Kathleen Madigan has been recognized as one of the funniest people on the comedy circuit today. Her unique perspective on current affairs makes her one of the most in-demand stand-up comics and public speakers in the country. The St. Louis woman has churned out hilarious comedy specials, which places her on the top of the charts as one of the biggest entertainers in Show Me State history.
Kathleen Madigan was born on September 30, 1965, and grew up in a large family in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant. After graduating from McCluer North High School in 1983, she moved on to Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville, where she studied journalism.
Kathleen put her journalism degree to good use after graduating from SIUE, as she worked in the St. Louis area with the Suburban Journals and for the Missouri Athletic Club publications department. At the same time she was working for the MAC, she attended “open mic” nights at local comedy clubs. Her comedic stories were reflections of real-life experiences and the news of the day, and audiences instantly related to the stories she was telling. Suddenly, she was getting a fan base that drove for miles to hear her unique brand of stand-up comedy.
Around the same time she was becoming popular on the local comedy circuit, Madigan was also becoming frustrated with the news business. She formulated a plan to make a career out of “making fun” of news, instead of reporting on it. Her year and a half of experience in traditional journalism was more than enough, so she struck out on her own to see if she could make a living doing comedy.
