Jill Twiss facts for kids

Jill Twiss is an American writer. She is famous for her work on the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Jill is a senior writer for the show. She also plays a character called "Janice from Accounting." She wrote a popular children's book. It's called A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. The book is about Marlon Bundo, who is a pet rabbit. This book became a bestseller.

Early Life and Theater

Jill Twiss was born in Redmond, Oregon. She grew up in many different U.S. states. This was because her father worked for the U.S. Forest Service. He moved for his job.

Jill studied public policy and music. She went to the College of William & Mary. During this time, her parents moved to Custer, South Dakota. There, Jill became very interested in theater.

After college in 1998, Jill performed in plays. She acted at the Black Hills Playhouse in 1999 and 2000. She was accepted into law school in New York City. But Jill chose a different path. She joined a traveling children's theater group instead. In 2001, she moved to New York. She hoped to continue her acting career there.

Writing for Television

While in New York, Jill Twiss acted and did stand-up comedy. She also looked for writing jobs. She learned that HBO was starting a new show. It was called Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. They were looking for writers.

Jill sent in some sample writing. The show liked her work. They asked for more samples. After an interview with John Oliver, she was hired.

As a writer for Last Week Tonight, Jill has won many awards. She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series several times. This award celebrates excellent writing for TV shows.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

In March 2018, Jill Twiss wrote a children's book. It was part of her work for Last Week Tonight. The book is called A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. It tells a made-up story about Marlon Bundo. Marlon Bundo is the real-life pet rabbit of the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

The story in the book is about Marlon Bundo and another rabbit named Wesley. They fall in love and get married. Jill wrote this book to share a message about fairness and acceptance. It shows that love is for everyone.

Jill's book was a playful response. It was inspired by a book written by Mike Pence's family. Their book was also about Marlon Bundo. But Jill's book focused on marriage equality and democracy. It was a real children's story with a positive message.

When the book came out, John Oliver talked about it. He promoted it on Last Week Tonight. The book quickly became a bestseller. It was the number one book on Amazon the next day. Everyone was surprised by how popular it became. All the money made from the book goes to charity. It helps The Trevor Project and AIDS United. These charities help young people and fight serious illnesses.

The Someone New

Jill Twiss also wrote another book. It is called The Someone New. It was published in June 2018. The story is about a chipmunk named Jitterbug. Jitterbug is scared of new things and changes.

A snail named Pudding moves into the woods. Jitterbug learns to be brave. Her animal friends help her. The book teaches readers to be kind to strangers.

Jill worked with a charity called KIND. KIND stands for Kids in Need of Defense. Both Jill and her publisher, HarperCollins, gave money to this charity.

Jill Twiss and the book's illustrator, EG Keller, wrote a third book. It is about voting. It's called "Everyone Gets a Say." HarperCollins published it on August 25, 2020.

Awards and Recognition

Jill Twiss has won many awards for her writing. Here are some of them: