Comedy / Film & TV
Maribeth Monroe
born 1978 · actress, comedian, writer
Macomb County-born comedic actress who came up on The Second City's Detroit stage before Workaholics, The Good Place and Bob Hearts Abishola.
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Monroe was born in Fraser, in Macomb County, and got her professional start in improvised sketch comedy at The Second City, performing on both its Detroit and Chicago stages. The Detroit company, opened downtown on Woodward Avenue in 1993 and moved to Novi in 2005, was a training ground for performers including Keegan-Michael Key, Larry Joe Campbell and Jerry Minor. In Chicago she appeared in the 2004 revue Red Scare, where the viral character 'Sassy Gay Friend' was born. Television roles followed: Alice Murphy, the boss on Comedy Central's Workaholics, the demon-dealing Mindy St. Claire on NBC's The Good Place (2017–2020) and Christina Wheeler on CBS's Bob Hearts Abishola. Her films include The Back-up Plan, Downsizing and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Highlights
- Born in Fraser, Macomb County
- Performed on The Second City's Detroit stage
- Alice Murphy in Workaholics and Mindy St. Claire in The Good Place
- Christina Wheeler in Bob Hearts Abishola (from 2019)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 1990s–2000s
The Second City Detroit (former downtown stage)
Closed · 1993–2005
The Second City's third mainstage, in the Hockeytown Cafe complex next to the Fox Theatre; it moved to Novi in 2005 (closed 2009). The downtown room later reopened as a comedy club.