Michaela Watkins is an American actress and comedian. After several years performing with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Watkins achieved widespread attention for her brief stint as a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 34th season between 2008 and 2009. Since leaving SNL, she has starred on the Hulu series Casual and on the short-lived sitcoms The Unicorn and Trophy Wife. Watkins has also had recurring roles on other television series, such as The New Adventures of Old Christine, Catastrophe, Enlightened and Search Party and appeared in films such as The Back-up Plan (2010), Wanderlust (2012), Enough Said (2013), Sword of Trust (2019), and Suze (2023).

Filmography

• The Miniature Wife
• 2025Heart Eyes — Crystal Cane
• 2025Suze — Suze, Executive Producer
• Dinner with the Parents — Jane
• 2024The American Society of Magical Negroes — Masterson
• History of the World: Part II — Israel Ambassador
• 2023Paint — Katherine
• The Night Agent — Freya Myers
• 2023The Young Wife — Lara
• Tiny Beautiful Things — Amy Adler
• Will Trent — Susan Barno
• 2023You Hurt My Feelings — Sarah
• The Dropout — Linda Tanner
• Abbott Elementary — Miss Barco
• Hacks — Stacey
• 2021Werewolves Within — Trisha Anderton
• 2020Bad Therapy — Judy Small
• Close Enough — Brienne Bishop (voice)
• 2020For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close — Narrator (voice)
• 2020The Way Back — Beth
• 2019Antiquities — Dolores Jr.
• 2019Brittany Runs a Marathon — Catherine
• 2019Good Boys — Saleswoman
• 2019Modern/Love in 7 Short Films — Jane
• 2019Sword of Trust — Mary
• 2019The House of Tomorrow — Mrs. Whitcomb
• The Unicorn — Delia
• 2019Transparent: Musicale Finale — Yetta
• 2019Under the Eiffel Tower — Tillie
• Wayne — Maureen McNulty
• 2018Dude — Jill Weil
• 2018Ibiza — Sarah
• Big Mouth — Cantor Dina Reznick (voice)
• 2017Brigsby Bear — Louise Pope
• Danger & Eggs — Life Coach Nanny / Robot Door / Administrator (voice)
• Do You Want to See a Dead Body?
• Get Shorty — Ali Egan
• 2017How to Be a Latin Lover — Gwen
• No Activity — Erin
• 2017Person to Person — The Widow
• 2017Punching Henry — Mara
• The Guest Book — Phyllis
• 2017The House — Raina
• The Mick — Trish
• Angie Tribeca — Melanie Burke
• 2016Divorce: The Greatest Hits
• 2016Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie — Ivana Trump
• Easy — Karen Treska
• 2016Lazy Eye — Mel
• Search Party — Polly Danzinger
• Speechless — Becca
• Another Period — Brothel Madam
• Casual — Valerie
• 2015Cuddle Party — Jane
• Kittens in a Cage — Vanessa
• Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp — Rhonda
• Benched — Writer, Creator
• 2014Bunion — Therapist
• Marry Me — Janet
• Playing House — Dr. Laura Meredith
• 2014Robot Chicken: Christmas Specials — Various (voice) (archive sound)
• 2014They Came Together — Habermeyer
• Transparent — Yetta, Connie
• 2013Afternoon Delight — Jennie
• Drunk History — Nurse
• 2013Enough Said — Hillary
• 2013In a World... — Dani
• 2013Thanks for Sharing — Margo
• The Goldbergs — Miss Taraborelli
• Trophy Wife — Jackie Fisher
• 2013iSteve — Melinda Gates
• Anger Management — Lisa
• Bent — Carol
• Key & Peele — Mary Magdalene
• 2012Una Hora Por Favora — Elissa
• Veep — Patty
• 2012Wanderlust — Marisa
• Enlightened — Janice Holm
• 2011Home for Actresses — Michaela
• NTSF:SD:SUV:: — Beth
• New Girl — Gina
• Parenthood — Lucy Estman
• 2010The Back-Up Plan — Mona
• 2010The Prankster — Miss LaFleur
• 2010The Women of SNL — Various (archive footage)
• 2010Welcome to the Jungle Gym — Principal Gilly
• 2010Worst Enemy — Wooly
• Archer
• Modern Family — Susan
• Childrens Hospital — Lacey Briggs
• Eli Stone — Judge Leigh Rappaport
• 2008Yoga Matt — Jill Goering
• Californication — Executive
• Private Practice — Laura Martin
• Modern Men
• The New Adventures of Old Christine — Lucy
• American Dad! — Veterinarian (voice), Sheila (voice), Shoshanna (voice), Pharmacist (voice)
• Grey's Anatomy — Nikki Ratlin
• Medium — Clerk
• Robot Chicken — Carol / Sarah Cage / Nerd's Mother (voice)
• Miss Match — Susan Scott
• Without a Trace — Marla
• Curb Your Enthusiasm — Saundra
• Malcolm in the Middle — Receptionist
• Strong Medicine — Julia
• Family Guy — Girl Pulling Train (voice)
• Charmed — Andrea
• Law & Order — Madeline Bennett
• Desert Flowers
• I Want to Feel Fun
• The Best Is Yet to Come

Appearances as themselves (11)

• 2025Are We Good? — Self
• Hollywood Squares — Self
• 2025SNL50: The Homecoming Concert — Self
• After Midnight — Self
• 2020Her Effortless Brilliance: A Celebration of Lynn Shelton Through Film and Music — Self
• To Tell the Truth — Self - Panelist
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self
• Off Camera with Sam Jones — Self
• @midnight with Chris Hardwick — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Various Characters