Avi Rothman is an actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian. He built a film and comedy career before he became widely known as Kristen Wiig’s husband. He trained with The Groundlings, made web comedy, and wrote and directed short films. His screen work includes Wonder Woman 1984 and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. In 2025, a short he co-wrote premiered at the Tribeca Festival.
In this article, you’ll learn about Avi Rothman’s comedy roots, early online work, film and TV roles, marriage to Kristen Wiig, twins Luna and Shiloh, and the recent projects that show where his career stands today.
Comedy Came Before the Celebrity Attention
Long before his relationship became entertainment news, he was already making his own work. He moved between acting, writing, producing, directing, and character comedy.
That mix has shaped his career. He has rarely stayed in one lane, and many of his most personal projects began with an idea he could write or perform himself.
The Groundlings Gave Him an Improv Base
Avi Rothman performed with The Groundlings in Los Angeles. The improv and sketch company also played a major role in Wiig’s early career.
Improv asks a performer to listen fast while making quick choices and trusting other people onstage. Those skills later appeared in his web characters and short films.
In a 2015 interview about Bunion, he said he had known actress Michaela Watkins through The Groundlings for years. She later joined the short.
The group put him inside the Los Angeles comedy scene well before the public knew him through Wiig.
Ogden the Inappropriate Yoga Guy Found an Early Audience
One of his early online creations was Ogden the Inappropriate Yoga Guy. The character grew from his own interest in yoga.
He noticed small habits in class that could become funny when pushed too far. Then he turned those details into a man who made a calm yoga room painfully awkward.
The videos arrived when YouTube was opening a new door for comics. They no longer had to wait for a TV sketch show to reach people.
For him, the web became another stage where he could test strange characters and simple ideas in front of an audience.
Bunion Turned Foot Pain Into a Short Film
A painful bunion became the starting point for one of his most personal films. Avi Rothman wrote, directed, produced, and acted in Bunion.
In a WILDsound Festival Review interview, he said the idea grew from his own foot pain. He also saw something funny in the problem, so the short became an exaggerated version of feelings he was dealing with at the time.
The team shot the film in three days, but the work after filming took longer. Friends and crew members were helping for little money, so the final steps moved at a slower pace.
The cast included Alia Shawkat and Michaela Watkins. Watkins was someone he already knew from The Groundlings.
Bunion shows how his career often works. Writing, directing, producing, and acting can all meet inside one small project.
From Indie Films to Studio Sets
His screen work stretches across shorts, independent movies, television, and studio films.
He played Allan in Love, Sex and Missed Connections. He later appeared in Silver Lake and The Blackout.
Avi Rothman also took a small role in Wonder Woman 1984 as a Black Gold aide. The movie put him on a much larger set than many of his earlier projects.
He later appeared in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar as Activities Guy Jeff. Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote the comedy, with Wiig playing both Star and the villain Sharon Gordon Fisherman.
In 2024, he appeared in Palm Royale as astronaut Herkimer. Wiig led the Apple TV+ series as Maxine Simmons.
The parts are not all large. Together, they show a steady working career. He has moved from small comedy projects to major productions without giving up the kind of work he likes to make himself.
He and Kristen Wiig Share the Same Comedy World
The couple share more than a home life because both understand improv, writing, character work, and the odd rhythm of film sets.
They have appeared in several of the same projects without making their marriage the main story in those roles.
Wonder Woman 1984 gave them separate parts. Barb and Star put them inside the same comedy. Palm Royale brought them into the same series.
Their careers cross, but each has a body of work outside the marriage.
Their Relationship Became Public in 2016
Wiig and Avi Rothman were first linked in 2016 after they were seen together in Hawaii. People reported at the time that they had already been dating in private for several months.
By 2019, the couple were engaged, and the news came without a big public rollout.
That quiet approach became a pattern. Major steps in their relationship often became known only after they had already happened.
Twins Luna and Shiloh Arrived in 2020
The couple welcomed twins Luna and Shiloh through surrogacy in January 2020.
People later reported that Wiig had gone through about three years of IVF before choosing surrogacy. She has spoken about how hard that period was and with deep gratitude about their surrogate.
After the twins arrived, motherhood changed the way Wiig thought about work and home.
The children’s names became public in a quiet way through the special thanks in the credits of Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
Avi Rothman has kept fatherhood mostly outside publicity. The couple has not made Luna and Shiloh a regular part of interviews or public events.
They Married Quietly
Wiig confirmed in early 2021 that she and her longtime partner had married.
The wedding stayed private, and by then they had already spent years together. They were also raising two children.
That privacy has continued, although they sometimes attend events together. Most of their home life stays outside social media and celebrity coverage.
More Than Stores Showed Another Side of His Interests
Film was not his only project.
He once ran More Than Stores, a site and Instagram account about small shops. It focused on the people behind those places.
The idea was simple: a store can give a block or town its character. It can do more than sell things.
He wrote that he hoped the profiles would lead people to support local shops and might inspire someone to open one.
The project showed the same habit that appears in his comedy. He notices small details, unusual places, and people others might walk past.
A 2025 Tribeca Short Brought His Skills Together
One of his strongest recent credits is I Want to Feel Fun. The nine-minute short had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.
Tribeca lists Avi Rothman as a screenwriter, co-producer, and cast member. Esther Povitsky and Jessica Sanders also wrote the film. Sanders directed it.
The cast also included Simon Rex, Vivian Bang, Dugan O’Neal, and Ginger Gonzaga.
The story follows one day in Los Angeles. Its characters search for love, connection, and a Nicki Minaj concert.
The short brings several parts of his career together again. He writes, acts, and produces inside a small comedy team.
It also gives his career a clear recent chapter. The work did not stop with older web videos or supporting film roles.
What His Career Looks Like in 2026
Avi Rothman has never built his career around constant press.
His credits tell a quieter story. They include short films, web characters, indie movies, TV, studio films, and writing work.
Some projects put him in front of the camera. Others ask him to help create the material too.
The 2025 Tribeca short shows that his creative work kept moving after his marriage became the main reason many people searched his name.
At home, he and Wiig are raising Luna and Shiloh. Most details about their family life remain private.
A Career Built by Making Things
Avi Rothman may be introduced as Kristen Wiig’s husband, but his own story is about making things across comedy and film.
He has created web characters. He has written and directed shorts. He has acted in indie projects and studio movies. He has also worked with longtime comedy peers as well as his wife.
His career does not fit one neat label. That is part of what makes it interesting.
He has spent years moving between acting, writing, producing, and directing. He has done it while keeping a much lower public profile than many people around him.
If you enjoy profiles of people who built creative careers while sharing life with a major comedy star, read our story on Naomi Yomtov, Bob Odenkirk’s wife, producer and talent manager.
