# Jenny Mollen

Jenny Ann Biggs (née Mollen; born May 30, 1979) is an American actress and writer. She played Nina Ash on the television series Angel (2003–04). She appeared on the series Viva Laughlin (2007), Crash (2008), and Girls (2014). Mollen has published two collections of essays, and has written articles for various publications, including Cosmopolitan and Parents. She has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list twice with her books I Like You Just The Way I Am (2014) and Live Fast Die Hot (2016).

## Early life

Mollen was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Mollen's father is Jewish and her mother is Christian; she was raised culturally Jewish. She has a sister and a half-brother. In the late 1990s, Mollen graduated from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. She studied theater and graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Mollen briefly attended graduate school to study psychology.
Mollen worked in local theater as a child. She worked at Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.

## Career

In 2005, Mollen announced in an interview about her plans to perform in London in a play she wrote about her dog.
In 2009, Mollen wrote the short film Kidnapping Caitlynn, starring Jason Biggs, Julie Benz, and herself. The film was directed by Katherine Cunningham Eves.
In 2016, Mollen co-starred with her husband Jason Biggs as fictional husband and wife characters in comedy film Amateur Night.
In 2012 and 2013, Mollen wrote a humor column for The Smoking Jacket, a website affiliated with Playboy, as well as an advice column for Playboy.
In January 2013, Mollen signed with St. Martin's Press to write a book of comedic essays, I Like You Just the Way I Am. The book reached #10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Print & E-Book Nonfiction on its debut in June 2014. On August 4, 2016, it was announced that ABC Digital acquired a single-camera comedy written and starring Mollen based on her NYT Best Seller I Like You Just The Way I Am.
In June 2016, Mollen published a follow-up, Live Fast Die Hot, which also subsequently became New York Times Best Seller at #8 in Humor. In August 2016, it was reported that the film rights had been acquired by Warner Bros. with Anne Hathaway attached to star and Mollen attached to write and executive produce.

## Personal life

Mollen met actor Jason Biggs while filming My Best Friend's Girl and they were engaged by January 2008. On April 23, 2008, the couple eloped and got married in Los Angeles. In July 2008, they had a formal wedding ceremony in Napa Valley. Their son, Sid, was born on February 15, 2014. Their second son, Lazlo, was born on October 2, 2017. After living in Los Angeles for some time, the Biggs family moved to New York City in 2018.
Mollen speaks German fluently.
After the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Mollen signed an open letter by Creative Community for Peace calling for the world to "stand with Israel as it defends itself against a terrorist regime in Gaza that seeks Israel’s destruction." Mollen, alongside her husband Biggs, also signed the "No Hostage Left Behind Letter", demanding the release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the attack. In November 2023, Mollen spoke at a Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces fundraiser that doubled as a Shabbat dinner in Atlanta.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Influence | Jessica the Influencer | Short film |
| 2003 | Searching for Haizmann | Grace Robin | |
| 2003 | What Was That? | The Damsel | Video short |
| 2003 | Billy Makes the Cut | Ashley | Short film |
| 2004 | D.E.B.S. | German Deb | |
| 2004 | The Raven | Lenna | Short film |
| 2005 | Fear Itself | Wendy | |
| 2006 | Ring Around the Rosie | Wendy Baldwin | Video |
| 2006 | Cattle Call | Marina Dell | |
| 2008 | My Best Friend's Girl | Colleen, the new girl | |
| 2008 | An Inconvenient Penguin | Dr. Gootentag | Video short |
| 2008 | Off the Ledge | Amber-Elizabeth | |
| 2009 | Kidnapping Caitlynn | Emily; screenplay | Short film |
| 2011 | L!fe Happens | Rita the Receptionist | |
| 2011 | Crazy, Stupid, Love | Lisa | |
| 2012 | Extracted | Abbey | |
| 2016 | Amateur Night | Anne Carter | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Susan Curran | Episode: "Mr. Invisible" |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Blonde | Episode: "Black 'n' Flu" |
| 2003–04 | Angel | Nina Ash | Episodes: "Unleashed", "Smile Time", "Power Play" |
| 2005 | Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave | Jenny | Television film |
| 2006 | Medium | Lydia Kyne | Episode: "Method to His Madness" |
| 2007 | Viva Laughlin | Geneva's sister Amy | Unaired episodes Episodes: "Need You Tonight", "Bad Moon Rising", "Taking Care of Business", "Fighter" |
| 2008 | Crash | Tess Nolan / Theresa Nolanski | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2009 | Chelsea Lately | Herself (Round Table) | Episode: "Episode dated 28 October 2009" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: LA | Carly Morris | Episode: "Playa Vista" |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Detective Angela Sayer | Episode: "Life Sentence" |
| 2011 | Suits | Gabby Stone | Episode: "Tricks of the Trade" |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Dakota Hayes | Episode: "Pa'ani" |
| 2013 | Wilfred | Kim | Episode: "Sincerity" |
| 2014 | Chelsea Lately | Herself (Round Table) | Episode: "Episode #8.98" |
| 2014 | Girls | Courtney | Episodes: "I Saw You", "Two Plane Rides" |
| 2015 | Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise | Co-Host | 6 episodes |
| 2016–17 | Chelsea | Herself; also writer | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Chelsea Does | Herself; writer | TV series documentary Episode: "Chelsea Does Marriage" |
| 2016 | Chicago Fire | Detective Bianca Holloway | Episodes: "What Happened to Courtney", "I Will Be Walking", "The Last One for Mom" |
| 2016 | I Like You Just the Way I Am | Jenny; producer, writer | Episodes: "Drone Attack", "You Were ALMOST Kidnapped", "Teets on a Plane", "Sex with Luke" |
| 2019 | The Bachelorette | Herself | Episodes: "Week 3" |

## Selected works and publications
### Books

* Mollen, Jenny (2014). I Like You Just the Way I Am: Stories About Me and Some Other People. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-4668-3858-1. OCLC 886584103.
* Mollen, Jenny (2016). Live Fast Die Hot. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-54070-4. OCLC 951807583.

### Periodicals

* Mollen, Jenny (January 13, 2012). "Blood on the Couch: A Tale of Making a Good First Impression". The Smoking Jacket. Playboy. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012.
* Mollen, Jenny (May 17, 2012). "What She Said: Jenny Mollen Goes Fifty Shades of Grey". The Smoking Jacket. Playboy. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012.
* Mollen, Jenny (January 7, 2014). "First Comes Miscarriage, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes Baby". Cosmopolitan.
* Mollen, Jenny (July 2016). "Why Can't We Unfollow Our Exes?" (PDF). Cosmopolitan. pp. 48–49.
* Mollen, Jenny (July 17, 2017). "Actress and Author Jenny Mollen Opens Up About Her Family's Scary Health Crisis". Marie Claire.
* Mollen, Jenny (March 1, 2018). "Bedtime at the Biggs House". Parents.
* Mollen, Jenny (February 6, 2019). "Jenny Mollen Shares How Her Own Childhood Inspired Her to Pack Her Son's 'Dictator Lunches'". Parents.