You’ve seen her destroy Tom Brady on a Netflix stage or maybe you caught her hosting the Golden Globes, but there’s a specific kind of Midwestern grit in Nikki Glaser’s comedy that doesn't come from a Hollywood finishing school. If you've ever wondered where is Nikki Glaser from, the answer is a bit of a "geographic sandwich" between two major Ohio River Valley hubs.
Technically, she’s a Buckeye by birth, having entered the world in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 1, 1984. But if you ask her—or her parents, EJ and Julie—she is St. Louis through and through.
The move happened when she was just six years old. Her dad, EJ, landed a gig in marketing for Charter Communications, and the family packed up and headed west to the Missouri suburbs. Specifically, they landed in Kirkwood, a place that would eventually become the backdrop for her E! reality show, Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?. It’s that suburban upbringing that gave her the "unhinged" family dynamic she mines for material every single night.
The St. Louis Suburbs That Shaped the Roaster
Growing up in Kirkwood wasn't exactly the "struggling artist" origin story people expect. Nikki has been pretty open about the fact that her parents were incredibly supportive. Honestly, it’s kinda rare in the comedy world to hear someone say their dad called their middle school drama teacher to help them get a part because they were too nervous to audition. But that’s EJ Glaser for you.
She attended Kirkwood High School, graduating in 2002. It was here, in the school's Black Box theater, that she first felt the rush of a laugh while playing a drunk woman in a play. Her drama teacher apparently saw the spark early on, telling her she was a natural comedic actress.
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Despite being a "big ol' virgin" (her words, not mine) in high school, she spent those years soaking up the Midwestern awkwardness that she’d later turn into platinum-selling comedy specials.
Where is Nikki Glaser From? The Kansas City Connection
While she identifies as a St. Louis girl, her actual comedy DNA was spliced in Kansas City. After a brief, forgettable stint at the University of Colorado Boulder, Nikki transferred to the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence.
This is where things got real.
Instead of doing her English Lit homework, she was driving 45 minutes into Kansas City every single night to perform at the now-defunct Stanford’s Comedy Club. She describes the Kansas City comedy scene as the "foundation" of who she is. It was a trial by fire. She’d watch people in the cafeteria at KU and write jokes from the perspective of her idols like Sarah Silverman because she hadn't found her own voice yet.
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By the time she graduated from KU in 2006, she wasn't just a student; she was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing.
A Quick Breakdown of Her "Home" Timeline:
- 1984–1990: Cincinnati, Ohio (Early childhood).
- 1990–2002: Kirkwood, Missouri (The formative "bucktooth" years).
- 2002–2006: Lawrence/Kansas City (Where she actually learned to be funny).
- 2020–Present: Des Peres, Missouri (The COVID move that became permanent).
Why She Went Back to Missouri
Most people who "make it" in Hollywood stay there. They get the house in the hills and forget where the best toasted ravioli is. Nikki did the opposite. When the pandemic hit in 2020, she was in LA, but she fled back to her parents’ house in Des Peres, a suburb of St. Louis.
What was supposed to be a few weeks turned into a lifestyle. She realized that she didn't need to be in a concrete jungle to be the funniest person on TV. She even has her own "Nikki Glaser Day" in St. Louis now (it’s June 1st, by the way).
She’s basically become an unofficial ambassador for the city. You’ll see her throwing out first pitches at Cardinals games or filming her reality show at local spots like The Funny Bone. It’s a weirdly wholesome full-circle moment for a comic known for being, well, not-so-wholesome.
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The "Not Actually Jewish" Mystery
One thing that often trips people up when they look into where she’s from is her "brand" of humor. Nikki has frequently joked that she has a "Jewish comedic sensibility," and since she grew up in a suburb with a lot of Jewish friends, people just assume.
In reality, she was raised Catholic and has Irish and German roots. She actually had her parents do a 23andMe test hoping for some Jewish lineage to explain her comedy style, but nope—just standard Midwestern European.
How to Follow Her Journey Today
If you want to see the St. Louis influence in action, your best bet is to dive into her more "hometown" focused content.
- *Watch Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?:* It’s basically a love letter (and a roast) to her life in the Missouri suburbs.
- Listen to The Nikki Glaser Podcast: She records much of it from her home base, often featuring her local friends and family.
- Visit the St. Louis Funny Bone: If she’s in town and not on a global tour, there is a decent chance she’s dropping in to work out new material where it all started.
Understanding where Nikki Glaser is from helps make sense of her "girl next door who says the most shocking thing possible" persona. She’s the product of a stable, supportive Missouri upbringing that gave her the confidence to be absolutely fearless on stage.
If you're ever in St. Louis, take a drive through Kirkwood or grab a drink in Des Peres. You’re in the heart of Glaser country.