About Ali Barthwell

What’s up, nerds! I’m Ali Barthwell. I’m a four time-Emmy award winning writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (I’ve also got 2 Writers Guild Awards and a freakin’ Peabody. Brag.) You might know me from my tenure as Vulture’s Bachelor Cinematic Universe recapper. I’ve been recapping The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and a number of short-lived Bachelor adjacent spin-offs since 2015. I’m likely the only person who watched (and enjoyed!) The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart. I was an actor, teacher, and the first Black female director at The Second City. 

With my two brothers, I co-founded Wakandacon, a celebration of Afro-Futurism in pop culture, gaming, and tech. I’m a Capricorn, leukemia survivor, and a proud Wellesley College alumna. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and live and write in the actual city of Chicago. 

Ask me about: reality TV, comedy, and the dystopian future that we’re currently living in.