| Kate Rigg | |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Canada |
| Nationality: | Canadian Australian American |
| Years Active: | 1998–present |
| Website: | https://www.katerigg.com/ |
Kate Siahaan-Rigg (known as Kate Rigg or Katie Rigg) is a Queer Asian Canadian, Australian, American actress, comedian, writer and activist,[1] best known for her performance as a comedy correspondent for The Dr Phil Show,[2] and her "NuyorAsian"[3] [4] standup comedy shows, focusing on her experience as a New York based Queer Asian woman.[5]
She has created and produced multiple comedy shows for Television, such as Dance Your Ass Off for NBC Universal, YTV's Cache Craze, and the online show Gonzo Girls.[6]
Rigg was born and raised in Toronto, Canada.[7] At the age of 17, she ran away from her home to study at the University of Melbourne. She moved to New York and was accepted into Juilliard School of Performing Arts and graduated from there in 2000.
After graduation from Juilliard, Rigg co-founded the comedy rock band Slanty Eyed Mama along with fellow Juilliard alum violinist Lyris Hung.[8] The band has continued to perform shows that challenge Asian American stereotypes through comedy and punk rock.[9] [10]
Rigg has since developed several standup comedy shows about the stereotypical tropes of Asian American women.[11]
In 2005, Rigg voiced Esperanza and various voices for Family Guy's fourth season. In 2009 she joined the Dr. Phil show as an on-air comedy correspondent, recurring on a regular basis for three seasons.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Rigg participated in the virtual edition of We're Funny That Way! alongside performers like Carolyn Taylor, Gavin Crawford, Lea DeLaria, Colin Mochrie, Kinley Mochrie and Deb McGrath. The entire cast were collectively nominated for Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Speed of Life | Mean nurse | ||
| 2005 | Various | |||
| 2011 | Joshua Tree | Stacy | ||
| 2012 | That's What She Said | Lu | ||
| 2015 | The Trophy Wife | Oma | Short film | |
| 2018 | Mile 22 | Miss Moon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Oz | Reporter | ||
| 1998 | Law & Order | Various | S8E18 (Anne Forbes), S12E7 (Administrator), S13E9 (Sally Xiao), S14E16 (Sally Xiao) | |
| 2003 | Detective Hinson | |||
| 2005-2006 | Family Guy | Esperanza, Brandi | Season 4
| |
| 2009-2010 | Dr. Phil | Comedy correspondent | For 3 seasons | |
| 2010 | CSU | Season 12, Episode 5 "Wet" | ||
| 2018-2019 | New Amsterdam | Dr. Rada Gregorian | Season 1; "Cavitation" and "Five Miles West" | |
| 2019 | The Punisher | Dr. Mason |