Punam Patel

Punam Patel is a Florida-born actress of Indian descent. She is best known for her roles in the sitcom "Kevin from Work" (2015) and the television series "Special" (2019), the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her role as Kim Laghari. She also had roles on TruTV’s “Adam Ruins Everything,” Freeform’s “Alone Together” and NBC’s “I Feel Bad.” Patel speaks out frequently in the media and on her social channels about the importance of a diverse cast, but how she covets roles where the character's entire identity does not revolve around them not fitting conventional beauty standards.

Patel moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2015 to be a part of the CBS Diversity Showcase, an annual event that provides diverse performers from across the country with a platform to get recognized by industry professionals. Before coming to Los Angeles, she was a resident ensemble member at Chicago’s Second City Theatre, where Patel starred in and wrote critically-acclaimed shows such as “Apes of Wrath” and “A Clown Car Named Desire.” Patel was also the co-creator of the Web series, “Chai Chat,” which features two Indian parents giving their daughter Priyanka advice through their hilarious video posts on her Facebook page, with Indian American actor-writer Neal Dandade.