Alexandra Wentworth
Wentworth at the 2012 premiere of What to Expect When You're Expecting
Born (1965-01-12) January 12, 1965[1]
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationNew York University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedienne
  • author
  • producer
Years active1992–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2001)​
Children2
Parent
RelativesHenry Brandon (stepfather)
Janet Elliott Wulsin (grandmother)

Alexandra "Ali" Wentworth (born January 12, 1965) is an American actress, comedian, author, and producer.

Early life

Wentworth's mother, Muffie Cabot (née Mabel Bryant Hobart), was Nancy Reagan's White House social secretary from 1981 to 1983.[2] Her father, Eric Wentworth, was a reporter for The Washington Post.[3] Her stepfather, Henry Brandon, was the Washington correspondent for The Sunday Times of London,[3] and her maternal grandmother was Janet Elliott Wulsin, an explorer.

Wentworth attended the Dana Hall School for Girls in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and studied drama at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York before she graduated from New York University.[3][4]

Career

Wentworth debuted as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color from 1992 to 1994. On the program she was known for performing impressions of Cher, Amy Fisher, Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, Brooke Shields, Lisa Marie Presley, Sharon Stone, and other characters. Her recurring characters included Candy Cane, a deranged kids' show host who had had a string of bad relationships with her male coworkers, and the promiscuous teenage daughter of Grandpa Jack McGee (Jim Carrey) on The Dysfunctional Home Show.

Wentworth made appearances as a correspondent on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 1995, she played Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend Sheila ("Schmoopie") in the memorable "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld. She had a recurring role as the boss of the title character on the WB series Felicity.

In 2003, she co-hosted the syndicated talk show Living It Up! with Ali & Jack with Jack Ford. Since that show's cancellation and before, she has been a regular part of the guest host rotation for Live with Kelly and Ryan when Kelly Ripa is on vacation or has other commitments.

Wentworth wrote 28 episodes of and starred in the comedy Head Case on the Starz television network.[5][6] She guest starred on the NBC show The Marriage Ref. She hosted Daily Shot, a short daily talk show segment on Yahoo! Shine.[7]

In 2016, Wentworth created and starred in Nightcap as the lead character Staci Cole.[8] The series was broadcast for two seasons.

Wentworth appeared as a celebrity guest on the July 23, 2017 episode (S2 E07) of The $100,000 Pyramid, opposite Kathy Najimy, helping her contestant partner win the $150,000 grand prize.[9][10] In 2020, Wentworth launched a podcast Go Ask Ali in partnership with shondaland audio.[11][12] In 2022, she published a book, Ali's Well That Ends Well, about finding humor in the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In 2021, Wentworth, Stephanopoulos, and Alyssa Mastromonaco, founded the production company BedBy8. The first project, an ABC News Studio collaboration with Madator Content was Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. The docuseries first premiered at Sundance, followed by Hulu.[14]

Personal life

Wentworth is married to George Stephanopoulos, ABC News chief anchor, correspondent and former political adviser to the Clinton administration. They met on a blind date in April 2001 and were engaged two months later. They married on November 20, 2001, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on New York City's Upper East Side in a lengthy service.[15][16] They have two daughters: Elliott Anastasia Stephanopoulos (b. September 9, 2002) and Harper Andrea Stephanopoulos (b. June 2, 2005).[17][18]

In an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Wentworth said a "well-known writer" once offered $40,000 to spend a night with her.[19]

Bibliography

  • The WASP Cookbook, Warner Adult, 1997. ISBN 978-0-446-91210-5.
  • Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales, 2012, Harper Collins ISBN 978-0-06-209809-2
  • Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales, HarperCollins, 2015. ISBN 978-0-062-23849-8. ISBN 0062238493.
  • Go Ask Ali: Half-Baked Advice (and Free Lemonade), Harper, 2018. ISBN 978-0062466013.
  • Ali's Well that Ends Well, HarperCollins, 2022. ISBN 978-0063242166

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992-1994In Living ColorVarious63 episodes
1994HardballLee Emory
1995SeinfeldSheila1 episode
1996Life Among the CannibalsSuicidal Singer
Big PackagesSusan
Jerry MaguireBobbi Fallon
1997Trial and ErrorTiffany Whitfield
The Real BlondeRaina
The Love BugAlex DavisTV movie
1999Office SpaceAnne
FelicityAbby2 episodes
2000Meeting DaddyMelanie Branson
2001Call Me ClausLucy
2009It's ComplicatedDiane
2012–2014Daily Shot With Ali WentworthSelf
2014Comedians in Cars Getting CoffeeSelfSeason 5, episode 6
2016–2017NightcapStaci Cole
2015–2022Live with Kelly and RyanSelfGuest host
2022Would I Lie to You? (US)SelfEpisode: "Banana Bread"
The Parent TestSelf

References

  1. ↑ "George Stephanopoulos' Wife Ali Wentworth Goes Makeup-Free To Celebrate 57th Birthday". HollywoodLife.com. January 13, 2022. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. ↑ Colacello, Bob. The White House's Dinner Theater, Vanity Fair, June 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 People "Bubbled Up", March 8, 1999, Retrieved April 13, 2020
  4. ↑ Newsmakers, Bard - The Annandale Triangle, February 2012.
  5. ↑ Strauss, Gary (March 19, 2009). "In Starz's 'Head Case,' it takes one to know one". USA Today. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Steinberg, Jacques (March 4, 2009). "She'll Interpret, or Become, a Nightmare". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Daily Shot Archived June 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at Yahoo!
  8. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2016). "Pop Orders 'Traci From Nightcap' Comedy Series Starring Ali Wentworth". Deadline. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  9. ↑ "S2 E07 Ali Wentworth vs. Kathy Najimy and Cobie Smulders vs. Ryan Eggold". ABC. July 23, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ @PyramidABC (July 24, 2017). "Things that Shoot to the Top of the Winner's Circle" (Tweet). Retrieved August 3, 2017 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 31, 2021). "Shondaland Audio & iHeartMedia Team With Iyanla Vanzant On Podcast Series 'The R Spot'". Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  12. ↑ Wolff, Natasha (October 13, 2020). "10 Questions With Ali Wentworth". Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Hilarious Ali Wentworth Shares the Story of Going "Face to Face With the Law" in New Book". May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (April 7, 2023). "'Pretty Baby' Producers George Stephanopoulos, Ali Wentworth on Tackling Icon Brooke Shields and Why the 1978 Louis Malle Film Is 'Revolting'". Variety. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Stephanopoulis bride's reluctance short-lived". The Post and Courier. November 27, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  16. ↑ "George's Bottom Line". Good Morning America Blogs. ABC News. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009.
  17. ↑ Grove, Lloyd (July 23, 2003). "Ali and George, Living It Up". Washington Post. p. C03. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012.
  18. ↑ Sachs, Mark (May 15, 2009). "Ali Wentworth, 'Head Case'". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ↑ Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, First Cup: Episode 20, "Ali Wentworth: I'm Going to Take a Percocet"
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