Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She is known for voicing the character of Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series The Legend of Korra, co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television series Stan Against Evil, and a recurring role as Becca Barbara in You're the Worst.
Varney has hosted The JV Club podcast since 2012 and is also the co-host of the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast along with Dante Basco. She is the co-founder, creative director and producer of the long-running comedy festival SF Sketchfest in San Francisco.
Varney was a main cast member on IFC's Stan Against Evil, playing Sheriff Evie Barret. The show ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2018.[9] She was also the host of ESCAPE!,[10] a web series broadcast on Geek & Sundry where teams of celebrities work together to get out of an escape room.[11] The show ran for one season in 2017.
In 2018 Varney created, produced and starred in Fortune Rookie, an 8-episode web series presented by IFC.[12]
Dinner and a Movie
In 2005, Varney replaced Lisa Kushell as the host of the TBS cooking and entertainment show Dinner and a Movie. She appeared with Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann in each episode, introducing films and injecting humor during the preparation of a creative dinner for some themes. The series was cancelled in 2011.
RiffTrax
Varney has written and performed several comedic audio commentaries for films along with fellow SF Sketchfest co-founder Cole Stratton. These appear on the RiffTrax website under the RiffTrax Presents branding, as they are officially sanctioned by RiffTrax founder and Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumnus Michael J. Nelson.
She has performed in Rifftrax commentaries for the following films:
In March 2012, Varney launched a podcast titled The JV Club, hosted on Nerdist.com[13] from 2012 to 2018. In November 2018, it was announced that The JV Club would be moving to the Maximum Fun network.[14] The podcast released its 500th episode in Jan 2023.[15]
Varney has participated on a regular basis on the improv comedy podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, where she is referred to as "Little Janet" Varney. She is also one of the core cast members of the improvised SciFi podcast Voyage to the Stars,[16] and the podcast Thrilling Adventure Hour.[17]
Avatar: Braving the Elements, an official Nickelodeon companion podcast to Avatar: The Last Airbender, premiered on June 22, 2021, hosted by Varney (the voice of Korra) and Dante Basco (the voice of Zuko). Varney and Basco discuss key moments and behind-the scenes information from each episode.[18]
She has appeared on the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern as the character Braidwynn the Warrior Elf, who disguises herself as Crone Bakeress. She is also a frequent guest on the puzzle, riddle and lateral thinking podcast Hey Riddle Riddle.
Since 2022, Varney has voiced the character of Janet Lubelle on Welcome to Night Vale.
Other professional projects
Varney is the co-founder, creative director and producer of SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival, and is also the co-founder of the San Francisco sketch group Totally False People. She is a core member of the Los Angeles based improv group Theme Park Improv.[19] She performed with the Los Angeles and San Francisco-based group Sequel 4000.
^SF State Magazine (Fall 2008). "Funny Business". sfsu.edu. San Francisco State University. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
^Varney, Janet (June 28, 2018). "Janet Varney on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2019. I've been woefully lax in celebrating Pride this month on social media! So I'm ending this month listing 10 movies that made me feel less weird about my feelings for ladies as a young person. #pride
^"Janet Varney". mentalpod.com. March 26, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
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