Kemsley began stand-up in 2011 and within months won the Funny's Funny contest.[10] In 2012, she won Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year and Brighton Comedy Festival New Act of the Year and was named by Rhod Gilbert as one of the Ten Must See Comics of 2012.[10] Her autobiographical solo show, Slutty Joan, was reviewed positively in The Guardian.[7]
She hosts a podcast, Why Is Harriet Crying?, with fellow comedian Sunil Patel.[11]
As an actress, she has appeared in the film Bonobo and on TV on Damned and Doctor Foster.[12] She also provided the voice of Nashandra, the final boss of the video game Dark Souls II.
Personal life
In her twenties, Kemsley shared a house with comedian Rosie Holt.[13]
Kemsley married fellow comedian Bobby Mair in 2017.[1] They have one daughter, born in 2021.[14] She used a stand-up set broadcast on 19 April 2024 as part of the last episode of The Now Show to announce that she had recently got divorced, and that she had joined the dating app Hinge earlier that year.[2]: 23:02 She has dyspraxia and is a vegan.[15][16] She is allergic to raw fruit, raw vegetables and nuts. She has a phobia of bananas.[17]
