No one could accuse 33-year-old Nicole Byer of being work-shy. The comedian, television host, actor and writer has more strings to her bow than a whole fleet of archers, while her brazen, bawdy brand of comedy is as refreshing as it is bold. With the second season of Netflix’s baking competition “Nailed It!” Holiday!” already drawing rave reviews (and her hosting talents doing just the same), there’s never been a better time to find out more about the talented star.
1. Her TV debut was in 30 Rock
After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Certificate Program in Professional Performance, Byer made the move from New Jersey to LA to pursue her dreams of making it big in entertainment. Her first gig was as a Mo’Nique Lookalike in a 2012 episode of 30 Rock. Despite the part being a minor one, it paved the way to greater success. In 2013, she landed her first lead role in Pursuit of Sexiness, a web series she and fellow comedian Sasheer Zamata created for Upright Citizens Brigade.
2. She has her own podcast
TV isn’t the only medium Byer has enjoyed success with. In 2017, she launched a weekly podcast called Why Won’t You Date Me? on the HeadGum podcast network. The show, which has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, features Byer’s candidly discussing her sexual history and dating life alongside a similarly comedic guest star. After revealing all, Byer then asks the guest star the crucial question: would they date her?
3. She’s all about body positivity
Byer has become known as a passionate, not to say vocal, advocate for body positivity, and is quick to share her opinion on the importance of self-acceptance in interviews. “Body positivity, to me, means you accept the body that you’re in,” she shared with Brit + Co. “If you want to change it, you can, but you should love the skin you’re in currently, forever. Everyone is beautiful. No one’s truly ugly. You’re always beautiful to somebody, and you’re always ugly to somebody.”
4. Whoopi Goldberg is her hero
If Byer could have her pick of stars to work with, there’s one name she wouldn’t hesitate in saying yes to. “I love Whoopi Goldberg so much,” she told Brit + Co. “When I was little, I watched Ghost almost every Sunday. I can quote it, I can say the words along with it.” “I didn’t realize until I was older that the reason why I liked Whoopi so much is that she was so funny and so different than everybody else I had ever seen,” she added. “I credit a lot of what I do to Whoopi. She made it okay for me to be different looking.”
5. She refuses to be typecast
Byer has spoken openly about the difficulties she experienced when she first started auditioning, and in particular about the challenge of being typecast into roles she’s described as caricatures. “I had an experience where I auditioned for a character named Big Butt Bertha,” she told USA Today. “That is a spot-on parody of the name of a character that I had to go out and audition for… and the way they wrote this black woman was like, ‘Where the (expletive) is my money at?’ And it’s like, I can’t. And that’s not to discredit (other black women). There are black women who sound like that, but I’m not one of them.”
6. She’s had some embarrassing dating moments
Byer’s podcast Why Won’t You Date Me? is a testament to the comedian’s candid nature, but she’s equally as frank in interviews. Asked by Essence to reveal her most embarrassing dating moment, Byer showed no hesitation in responding. “I think the most embarrassing thing I’ve done with someone I didn’t know very well is fart,” she revealed. “I was like, ‘I have to fart, I think it’s a small little toot.’ Then I farted and it was true, like, a sheet-raising fart,” she continued. “I looked at him and got my face really close to his face to make sure he was sleeping, but I’m 100 percent sure I woke him up.”
7. She doesn’t know a lot about cake
Despite hosting a baking competition, Byer isn’t exactly keen on baking herself, as she shared during an interview with Elle. “Here’s the thing. I just eat food. I’m not looking for pictures of it unless it’s, like, tasty food at a restaurant. I’m not heavily into baking.” On the plus side, she does at least have a vague idea of what a cake actually is. “A cake is a spongey bread with frosting or buttercream or fondant on it. And you slice it up,” she laughed.
8. She made her film debut on Other People
So far in her career, Byer has concentrated largely on TV work, but she’s not neglected to add a few film credits to her name in the process. In 2016, she made her film debut as Charlie on the comedy-drama, Other People. That same year, she also appeared on the comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, while in 2018, she featured in Eva Vives’ directorial debut, All About Nina.
9. She’s written and starred in her own comedy show
In 2016, Byer premiered on MTV’s Loosely Exactly Nicole, a comedy show both written by and starring the talented comedian. The show, which took a comedic look at Byer’s attempts to make it in Hollywood, received a mixed reception and was cut from MTV’s schedule after just one season. Fortunately for fans, the show was renewed for a second season in 2017 by Facebook Watch.
10. She’s having a blast on Nailed It!
As much as Nailed It! is a joy to watch, it seems Byer is having just as much fun filming it as we’re having watching it. “Jacques is a great person. I love hanging out with him for the 12-hour days we shoot,” she tells Cult. “The contestants are all really fun, everyone is there to poke fun at themselves. It’s a good time.”
