Aparna Nancherla is an American stand-up comedian, actress and writer of Indian descent, born in 1982 in Washington, D.C. She is known for her dry, existential style and voice roles in animated series including BoJack Horseman and Steven Universe, as well as writing stints on Late Night with Seth Meyers and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. Her 2023 essay collection Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome drew wide critical praise, and in December 2025 she released her debut full-length stand-up special Hopeful Potato on Dropout.
Nancherla released her first full-length stand-up special Hopeful Potato on the streaming platform Dropout (December 15, 2025).
In an interview with NPR, Nancherla described how in 2019 she completely abandoned stand-up due to anxiety and how she gradually returned to the stage.
Nancherla performed new material at the Amphibian Stage theater in Fort Worth, Texas.
Viking Publishing (Penguin Random House) released her debut book Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome, a collection of personal essays about impostor syndrome.
Nancherla performed as the keynote speaker at the Compass Health charity gala dedicated to supporting mental health.
