Jena Friedman
Stand Up Comedian, Writer and Filmmaker; Host of Joy of Quarantine
Jena Friedman is an American stand up comedian, writer and filmmaker. She was a field producer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has written for Late Show with David Letterman. She developed the television project Soft Focus with Jena Friedman for Adult Swim (where she interviewed John McAfee), the first installment of which premiered in February 2018. Friedman has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Nat Geo Explorer, MSNBC and BBC Two. She has been a contributing writer to The New Yorker. In 2015, Friedman’s solo show American Cunt premiered in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her critically acclaimed Edinburgh show Miscarriage of Justice premiered in 2019.
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About The Series
Jena Friedman isn’t a chef. In fact, she’s barely a cook. And she’s not great at following instructions. Which can get tricky, because most recipes have instructions. But trapped at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the touring comedian found that her mind wandered to the darkest places – her kitchen.
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Babka
BABKA! Jena Friedman makes New York’s most iconic dessert (sorry cheesecake fans…) in episode 4 of the Joy of Quarantine.
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Cholent
What exactly is cholent? No one really knows, including Jena Friedman. But that’s not stopping her from taking a crack at this Shabbat staple of a dish!
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Kugel
In episode 2 of Joy of Quarantine, Jena Friedman dives into the culinary challenges of the carb-filled kugel. Just like everyone else in quarantine, she had to be resourceful with what she had on-hand in her kitchen, even if that meant getting a little “creative.” You’ll see what we mean…
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Everything Bagel
Introducing the Joy of Quarantine with Jena Friedman! The stand up comedian, writer, and former Daily Show field producer tries her hand at recipes that have Eastern European Jewish roots, like herself. “That way, if I mess them up it will be less offensive.” In the premiere episode, Jena takes a shortcut to make the quintessential everything bagel! Will it turn out to be an authentic replica?