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Who is Jodi Balfour?
She’s an actress with over 30 acting credits to her name, however, Jodi Balfour is also known as the co-host of the South African series “Bling”, in which she got her start in the entertainment industry in the early 2000s. When it comes to her acting career, Jodi is probably still known best for her portrayal of Gladys Witham in the drama series “Bomb Girls”, which brought her a Leo Award nomination for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series.
Her name made the headlines in 2021, when it was revealed that she’s the new girlfriend of the comedian Abbi Jacobson. More about Jodi, her career, and her relationship with the famous “Broad City” actress, you’ll find in this article. So, keep on scrolling.
Early life, family, and education
Born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio on 29 October 1987, in Cape Town, South Africa, Jodi holds South African nationality and comes from a family of White and South African descent. She was raised by her parents, Clive and Wendy Balfour (nee Smyth), and since she hasn’t spoken about siblings, many believe that she is an only child.
When it comes to her educational background, Jodi attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 2005, enrolled at the University of Cape Town, from which she graduated with a BA degree in 2009. While at college, Jodi competed in the 2008 Miss South Africa pageant, and subsequently launched her acting career, mostly playing in Canadian and British television and film productions.
Roles in series
Jodi made her acting debut aged 15, playing a Drummer in the 2002 comedy fantasy “Cavegirl”, which followed the adventures of a prehistoric teen cave-girl and her tribe. Jodi’s next role came in 2009 when she guest-starred as Concierge in the series “The Philanthropist”.
In the following years, she was seen in “Tower Prep” (2010), “The Sinking of the Laconia” (2011), and “Primeval: New World” (2012). Later in 2012, she landed the role of the impulsive and headstrong girl from a wealthy family, a worker at the Victory Munitions, Gladys Witham, in the series “Bomb Girls”, playing her most notable role, to date. Jodi starred opposite Meg Tilly and Charlotte Hegele in this war drama which followed the story of women working in a munitions factory during World War II.
The show aired until 2014, after which when Jodi was cast to play Lindsay Dewar in the TV mini-series “The Best Laid Plans”, starring opposite Jonas Chernick and Kenneth Welsh in this comedy, which was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie.
Jodi was next seen as Joni in the 2016 series “Quarry”, followed by her lead role as Elaine Shepard in the 2017 mystery crime-drama “Rellik”. Later that year, Jodi guest starred as Jackie Kennedy in the biographic drama “The Crown”, based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, starring Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. The show had 328 award nominations and 141 wins, including 21 Primetime Emmys.
Two years later, Jodi was seen as Lori in less than five episodes of the series “True Detective” before she was cast to play Ellen Wilson in “For All Mankind” – through 2022, Jodi made an appearance in 30 episodes of this science-fiction drama focused on an alternative 1969, when the Soviet Union land a man on the Moon before the US does. It had 20 award nominations and three wins, including Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming.
Most recently, in 2023 Jodi was seen guest-starring as Jack Danvers in the series “Ted Lasso”.
Roles in movies
Jodi made her first movie appearance as Johanna Wenz in the 2010 TV war drama “Kongo”, then followed with her first big-screen role, as Michaela in the 2011 horror “Vampire”. Two years later, Jodi was seen as Claire in the comedy-drama “The Husband”, which won the Whistler Film Festival Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature.
Abbi Jacobson and Jodi Balfour came together to THR's #Emmys #NomineesNight party pic.twitter.com/v2hKCcE6mJ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 11, 2022
Later in 2013, Jodi was cast to play Karen in the drama “Afterparty”, with her and the rest of the cast, including Ali Liebert and Graham Coffeng, winning the Canadian Filmmakers’ Festival Award for Best Ensemble.
Jodi followed with her role as Gladys Witham in the 2014 television movie “Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy”, based on the eponymous series, which earned Jodi the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series.
In the following year, Jodi was seen in “Almost Nothing” and “Unearthing”, while most recently, she was Rachel in the 2019 drama “The Rest of Us”.
Fans of Jodi will be happy to hear that she’s finished the filming of her newest movie, entitled “Freud’s Last Session”, set to be released by the end of 2023. Her co-stars are Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode.
Love life and relationship with Abbi Jacobson
Jodi has been the subject of many rumors about her romantic life, being romantically linked to various men from the entertainment industry, however, in June 2021, through her Instagram account, Jodi announced that she identifies as queer. In October of that same year, she confirmed that since 2020, she’s been in a relationship with Abbi Jacobson.
As mentioned, Abbi is also an actress, and a native of Wayne, Pennsylvania, where she was born on 1 February 1984. Upon matriculating from Conestoga High School in 2002, Abbi enrolled at the Maryland Institute College of Arts, from which she graduated with a BA degree in 2006.
She launched her acting career three years later, making her debut as Danielle in the movie “Revelation 13”. Today, she has nearly 40 acting credits to her name, however, Abbi is probably still known best for her portrayal of Abbi Abrams in the comedy series “Broad City”, which brought her numerous accolades and praise. She’s also well known for voicing the character of Katie in the Oscar-nominated (Best Animated Feature Film) “The Mitchells vs the Machines”.
When it comes to Jodi and Abbi’s relationship, they met through the dating app in October 2020, and their love story soon began. The two have been engaged since August 2022, and as of July 2023, they are still together.
Age, height, and net worth
Jodi’s age is 36, and her trademarks are her dark brown hair and eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 7ins (1.72m) and weighs around 130lbs (60kgs), with vital statistics of 35-25-35.
When it comes to her income, most of it she’s earned thanks to her work as an actress, and according to sources as of July 2023, her net worth has been estimated at over $500,000.