Danielle Perez (born 1984 or 1985) is an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

, actor, and writer. She participated in

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

's 2020 Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase and has credits on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

,''

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''Decoded'', NBC's ''StandUp'', and ''

A Little Late with Lilly Singh ''A Little Late with Lilly Singh'' is an American late-night talk show that was broadcast by NBC. Premiering on September 16, 2019, and hosted by Canadian comedian and internet celebrity Lilly Singh, it succeeded ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' ...

''.

Early life

Perez grew up in Los Angeles, California. She attended

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

. As a child, she struggled with eating disorders and depression. She is Afro-Dominican.

Career

Perez appeared on the game show ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

'' in 2015 where she won a treadmill despite being in a wheelchair. Perez found humor in this ironic moment. She appeared on ''

'' soon after, and Kimmel gave her a trip on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Perez has performed comedy at a number of festivals and venues, including

SF Sketchfest SF Sketchfest, or The San Francisco Comedy Festival, is an American comedy festival founded in 2002 by Bay Area actor-comedians David Owen, Janet Varney and Cole Stratton. It takes place every January and February in a variety of Bay Area venues ...

, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, and the Brooklyn Comedy Festival. She has opened for many popular comedians, including

Maria Bamford Maria Bamford (born September 3, 1970) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Her work often uses self-deprecating and dark topics, including her dysfunctional family, depression, anxiety, suicide and mental illness. Her first comedy alb ...

, Laurie Kilmartin, and

Guy Branum Guy Branum () (born November 12, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Some first knew him through his work as a regular panelist on ''Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network and the head writer and a sketch performer on ''X-Play'' on the ...

. She participated in

's Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase in 2020 in Los Angeles, a showcase designed to spotlight historically underrepresented voices in comedy. She has credits on season 11 of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', MTV's ''Decoded'', NBC's ''StandUp'', and ''A Little Late with Lilly Singh''. She has also filmed sketches for

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...

and voiced characters for Comedy Central. Perez advocates for accessibility and inclusivity in comedy. She founded Thigh Gap Comedy with fellow comics Madison Shepard and Danielle Radford. They put on live comedy shows around Los Angeles, including one called GENTRIFICATION in the Highland Park neighborhood. In 2022, it was announced that Perez would star in the comedy film Plan B, alongside

Jon Heder Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his breakout lead role as the title character of the comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004). He also voiced the character in the Fox animated serie ...

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing ...

, and

Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress and poker player. Her film roles solidified her status as a sex symbol of the 1990s and 2000s. In film, Elizabeth is best known for her role as Nadia in the ''American Pie ...

. Perez voiced Charlotte Webber / Sun-Spider in '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''.

Personal life

When Perez was 20 years old, she was hit by a trolley in San Francisco while crossing the street. Her lower legs were amputated and she began using a wheelchair. She is openly queer. She has canvassed for the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

African-American comedians American actors with disabilities American stand-up comedians American comedy writers American queer actresses American LGBTQ comedians American people of Dominican Republic descent {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Danielle Living people Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from California 1980s births Amputee actors Comedians from Los Angeles LGBTQ writers with disabilities American wheelchair users African-American LGBTQ people Queer comedians