Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, New York, the seventh of ten siblings in a Hasidic Jewish family.[3][4] Hoffman jokingly described her parents, who initially practiced Reform Judaism and later began to practice Hasidic Judaism: "They're two people who joined a Hasidic cult and had ten kids, and I'm the product of it."[5] Her mother later became a Messianic Jew.[5] During her early childhood, Hoffman's parents divorced; she and her siblings were subsequently raised by their single mother in her native Montreal, Canada.[6] Hoffman has said her mother struggled financially to support their family, and that she lived in poverty.[7]
After high school, Hoffman enrolled at McGill University, where she studied accounting and communications; after graduation, she enrolled in the graduate CPA program at McGill, only to quit a few hours into her first day of the program to pursue a career in comedy.[4]
Career
Hoffman began her writing career and was soon garnering recognition for her work, while also writing and performing stand-up comedy. In 2018 she was a headlining act for the New York Comedy Festival.[8] In 2019, she recorded her first one-hour comedy special I'm Nervous at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Toronto for Crave TV.[4]
Hoffman's first television writing job was for the PBS series Odd Squad; she won a 2019 Daytime Emmy Award for her work on the series.[2] Hoffman was a staff writer for Workin' Moms and Baroness Von Sketch Show.[3] She was a staff writer on The Chris Gethard Show; after its cancellation, Hoffman starred in episodes of The Chris Gethard Show with Robby Hoffman[9] on both MNN and Chris Gethard Presents, as well as taking the show live to the Montreal Just For Laughs festival. She hosted Robby Hoffman Consulting Group (formerly Dykevice), a live call-in advice show on Gethard's comedy network Planet Scum Live.[10]
In 2021 it was announced that Rivkah, an autobiographical comedy series created by and starring Hoffman, is in development with Showtime and A24.[11]
Personal life
Hoffman identifies as queer.[4] According to her, her family was supportive when she came out as a lesbian, and she is close with them.[12]
^ abHoffman, Robby (May 30, 2023). "Becoming Robby Hoffman". The Ali Kolbert Show (Interview). Interviewed by Kolbert, Ali. Event occurs at 32:19; 53:44. Retrieved January 13, 2024 – via YouTube.