Entertainment

The 31 Best 'Broad City' Guest Stars, From Amy Poehler To Hillary Clinton

by Rebecca Patton
Comedy Central

After five years on-air, Broad City stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer have become celebrities in their own right. But that hasn't stopped them from featuring a massive list of guest stars on Broad City: Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Kelly Ripa, Whoopi Goldberg, Blake Griffin, Hillary Clinton, Shania Twain...and that's only a small sample. It's a seemingly random assortment of cameos, but it somehow works on a show already so bizarre.

That said, there are others who appear several times throughout the series, like Hannibal Buress, who plays Ilana's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Lincoln. Chris Gethard was also featured in earlier seasons as Ilana's spineless boss back at Deals, Deals, Deals. But most of the series revolves around Ilana, Abbi, and their small group of friends. As a result, Broad City often recruits A-list talent to portray minor characters, and it's always fun to spot these well-known actors in small, sometimes inconsequential roles. But that's part of the beauty of Broad City : the celebrities often play outsized versions of themselves, like Kelly Ripa, who apparently has a huge drug problem in the Broad City universe. Here are 31 of the best celebrity cameos in the series.

1

Fred Armisen

Season 1, Episode 1. SNL alumnus Fred Armisen appears here as a creepy man dressed like a baby, who hires Abbi and Ilana to clean his apartment.

2

Phoebe Robinson

Season 1, Episode 1. She may not be a household name yet, but Phoebe Robinson is one half of the iconic podcast duo 2 Dope Queens, alongside Jessica Williams. She's also appeared in I Love Dick and Netflix's Ibiza. Here, Robinson plays a disgruntled office supplies checkout clerk.

3

Rachel Dratch

Season 1, Episode 3. Dratch appears several times throughout the series as Linda Lodi, but she's first introduced in Season 1, when Ilana is called in to temp at her agency. In Season 5, Linda is busy chain-smoking and working on her screenplay, when Ilana ropes her into her latest scheme: SheWork.

4

D'Arcy Carden

Season 1, Episode 5. The Good Place actor appears in several episodes of Broad City as Gemma, a snooty fitness instructor from Soulstice.

5

Jason Mantzoukas

Season 1, Episode 5. The League actor plays a creepy DJ, alongside Matt Jones. The two men meet Ilana and Abbi at a rooftop party and try convince them to have a foursome.

6

Amy Sedaris

Season 1, Episode 9. A character actor known for her quirky performances, Sedaris makes a brief but memorable cameo as Pam, an awful real estate broker who makes dolls out of human hair.

7

Amy Poehler

Season 1, Episode 10. The Parks and Recreation alum, who also executive-produces the show, appears as a disgruntled cook at a fancy restaurant where Abbi and Ilana go for dinner.

8

Kumail Nanjiani

Season 2, Episode 1. The Silicon Valley star plays Benny Calitri, who gives Abbi a broken air conditioning unit, then refuses to help her carry it up the stairs. He's too preoccupied filming his audition video for The Amazing Race.

9

Raviv Ullman

Season 2, Episode 1. OK, this one might be a deep cut, but Disney Channel fans may recognize Ullman as the star from Phil of the Future. Here, he plays a stoner NYU student, whose AC unit Abbi and Ilana steal.

10

Seth Rogen

Season 2, Episode 1. Rogen plays Male Stacy, whom Abbi hooks up with during a heat wave.

11

Janeane Garofalo

Season 2, Episode 6. While she appears briefly in Season 1 as a veterinarian who looks at Ilana's hemorrhoids, Garofalo has a bigger arc here. She plays Monica, a woman who officiates a dog wedding for Ilana's brother's dog (it's a whole thing).

12

Kelly Ripa

Season 2, Episode 9. While working in coat check during an event, Ilana accidentally gives Kelly Ripa's coat to someone else. After Abbi retrieves it, she is invited into the TV personality's apartment, where she's surprised how hard America's Sweetheart parties.

13

Aidy Bryant

Season 2, Episode 10. The Saturday Night Live and upcoming Shrill star plays an obnoxious restaurant-goer.

