Zarna Garg

Zarna Garg (born February 15, 1975) is an Indian American stand-up comedian and screenwriter, and a New York Times bestselling author. CNBC described her as "the zany, outspoken voice of the Indian American woman." Born in India, she lived in Mumbai as a teenager; her mother died when Zarna was 14, and rather than have an arranged marriage she moved out and eventually immigrated to the United States to live with her sister in Akron, Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Akron and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. After being a stay-at-home mother for 16 years, she was encouraged by her children to try stand-up comedy.

Garg first performed at an open mic in New York City in 2018, with her first official show in February 2019 at Carolines on Broadway. Her debut romantic comedy screenplay Rearranged won the Best Comedy Screenplay Award at the 2019 Austin Film Festival. In 2021 she won Kevin Hart's comedy competition Lyft Comics on Peacock and the Ladies of Laughter Newcomer Award. She was named one of Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2023. Her first comedy special, Zarna Garg: One in a Billion, was released on Prime Video on May 16, 2023; Jason Zinoman of The New York Times said she "has the kind of presence that powers network sitcoms."

From 2023 to 2025 Garg opened for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's Restless Leg Tour, and she made her Tonight Show debut in January 2024. Her follow-up special, Practical People Win, debuted at #2 on Hulu on July 18, 2025, and her memoir This American Woman, released April 29, 2025, became a New York Times bestseller. She starred in A Nice Indian Boy, which premiered at SXSW and was a New York Times Critic's Pick, and her sitcom Zarna is in development at CBS with Kevin Hart and Mindy Kaling.