Jamie Babbit

Jamie Babbit is an American filmmaker and television director who is openly lesbian and one of the most influential queer creators of the past 25 years, best known for her cult-classic debut feature But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), a landmark lesbian satire of conversion therapy that became a generational touchstone for queer audiences. Babbit's work has consistently centered lesbian identity, feminist politics, and queer humor, from early shorts to features such as Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007). In television, she has become one of the most in-demand directors in prestige and genre TV, shaping the visual language of The L Word (2004), Russian Doll (2019), Only Murders in the Building (2021), A League of Their Own (2022), Girls (2012), and Silicon Valley (2014). Babbit was married from 2014 until their 2019 divorce to screenwriter Karey Dornetto, whose credits include Arrested Development, Community, and Portlandia, and the two had collaborated directly on the feature Addicted to Fresno (2015), which Dornetto wrote for Babbit to direct. Across film and television, Babbit has built a career defined by sharp wit, political clarity, and unapologetic lesbian visibility.