Tammy Pescatelli

Tammy Pescatelli (born Tammy Gillespie, May 15, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian. She was born in Perry, Ohio, and spent summers during her childhood in her mother's hometown of Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Pescatelli worked as a morning radio show co-host, performer, TV spokeswoman, and basketball cheerleader from 1990 to 1995 in the Quad Cities area of southeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois, with part of her show's humor originating from interactions with her and her husband's families. Her comedic career took off after appearing on NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2004, when she made the top six; she returned the following season but did not make the top 10. In 2010, she won Comedy Central's Standup Showdown.

Pescatelli co-created, executive produced, wrote, and starred in the reality television series A Standup Mother in 2011 on WE tv, focusing on her life as a mother, wife, and comedian. Her comedy special Finding the Funny was released with Netflix in 2013; it was selected "New and Noteworthy" by iTunes editors and hit number 3 on the charts. She married Luca Palanca on February 11, 2008, and they moved to Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 2009 after their son was born. In 2011, she was diagnosed with stage 2 ovarian cancer, underwent surgery, and was told she was "free and clear" of cancer.