Mary Jo Pehl

Actress, writer, comedian: Mary Jo Pehl performed many roles in the entertainment world, with her best-known work featured in the series "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (Comedy Central/Sci-Fi 1988-1999). Born in the small town of Circle Pines, MN, Pehl grew up in a family featuring five siblings. After initially pursuing a career in nursing, Pehl later shifted gears to comedic pursuits. She began performing stand-up throughout Midwest clubs between 1987 and 1991, and was later featured on "Stand-Up Spotlight" (VH-1 1988-1991) and "Comedy on the Road" (A&E 1991-93). In 1992, she joined fellow Minneapolis circuit comedians Michael J. Nelson and Paul Chaplin as a writer on MST3K. She also appeared on-camera: first, as the disembodied "Magic Voice" who announced upcoming commercials at the onset of each show and later (in 1996) as recurring character Pearl Forrester, the hectoring mother of evil scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu). Following the series' demise, she performed comedy segments on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Weekend America" as well as on the latter-day online MST3K-offshoots "RiffTrax" and "Cinematic Titanic." Pehl turned to essays as her primary outlet following the end of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." In 2004, Pehl penned her first book, I Lived with my Parents and Other Tales of Terror which she followed up in 2011 with Employee of the Month and Other Big Deals.