Nicole Byer

Nicole Byer is an American comedian, actress, and television host born on August 29, 1986. She is widely known as the host of the Netflix comedic reality bake-off series Nailed It!, a role that earned her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. She is also recognized for co-hosting the obstacle course competition series Wipeout alongside John Cena, as well as for her extensive work in television, film, stand-up comedy, and podcasting.

Raised in New Jersey, Byer moved to New York City in the early 2000s, where she initially worked as a waitress at a restaurant and cabaret club. Encouraged by patrons who recognized her humor, she began pursuing comedy. Both of her parents passed away during her youth, her mother while Byer was in high school and her father when she was 21, and she credited comedy with helping her process these losses. She graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Certificate Program in Professional Performance and began taking improv and sketch comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in June 2008, later embarking on a stand-up career in 2013.

Byer gained widespread initial recognition in 2013 as a commentator on the MTV commentary series Girl Code. She subsequently hosted MTV's Are You the One? The Aftermatch Live in 2014, and in 2016 appeared in MTV's prank show Ladylike and Fox's sketch comedy series Party Over Here. That same year, she began starring in the scripted comedy series Loosely Exactly Nicole, a show based on her own life experiences that aired on MTV before moving to Facebook Watch for its second season.

In March 2018, Byer began hosting Netflix's Nailed It! alongside head judge and chocolatier Jacques Torres. Her work on the show made her the first Black woman nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program, receiving nominations in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2021, she began co-hosting the rebooted Wipeout series on TBS. Byer released her first full-length comedy special, Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo), on Netflix in December 2021, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.

Throughout her career, Byer has appeared in numerous guest television roles, including 30 Rock, Family Guy, Transparent, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Simpsons, BoJack Horseman, Bob's Burgers, Young & Hungry, and RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. Her film credits include Other People, All About Nina, Bad Hair, and Valley Girl. Additionally, she created and starred in the 2013 web series Pursuit of Sexiness with Sasheer Zamata and appeared in a 2018 Smirnoff commercial campaign alongside Ted Danson.

Byer is a prominent podcast host, leading shows such as Why Won't You Date Me?, Best Friends with Sasheer Zamata, Newcomers with Lauren Lapkus, 90 Day Bae with Marcy Jarreau, and Drag Her with Mano Agapion. In 2020, she published her first book, #VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini.

Byer tours the United States performing stand-up comedy and regularly performs improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. She cites Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Turner, and Mo'Nique as early comedic and artistic influences. Based in Los Angeles with her rescue dog, Clyde, Byer publicly supports body positivity, has spoken openly about her sexual orientation and dating, and has shared that she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as an adult.