Comedians With Ivy League Degrees Prove Smart and Funny Go Hand-in-Hand

Hollywood is ripe with eclectic celebrities, a majority of whom reach stardom before they ever think about entering college. Perhaps to them, the fame and fortune is greater than a college degree. But there are some celebrities who go to college before diving head first into acting careers, including a surprising number of big name comedians.
Conan O’Brien received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1985, majoring in history and literature. He even graduated with honors and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon – a humor magazine at the university. Conan’s writing skills came in handy when he became a staff writer at Saturday Night Live, where he would occasionally appear on skits. Eventually, he started hosting his own television show, ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien,’ which he’s most well known for now. Taking a look at Conan’s resume, it’s not hard to see that this funny man is a smart one, too.
John Krasinski, known for his witty character on NBC’s sitcom “The Office,” attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. During his time there, Krasinski studied theatre arts where he was also part of a sketch comedy group. Around that time he landed an internship with the above-mentioned funny man on ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien.’ In addition to an Ivy League college education, Krasinski also taught English in Costa Rica before attending school, which proves he has much more to offer than just his funny quips and good looks.
Rachel Dratch is widely known for her roles in some of Saturday Night Live’s most popular skits. But little do people know that she graduated from Dartmouth College in 1988. Rachel majored in drama and psychology and was a member of an improvisational comedy group. SNL officially picked up Dratch in 1999. And since her time there, she’s starred in a number of popular comedy films.
Rashida Jones is best known for her role as Ann Perkins on NBC’s comedy series, “Parks and Recreation.” But before she appeared on television shows, Jones attended Harvard University where she majored in religion and philosophy. During her college years, Jones became involved with a performing arts program where she served as a musical director. And although she didn’t immediately go into acting after college, she officially joined the cast of “The Office” in 2006, and signed on with “Parks and Recreation” in 2009. Jones’s career is moving at a rapid rate and she’s now branching out to star in more serious roles, proving comedy isn’t all she has going for her.
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