14

Patricia Clarkson

Season 2, Episode 10. The iconic Sharp Objects actor is famous for her disgruntled mother roles, and her Broad City cameo is no exception. Clarkson plays a well-to-do-mother whose deadbeat son, Timothy, stole Abbi's bag.

15

Whoopi Goldberg

Season 3, Episode 3. The Deals, Deals, Deals employees are so excited that Ilana is leaving that they break into a song in a scene straight out of Sister Act 2, Goldberg herself in tow.

16

Alan Alda

Season 3, Episode 5. The M*A*S*H actor tries his hand at medicine once again — here as Abbi's chiropractor, Dr. Heller.

17

Hillary Clinton

Season 3, Episode 5. Ilana volunteers at Hillary's campaign headquarters, and although she's told she'll likely never see the presidential candidate, Clinton herself walks through the door.

18

Cynthia Nixon

Season 3, Episode 5. The Sex and the City star and former candidate for New York governor appears here as a manager for Hillary Clinton's campaign office.

19

19. Tony Danza

Season 3, Episode 6. The girls travel to Philadelphia to visit Abbi's dad, played by the Who's the Boss? star.

20

Blake Griffin

Comedy Central

Season 3, Episode 7. Ilana meets the famous basketball player at a club and they end up spending the night together. But when Wexler sees what Griffin working with, she bursts out laughing and explains that she won't be able to "receive him."

21

Tracee Ellis Ross

Season 3, Episodes 10. The Black-ish actor plays one half of an iconic stewardess duo — Mona (Tymberlee Hill) and Winona. The two think they've uncovered a terrorism plan when they overhear Abbi and Ilana talking about period blood.

22

Adam Levine

Season 3, Episode 9. The Maroon 5 singer appears as himself in an airplane safety video.

23

Seth Green

Season 3, Episodes 9 & 10. Green appears here as Jared, a Jewish man who's heading up a birthright tour to the Holy Land.

24

Shania Twain

Season 4, Episode 2. After Abbi told people for years that she trains Shania Twain, the country music star shows up at Soulstice. And although Abbi doesn't work there anymore, she and Trey team up to give Twain an unforgettable workout.

25

Wanda Sykes

Comedy Central

Season 4, Episode 2. The comedian plays Abbi's boss, Dara, at a graphic design agency. And although it seems like Abbi's career is finally on an upward trajectory, she's fired after accidentally killing Dara's cat.

26

RuPaul

Season 4, Episode 2. The Drag Race judge plays a cold-as-ice sushi restaurant owner named Marcel. And although Ilana thinks she's too nice for the cutthroat world of fine dining, Marcel takes a liking to her.

27

Peri Gilpin

Season 4, Episode 5. The Frasier star makes a cameo as Abbi's mom, Joanne. And although she's always been buttoned-up, her daughter teaches her to let down her hair a bit when she visits New York.

28

Jane Curtin

Comedy Central

Season 4, Episode 6. The 3rd Rock from the Sun actor plays a witch who sells her wares outside the Met.

29

Steve Buscemi

Comedy Central

Season 4, Episode 9. After Ilana gives Abbi an expensive bag, she attracts a thief (Buscemi), who mistakenly assumes she has money. But when he mugs her at an ATM, he sees her account balance and ends up giving her financial advice.

30

Mike Birbiglia

Comedy Central

Season 4, Episode 8. The Don't Think Twice comedian plays Abbi's former high school teacher who matches with her on a dating app. Abbi admits that she had a crush on him as a teenager, but she's creeped out to learn that the feeling was mutual.

31

Lea DeLaria

Comedy Central

Season 4, Episode 9. The Orange Is the New Black actor plays a no-nonsense exterminator who tells Ilana to burn all of her money, which is teeming with bed-bugs.

Now that Broad City Season 5 is airing, there's sure to be even more stars to add before the finale's credits roll. Perhaps Ilana will finally see Lil Wayne in concert, or Abbi will run into Drew Barrymore at Anthropologie. But whatever this final season has in store, at least we'll always have all of the glorious cameos to look back on.