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  5. ^ Schmidt, Samantha. "Gen Z leads LGBT shift". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b Gibbs, Adrienne. "'Come Find Your Tribe': WakandaCon Takes Over Chicago And 'Black Panther' Fans Rejoice". Forbes. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b Lee Yandoli, Krystie (20 September 2021). "Here Are The Winners Of The 2021 Emmy Awards". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  8. ^ Pedersen, Erik (2022-09-04). "Creative Arts Emmys Night 1 Winners List: 'The Beatles: Get Back' & 'Adele: One Night Only' Lead Field". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  9. ^ Hipes, Patrick (2021-02-03). "WGA Awards TV Nominations: 'Better Call Saul', 'Ted Lasso' & 'The Great' Lead Way". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  10. ^ Schneider, Michael (13 January 2022). "Writers Guild Unveils 2022 WGA TV Award Nominees: 'Yellowjackets,' 'Hacks,' 'Reservation Dogs,' 'Only Murders in the Building' and More". Variety. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  11. ^ "2023 Writers Guild Awards Nominees". awards.wga.org. Retrieved 2023-01-25.