Alison Brie Schermerhorn is an actress, writer, model, and producer best known for her roles as Trudy Campbell in Mad Men, Annie Edison in Community, and for voicing Diane Nguyen in BoJack Horseman. She has also starred in movies such as the Oscar-nominated Promising Young Woman, The Lego Movie, and Freelance.
Since jumping onto the scene, she has continued to add more than eighty credits to her name and showcase her talent in the entertainment industry by starring in Netflix’s series GLOW, producing films like Horse Girl and Somebody I Used to Know, and writing for the movie Spin Me Round.
Alison started performing at a young age at her local community theater in Southern California, and after graduating from the California Institute of the Arts in 2005 she started auditioning for roles, landing her first-ever role as a non-recurring character in an episode of Hannah Montana. It was not long after that she started pulling more notable roles in hit TV shows, landing her big break as Trudy in Mad Men, a drama based in the 1960s about a group of advertising executives and their salacious lives outside of the office. However, it was her role as tightly-wound overachiever Annie Edison in Community that would catapult her to stardom. This role allowed Alison to showcase her comedic chops and acting range, gaining her a dedicated fan following.
Her success is not only an attribute to her talent, but also to her ability to connect with audiences. Her charismatic and down-to-earth personality has endeared her to fans and peers alike. As a result, she has become a respected figure in the industry, gaining praise not only for her acting performances but also for her professionalism and work ethic.
In February of 2023, she casually came out as bi in an interview for Celeb BuzzFeed, where she and her husband, the actor Dave Franco, were reading thirst tweets to promote their movie Somebody I Used to Know. Since the video was very light-hearted and fun, many missed when she dropped the bisexual truth bomb, as it was a blink-and-you ’ll-miss-it moment halfway through the interview.
Around the three-minute mark, she reads a tweet that states, “Listen, I am bisexual for a reason, and that reason is strictly to be used in a threesome by Dave Franco and Alison Brie”, to which she and her husband playfully high-five, and she responds smiling, “That’s also why I’m bisexual!”
Franco and Brie got married in March of 2017. They first met in 2011 when they visited New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and shortly after that officially became a couple. Although they are both public figures, their relationship tends to be very private and behind the scenes, although recently, they have been keen to share the spotlight on-screen and in film projects.
In 2020, Alison also starred in the Christmas movie Happiest Season, a lesbian rom-com where she played the sister of the main character. The movie, Somebody I Used to Know, which she also wrote, deals with themes of biphobia and coming out to family members.
She has been very outspoken about LGBT rights, posting in support of GLAAD’s Spirit Day on her Instagram.
Most recently, she starred in the movie Freelance, playing opposite John Cena as a journalist interviewing a ruthless dictator, and she’s also a co-star in the Peacock original series Apples Never Fall.