Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actress, and radio analyst. She made her debut in the 1990s and became a household name in 2012 after delivering a raw comedy set about her bilateral breast-cancer diagnosis. That performance’s subsequent recording not only topped the comedy charts but was also nominated for a Grammy for the best comedy album. Learn more about Notaro here, including her spouse, net worth, and battle with cancer.
Table of Contents
Tig Notaro Bio
Tig Notaro’s given name at birth is Mathilde O’Callaghan Notaro. The name Tig is actually a childhood nickname from her family. Notaro was born on the 24th of March 1971. She and her elder brother, Renaud Notaro were raised by their single mom in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The family later moved to Houston, Texas where their mom got remarried.
While in school, Notaro was a poor student due to her penchant for entertaining classmates rather than studying. She had to repeat the 8th grade twice and when she made it to the 9th grade, she decided to drop out of school entirely. She would later complete her education from home, obtaining a GED in the process.
On dropping out from school, Tig Notaro moved to Denver, Colorado in the mid-90s. While there, she founded a management and talent booking company known as Tignation Promotions. Her work for the company eventually landed her in L.A. in 1996/1997 where she performed her first comedy set in a coffee shop.
Having found her calling, she started performing at other stand up clubs. Despite the poor remuneration, she persevered and her hard work paid off. She landed a part on renowned comic shows such as Comedy Central Presents and The Sarah Silverman Program. Her first personal show was a weekly comedy audio podcast, Professor Blastoff, which ran from 2011 to 2015. In the course of her career, Notaro has released three comedy albums, Good One (2011), Live (2012) and Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted (2016).
She has also done two one-hour stand-up specials on HBO namely Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted (2015) and Happy to be Here (2018). The Mississippi native is also an NYT bestselling author thanks to her memoir, I’m Just a Person. Notaro’s life story has also formed the plot of a Netflix movie titled Tig and an Amazon TV series titled One Mississippi. Additionally, Notaro is also an actress and has featured in several movies and TV series. Tig Notaro has received numerous recognitions for her work including two Grammy Award nominations for Best Comedy Album, in 2014 and 2017. Her HBO special Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted received a 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.
Tig Notaro Battle With Cancer
Notaro was diagnosed with cancer (in both breasts) on the 30th of July 2012. As can be expected, the diagnosis left her devastated. This came at a time that she was already going through several challenges including pneumonia and an intestinal infection. Furthermore, she lost her mom in a freak incident and broke up with her girlfriend at the time. Many in her shoes would have contemplated suicide but not Notaro, she decided to turn her tragedy into gold.
Four days after her diagnosis, she took to the stage at Largo nightclub and revealed to her audience that she had cancer. Her satirical take on her diagnosis received favorable reviews from critics and fellow comedians. The resultant recording of that set was the number one selling comedy album of 2012. Notaro did not stop there. After undergoing a double mastectomy (with no reconstructive surgery) to treat her cancer, she decided to go topless on stage in order to show the world her battle scars. She has been praised for her bravery.
Wife – Stephanie Allynne and Kids (Twins)
Tig Notaro is married to Stephanie Allynne. Stephanie is a native of California and equally involved in Hollywood as an actress and writer. Notaro and Stephanie actually met on the set of the 2013 comedy movie, In a World. At the time they met, Stephanie had never dated a woman and thought that she was straight. She, however, found that she loved Notaro and decided to give the relationship a chance.
They started dating and got engaged on New Year’s Day in 2015. Their wedding took place ten months later on 24th October 2015 in Notaro’s hometown of Pass Christian. The couple is blessed with two sons, twin boys named Max and Finn. The twins were conceived using Stephanie’s eggs and were born on the 26th of June 2016.
Tig Notaro Net Worth
Notaro’s net worth is currently estimated at almost a million dollars, precisely $750,000. The bulk of her income comes from her highly successful comedy albums as well as her two HBO specials. Other sources of income include royalties from her best selling personal memoir. The comic also continues to tour and have sold out venues both home and abroad, including Carnegie Hall in 2016.
