Jenn Lyon

Biography

Jennifer Lyon is an American TV & movie actress. She is known for her roles in the TV series- Claws (Jennifer Husser), Saint George(role: Mackenzie Lopez), Justified(role: Lindsey Salazar).

She was born in High Point, North Carolina to Ken Lyon(father) a Methodist minister and her mother is a nurse by profession.

Image: Jenn Lyon childhood photo with Mom and brother

Image: Jenn Lyon's Parents: Father Ken Lyon & Mother

Education

• Ferndale Middle School- 
• High Point Central High School- She attended the High school in High Point, California
• University of North Carolina School of the Arts- she graduated from UNCSA in 2003

Marriage

Jenn Lyon & Taige Jensen

Jenn married actor Taige Jensen (FBE Sketches, The Boy) on 19th October 2019 at the Astoria World Manor in Queens, New York. The ceremony was officiated by her father Reverend Ken Lyon. The New York City Gospel Choir sang as the bride walked down the aisle.

The event was attended by about 200 guests, the couple's first dance was to the 'Big Red' theme song. Brooklyn's Betty Bakery made the wedding cake for the event. Two golden Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs topped the cake (one in bride's dress, another in groom hat).

She wore: [2]

• Dress- Venchy Couture Brooklyn
• Headpiece- BrooksAnn Camper
• Earring- Illona Rubin
• Locket- Tree Town Paper (with a piece of her mother’s lace dress inside)
• Ring- Van Scoy Jewelry (with a diamond from her grandmother's)
• Hair style- Mark Antony & Camille Thompson
• Manicure: Morgan Dixon (Mad Nails)

Jenn, excited at being married says- "I'm looking forward to saying, 'my husband.' I've never said it before... I just look forward to sharing the rest of my life with him"

Taige has worked as video editor at New York Times

Falling in Love: The couple first met in 2006 when they were doing sketch comedy in Brooklyn.

1st Engagement: Jenn & Taige had been engaged some time ago, Jenn broke it up, at that time she was not into marriage, "I never dreamed of being married, it wasn’t something I felt was important... I actually thought it was kind of archaic." said Jenn about breaking off the engagement.

2nd Engeagement: After an year and half of breaking the engagement, when they were on a trip to New Orleans, she popped the question to him, and they decided on a wedding

Excitement before marriage: Her wedding dress was accidentally shipped to a drug store near by, it was stolen by a man who demanded $150 from her for the dress, Jenn took the help of police and got her dress back. Two officers that helped her retrieve the dress were invited to the wedding.

Image: Jenn Lyon & Taige Jensen wedding

Interesting Facts

• Reverend Ken Lyon: Jenn's father Ken Lyon is a pastor of First United Methodist in High Point.
• Her interests include- improvisational comedy, musical, sketch comedy, tap dance, Commercials.
• She is compared to Marilyn Monroe for her similar looks by LA Times.
• Her father disapproved of her acting career initially.
• On screen kissing: Timothy Olyphant is the first one she kissed online. Jenn prepares for making out scenes by brushing her teeth & listening to hardcore rap (both of which give her false confidence)
• She supported Barack Obama's presidency and often tweeted in support.
• Pets: She likes pets, has a cat herself.
• Eating Disorder: She went to eating-disorder rehab in 2015/16. "So much of eating disorders is because you don’t speak up. You’re not saying what you need, you’re not living what you need and you’re turning everything inward" said Jenn about the issue [3]
• She has worked on and off at the restaurants as a waitress. Until her role in Claws she has had to work at the restaurants..
• POYKPAC: She started a sketch (& parody, satire) comedy group named- POYKPAC with Ryan Hall, Ryan Hunter, Taige Jensen & Maggie Ross. The group has a youtube channel with around 10 videos making it to the Million hits (they have produced humor for Funny Or Die, College Humor among others).
• She played Princess Peach in the popular satire parody "Mario: Game Over". 
• Tim Olyphant: Jenn has acted together with Tim Olyphant both on screen and stage. They have appeared in "Hold on to me Darling" & "Justified"
• Activism: She has been vocal about many current issues
  • Reproductive rights
  • Toxic diet culture
  • Time's Up
  • #MeToo
  • LGBTQ
•  

Career

Movies List

• The Neighbor in the Window (2020) (TV)
• Before You Know It(2019)- Susan
• Blaze(2018)- Cinnamon
• Phil Spector (2013) (TV)

TV Series List

• Claws(2017-19)- Jennifer Husser (series also stars- Jack Kesy in an important role))
• Mr. Student Body President(2018)- Helena
• Crashing(2017)- Julie
• FBE Sketches(2015)- Alice
• Saint George(2014)- Mackenzie
• Approach the Bench(2014)- Lawyer
• Above Average Presents(2013-14)- Lawyer
• Suburgatory (2014)- Georgia
• Justified(2012-13)- Lindsey Salazar
• Louie(2011)- Eunice
• Army Wives(2011)- Lisa
• Good Morning Internet! (2008)- Colby Honeycutt

Others

• Saweetie: My Type(2019) (short)- Jennifer
• Lemon(2016) (short)- Helen
• The Flower Shop(2015) (short)- April (also producer)
• Joke Writer (2014) (Short)- June
• Mr. Student Body President (2014) (Short)- Principal Helfrick

Stage/ Theater/ Broadway 

• Are You There MacPhee? (by John Guare)
• Born Yesterday
• Crimes of the Heart
• Embarrassments
• Fish in the Dark (by Larry David)
• Hail Mary
• His Girl Friday
• Hold on to Me Darling (by Kenneth Lonergan)
• Noises Off
• Only Ten Minutes to Buffalo
• Salvage
• Shipwreck
• The Coast of Utopia- (by Tom Stoppard)
• The Wayside Motor Inn (by A.R. Gurney)
• The Women
• Trip to Bountiful
• Twelfth Night
• Voyage

Awards

• 2016: New York Times Best Plays of 2016 (Hold on to Me Darling)
• 11 TONY awards- for The Coast of Utopia
• Drama Desk Ensemble Award- Won for The Wayside Motor Inn
• OC Weekly actress of the Year.

Quotes

• My favorite part about playing Jen(on Claws) is that she's messy.
• Girls are being sexualized, there is this pressure to be beautiful & sexy, objectification starts so early.
• [on her husband] He was so kind and considerate and loving and let me be exactly the person that I wanted to be and saw me through a terrible battle.. [2]
• I didn’t have very big dreams.. I just felt that I want to say and do things [3]
• South was a harsh place to be a young woman trying to figure out where to fit in society [3]
• I learned how to have needs and desire and be OK with that and speak up, then I felt comfortable I had ground underneath my feet and I could use my voice to speak for others [3]

Sources

1. Jenn Lyon Wiki
2. People's Jenn Lyon interview 
3. Jenn Lyon on Yahoo News
4.