Jeannie Gaffigan

2025 SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON AWARD
Jeannie Gaffigan
Producer, Writer, Philanthropist, Catholic Mother of five and New York Times Bestseller of her memoir, When Life Gives Your Pears

Jeannie Gaffigan is a director, producer, and comedy writer. She co-wrote eight comedy specials with her husband, Jim Gaffigan, the last six of which received Grammy nominations. Jeannie was the head writer and executive producer of the critically acclaimed The Jim Gaffigan Show, loosely based on her and Jim’s life. She collaborated with Jim on the two New York Times Bestsellers, Dad Is Fat and Food: A Love Story. Jeannie’s own book, When Life Gives You Pears, debuted on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Her Catholic faith and family are central to Jeannie’s life. With the help of her two eldest children and some other crazy moms, Jeannie created The Imagine Society, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that mentors youth-led service groups, including her own post-Confirmation youth group, The Saint Patrick’s Warriors. Most impressively, Jeannie grew a tumor on her brain stem roughly the size of a pear.

In 2022, She co-hosted a U.S. Catholic podcast called Field Hospital with Mike Lewis, founder of the website Where Peter Is. Guided by Pope Francis’ vision of the church as a field hospital, Jeannie and Mike spoke with a variety of Catholics about issues dividing the church.

Jeannie received The Christopher Award, established by Christopher founder Father James Keller to salute media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” for the Season 1 episode of The Jim Gaffigan Show, "My Friend the Priest." She also received the inaugural Eloquentia Perfecta Award from Fordham University Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education (GRE) and the Paulist Press. Jeannie and Jim gave the commencement address and received honorary doctorates in fine arts for bearing witness to the Catholic faith at Catholic University in 2016.

Jeannie presently lives in New York City with her five children, which feels more like six children if you include her husband, Jim.