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Jessica Chaffin (born January 5, 1974, in Newton, Massachusetts)1 is an American actress, comedian, writer, and podcaster. She is best known as one half of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly, which she created with Jamie Denbo.2 Chaffin appeared in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016), cast by director Paul Feig alongside Denbo, with both playing Waitress roles in the film.3
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Chaffin was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts. Her father comes from a Jewish background, while her mother, of Scottish and English ancestry, converted to Judaism; Chaffin was raised Jewish.1 She has spoken about that upbringing as a direct creative influence on the Ronna and Beverly characters she later developed.
Chaffin trained and performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, first in New York and later in Los Angeles, where she became a regular performer. Around 2006, she and Jamie Denbo created Ronna Marlene Glickman and Beverly Ginsberg, two middle-aged Jewish women, as characters for an all-Jewish "Kosher Christmas Show" at UCB.2 The act built a following and generated a Showtime pilot that aired in December 2009.4 From 2011 to 2017, Chaffin and Denbo hosted the long-running Ronna and Beverly podcast on the Earwolf network, producing 161 episodes in which their characters interviewed celebrity guests and dispensed advice to listeners.2 Chaffin has since continued podcasting with Ask Ronna, an advice show she co-hosts with Bryan Safi, which launched in November 2019.2
Her television work began in the early 2000s. She is perhaps best known on television as Coco Wexler, a recurring character across all four seasons of Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 (2005-2008, 13 episodes).5 Other significant recurring credits include Marie Faldonado in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan (11 episodes), Beth in NBC's Abby's (2019, 10 episodes), and recurring arcs on Veep, Episodes, and Search Party.5 She has also made guest appearances on Weeds, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Hacks.5
On film, director Paul Feig first cast Chaffin (alongside Denbo) in The Heat (2013) and Spy (2015).5 Further film credits include Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), Fun Mom Dinner (2017), and Desperados.5
Paul Feig, a longtime admirer of the Ronna and Beverly act, cast both Chaffin and Jamie Denbo in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016). Each appeared as a Waitress.3 The pairing continued the working relationship the two had established with Feig on The Heat and Spy.5
Chaffin has one child.1 Her Jewish upbringing in Newton, Massachusetts shaped the Ronna and Beverly characters, who became a sustained part of her creative identity from the stage through television and podcasting.
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
"Jessica Chaffin," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Chaffin. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
"Ronna and Beverly," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronna_and_Beverly. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
"Ghostbusters (2016) - Jessica Chaffin as Waitress," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/characters/nm0149560. ↩ ↩2
Variety, "It's Showtime for 'Ronna and Beverly'" (December 19, 2009), https://variety.com/2009/tv/news/ronna-and-beverly-to-air-on-showtime-17977/. ↩
"Jessica Chaffin," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149560/. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6