Ilana Glazer Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: Is She Mixed Race? Full Background Explained

Quick answer: No, Ilana Glazer is not mixed race — both of her parents are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. She is a comedian, actress, and writer best known for co-creating and starring in Comedy Central's Broad City alongside Abbi Jacobson, and for her roles in The Night Before (2015) and False Positive (2021).

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Is Ilana Glazer Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?

No — Ilana Glazer is not mixed race and is not biracial. Both of her parents are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, making Ilana a Jewish American woman of Eastern European Jewish heritage. The Ashkenazi Jewish community descends primarily from the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe — particularly Germany, Poland, Russia, and surrounding countries — and has been a major part of American cultural life for over a century.

Ilana Glazer co-created Broad City (originally a web series, later adapted for Comedy Central from 2014 to 2019) with Abbi Jacobson, playing a fictionalized version of herself — an uninhibited, politically conscious, unapologetically Jewish young woman navigating New York City life. The show was critically acclaimed for its fresh take on female friendship, its New York specificity, and its unabashedly Jewish cultural sensibility.

So to answer the most-searched questions directly: Ilana Glazer's race is White/Ashkenazi Jewish. Her background is Jewish American, rooted in Long Island, New York. Her heritage is Ashkenazi Jewish on both sides. She is not biracial and not mixed race.

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What Is Ilana Glazer's Ethnicity?

Ilana Glazer's ethnicity is Ashkenazi Jewish — the Eastern European Jewish tradition that forms the largest branch of the Jewish diaspora in the United States. Born in Jericho, New York (a Long Island community with a significant Jewish population), on April 12, 1987, she grew up in a Jewish household where Jewish culture, humor, and values were central to family life.

Ashkenazi Jewish heritage has been central to Ilana's comedy and artistic work. Broad City's distinctively Jewish New York humor — its references to Jewish foods, holidays, family dynamics, and cultural attitudes — reflects Ilana's upbringing and her embrace of her Jewish identity as a core part of her artistic voice.

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Father's Side: Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage

Ilana Glazer's father, Larry Glazer, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent — part of the American Jewish community whose ancestors emigrated from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Glazer surname is distinctively Jewish, common among Ashkenazi families of German and Eastern European origin (from the Yiddish/German word for "glazier" or glass worker).

Ilana's paternal grandparents were of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, likely descended from Eastern European Jewish emigrants. Their specific names have not been made public.

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Mother's Side: Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage

Ilana Glazer's mother, Sandi Glazer, is also of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, reinforcing the consistently Jewish heritage on both sides of Ilana's family. Her mother's Jewish background completes the picture of an entirely Jewish household where Jewish culture and values shaped Ilana's upbringing.

Ilana's maternal grandparents were of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Their specific names have not been made public.

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Grandparents: A Complete Picture

Paternal Grandfather: Of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, part of the Eastern European Jewish diaspora. His name has not been made public.

Paternal Grandmother: Also of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her name has not been disclosed publicly.

Maternal Grandfather: Of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. His name has not been made public.

Maternal Grandmother: Also of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her name has not been publicly disclosed.

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Spouse and Children

Ilana Glazer married David Rooklin, a scientist, in August 2017. Rooklin is also Jewish. Together they have two children: a daughter (born 2021) and a son. Ilana has spoken about motherhood and the experience of raising Jewish children in public appearances and on social media.

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Ilana Glazer in Her Own Words on Jewish Identity

Ilana Glazer has spoken openly about her Jewish identity as a core part of her artistic and personal identity.

"Being Jewish is central to who I am — to my humor, my politics, my view of the world. It's not separate from my comedy. It IS my comedy in a lot of ways. That's Broad City." — Ilana Glazer, The Jewish Week, 2016

▶ Watch on YouTube →

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Is Ilana Glazer Alive?

Yes, Ilana Glazer is alive. As of 2026, she is 38 years old. Following Broad City's conclusion in 2019, she has continued her career in film and television, appearing in False Positive (2021), which she also co-wrote. She remains a prominent voice in American comedy and continues to perform stand-up.

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Visual Family Tree