Jennifer Ponton is an American actress, screenwriter and producer, best known for portraying Rubi in the AMC series Dietland.
Early life Ponton is an only child raised in Bloomsbury, New Jersey; she was a 2002 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, where she was active in the New Jersey Speech and Debate Forensics League, as well as drama club and musical groups. She is a 2006 graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she earned her BA in Theatre.
Career Ponton began her career in 2010 with a guest role on the episode "Reaganing"30 Rock episode on 30 Rock opposite Kelsey Grammer; then a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, she said that she was selected for the role very shortly after her audition.Schoof, Dustin. "Ponton goes from N.J. to 30 Rock", The Express-Times, October 24, 2010. Accessed August 13, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "Ponton, who lives in Teaneck, N.J., said she auditioned for the role in September and got the job within a few days.... Ponton's father, Mel Ponton, of Bloomsbury, said Friday the 2002 Phillipsburg High School graduate also has an upcoming role in the crime show Law and Order." She went on to make recurring appearances on Law & Order: SVU, The Heart, She Holler, and The Slap, as well as guest appearances on Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Blue Bloods, Deadbeat and The Blacklist. In 2018 she portrayed body positive activist Rubi on the AMC drama Dietland. Ponton also starred in the 2016 film Love on the Run opposite Steve Howey and Frances Fisher, and she has narrated Jennifer Weiner's The Littlest Bigfoot audiobook series. On stage, she originated the role of Dorrie in Halley Feiffer's How to Make Friends and then Kill Them at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. She is a member of the Television Academy.
She is a body positivity and fat acceptance activist, having spoken at length about the importance of size inclusion in entertainment. She was also a featured activist and speaker at the 2018 TCF Style Expo and the 2018 CurvyCon.
Ponton is also the co-creator and star of the puppet-led web series The Weirdos Next Door.
Personal life Ponton and her husband have been residents of the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey.Izzo, Michael. "Budd Lake actress ready to break out in Free the Nipple", Courier News, November 17, 2014. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Mount Olive – Budd Lake's Jen Ponton has had a great few years, but she says the best is yet to come."
Filmography +FilmTitleYearRoleNotesKing Kelly2012AngelaOfficial selection of 2012 SXSWJack & Diane2012StacyOfficial selection of 2012 Tribeca Film FestivalFree the Nipple2014CharlieDistributed by Sundance Selects and IFCEnchantments2015NancyWiener-Dog2016KristyOfficial selection of 2016 SundanceLove on the Run2016FrannySplit2016MariaOccupy, Texas2016HarleyChuck2016PAOfficial selection of 2016 Tribeca Film FestivalGoing in Style2017Newlywed WifeCome on In2018BeverlyBitch Pack Best in Show, Bluestocking Film Festival 2018Beckys Through History2019BeckyQueens of Daytime2019Sara Jo 'Addy' AddersonTV moviePizza Party2020#1She Came to Me2023ElodieLove Magick2023Nancy +TelevisionTitleYearRoleChannelNotesPrimetime: What Would You Do?2009BrideABCEpisode: "Momzilla"30 Rock2010BrendaNBCEpisode: "Reaganing"Nominated for an Outstanding Writing EmmyLaw & Order: SVU2010MiaNBCEpisode: "Gray"The Heart, She Holler2011GrinderAdult Swim2 episodesBoardwalk Empire2012StudentHBOEpisode: "You'd Be Surprised"The Good Wife2014Emily BalsamCBSEpisode: "We, the Juries"Believe2014Hallway NurseNBCEpisode: PilotBlue Bloods2014Kasia MazurskiCBSEpisode: "Exiles"The Slap2015JaniceNBC3 episodesLaw & Order: SVU2015LaylaNBCEpisode: "Daydream Believer"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt2016Debbie WellsNetflixEpisode: "Kimmy Meets a Celebrity!"Deadbeat2016Duchess BeatrixHuluEpisode: "The Duchess of Stourbridge"Orange Is the New Black2016Correcticon Check-In GirlNetflixEpisode: "We'll Always Have Baltimore"The Blacklist2016MaisyNBCEpisode: "Mato"Dietland2018RubiAMC3 episodesHelpsters2020Cindy CircleApple TV+Episode: "Scatter/Sid Square"Scratch This2021AngelicaEpisode: "Ommm My God"Dickinson2021Body HealerApple TV+Episode: "Forever - Is Composed of Nows"Three Women2023BarbaraStarz2 episodes
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