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Who Is June Diane Raphael? New Details On The 'Grace And Frankie' Star And Why She's Super-Grateful To No Longer Be Single

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Who Is June Diane Raphael? New Details On The 'Grace And Frankie' Star And Why She's Super-Grateful To No Longer Be Single

There are some actors who you see everywhere and love everything they do...but you never actually learn their name. It isn't because you don't like them, it isn't because you're going out of your way to diss them, it just happens. June Diane Raphael is one of these actors, but trust me, once you learn her name it's one you won't be forgetting any time soon. June Diane isn't just an actor with serious chops, she's a comedian, a writer, an out and proud feminist, a fan of the Real Housewives and a proud advocate for change. Let's break down who she is, what you've seen in her, and where you can find more of this funny woman's cosmic energy out there in the universe. Who is June Diane Raphael?

1. NYU Days 

These days you can't turn on your streaming service of choice, but it audio or visual without hearing or seeing June Diane Raphael and I'm loving every second of it. Allow me, if I may, to take you back to her humble beginnings. She's a New York girl, still close with her sisters (she often works with her sister Deanna Chang), who went to NYU to study acting at the Tisch program, which is very exclusive, dahling. 

It was while she was studying at Tisch that she met her best friend and long-time collaborator, Casey Wilson. While the two of them might no longer be based in NYC — they switched coasts for L.A. like the famous folk do — they are still making great comedic art together. In faaaact, it was her comedic collab with Casey that brought her to the next step in her career. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by June Diane Raphael (@junediane) on Apr 30, 2019 at 11:38am PDT

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2. Upright Citizens Brigade 

To say that working with UCB in New York set June on a path to success is to put it beyond mildly. Together with Casey Wilson (and someone else I'm saving for bullet-point three) she put together a tremendous two-woman comedy show called Rode Hard And Put Away Wet. The show was so successful that it ran for three years and moved from New York to Los Angeles. Wilson and Raphael worked so brilliantly together that they just kept it up. While working together on projects for UCB they also co-wrote their first-ever screenplay together and it's not like some low budget nothing that you've never heard of before either, it was Bride Wars! The duo, of course, made sure that they got to act in the flick too. Can you tell I'm obsessed? It's not a good look for me. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by June Diane Raphael (@junediane) on Mar 9, 2019 at 12:05pm PST

3. Meeting Her Husband 

In the midst of her career taking off, something else pretty dope happened when June was working on her career at UCB. She also met her husband, comedian and actor Paul Scheer. He was tapped to come in and help shape the show June and Casey were working on and the rest, as they say, is history. From what June has to say about her single days, meeting Paul was a relief in more ways than one: “I’m happy to be married I have no desire to be single — I really don’t. Those were dark days. I remember being in my 20s in this city — I walk around right now and I am like, ‘I can never go into that bar. It is just a minefield of terrible decisions.' Once I found out I was allergic to organic red wine because I tried to take the Long Island Railroad and woke up in Babylon at the end of the line," she recently shared with Page Six

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by June Diane Raphael (@junediane) on Dec 25, 2018 at 9:22am PST

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4. Her Podcast & Activism 

While debating the fact that June is a brilliant comedic actress who turns up all over the place is a no-brainer, here are some other details about what she's been up to these days that you just might not know. For example, she is a regular in the podcast world, co-hosting with her husband Paul and comedian and actor Jason Mantzoukas, the delightful trash movie show, How Did This Get Made? 

She's also a regular contributor on Casey Wilson and Danielle Schnieder's Real Housewives podcast, Bitch Sesh. Hilariously, June Diane is a ride or die support of RHOC star, Vicki Gunvalson. Her obsession with Vicki is just one more reason to love her. She's also been intensely motivated by the 2016 election, so much so her Twitter handle is basically dedicated to her activism and it's the best. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by June Diane Raphael (@junediane) on Sep 29, 2018 at 12:48pm PDT

5. Her Breakthrough Role 

The way most people probably know June Diane the best these days isn't thanks to her own comedic writing chops or any of the other stuff I listed above. It's probably because she has been a season regular on the  hit Netflix show Grace and Frankie alongside heavyweights like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, to name but a few of the lauded cast members in the ensemble comedy. June Diane crackles on the screen as the electric, charming, disarming, and wry Brianna, and while she isn't one of the show's protagonists we can't help rooting for her anyway. The world needs more women like JDR and we should all celebrate her! 

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Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr