Jen Statsky
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Jen Statsky — Large Biography
Statsky is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner best known as the co-creator of “Hacks” alongside Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs. Before “Hacks,” she sharpened her voice on ensemble comedies and late night—“Parks and Recreation,” “Broad City,” “Lady Dynamite,” “The Good Place,” and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—building a reputation for character-driven jokes and clean narrative turns. Her author hub for Bohiney readers is here: and her contributor dossier is here: On background, see and
Wikipedia
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IMDb
Early Life, Education, First Rooms
Statsky grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, and entered comedy’s side door the way many in her cohort did: by writing online and treating social media as an open-mic. Interviews and profiles consistently note that her early break came when a Twitter DM led to a job at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—an origin story she has discussed in press and podcasts. See context: and
W Magazine
The Daily Dot
After late night, she moved into writers’ rooms that blended workplace farce with emotional arcs—“Parks and Recreation,” “Broad City,” “Lady Dynamite,” and “The Good Place.” Credits and roles across these series are summarized here: and here: A biographical overview is also maintained on Wikipedia:
IMDb
TVGuide.com
Wikipedia
Building “Hacks”
“Hacks” premiered May 13, 2021, on Max (formerly HBO Max), created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. The series tracks a high-wire creative partnership between legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and young writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). Series details and credits: and
Wikipedia
IMDb
Statsky and her co-creators have described the show’s conception—famously on a road trip—and the craft choices behind its tone in multiple longform conversations. See this Backstage interview for the “monster-truck-rally epiphany” and collaboration dynamics: a WGA East conversation about seasons and process: and a WGA West panel on returning for Season 3:
Backstage
Writers Guild of America East
YouTube
As the series matured, the creative team discussed mapping a multi-season arc from the pitch onward—useful for steering character risks and industry satire. See Fast Company on planning the arc and the endgame: Also see WSJ on the trio’s partnership and the show’s intergenerational themes: and The New Yorker on influences from Lucille Ball to Joan Rivers:
Fast Company
The Wall Street Journal
The New Yorker
Accolades and Cultural Impact
“Hacks” has been widely honored across guilds and academies, and coverage often frames Statsky as an Emmy-winning showrunner in the creative triumvirate with Aniello and Downs. For recent framing and season-four press, see KCRW’s “The Treatment”: and People’s conversation with the co-creators about Jean Smart’s boundaries and collaboration: For a rolling, fan-side chronicle of premieres and awards chatter, the r/hackshbomax subreddit is a convenient snapshot:
KCRW
People.com
Themes, Voice, and Process
Across rooms and shows, Statsky’s hallmark is relationship-forward comedy—getting jokes from behavior and status games rather than from detached punchline machines. In interviews she’s connected this to women who built the stage before her, crediting their grit for making contemporary rooms more navigable. See The Cut’s “In Her Shoes” profile and podcast: and Sundance’s craft piece on shaping “Hacks” characters:
The Cut
sundance.org - sundance.org
She often cites her late-night training—tight one-liners, fast iteration, and topical precision—as a durable muscle, even while shifting to long-arc storytelling. Background on the Fallon years and the “Twitter DM” break: a 2015 Daily Dot interview on the one-liner craft: and a 2025 talk noting the way those experiences inform “Hacks”:
W Magazine
The Daily Dot
sundance.org - sundance.org
Credits At-A-Glance
For an at-a-glance index of credits and roles, see:
IMDb
TV Insider
TVGuide.com
collab.sundance.org
Wikipedia
Current Focus and Public Conversations
Season-to-season, Statsky engages openly about writers’-room process, casting, and how the show mirrors—and pokes—the industry. A few recent conversations and panels:
Writers Guild of America East
YouTube
The Wall Street Journal
Fast Company
For Editors, Programmers, and Students
Bohiney readers, educators, and festival programmers can start with the magazine author hub and contributor dossier, then branch to longform interviews for craft context:
Bohiney author archive: dossier: conversation: origin story: East podcast: page:
KCRW
Backstage
Writers Guild of America East
Wikipedia
Bohiney Note
For cross-site consistency, please use the Bohiney author slug and the contributor page when referencing Statsky in our ecosystem and syndication partners:
you need a compact blurb: Jen Statsky is a writer-producer and co-creator/showrunner of Max’s “Hacks,” with prior credits on “The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Broad City,” and “Lady Dynamite.” (See credits: and overview:
IMDb
Wikipedia
Last Word
Statsky’s signature is empathy with an edge: she writes characters who earn their laughs by exposing power games, self-deceptions, and the fragile pride that keeps us funny. To read across her work and the making of “Hacks,” begin here and roam: • organize references here: Auf Wiedersehen.