Husband-wife Gaffigan comedy team will be Marquette's spring commencement speakers

Husband-wife comedy team Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan will be Marquette University's spring commencement speakers next month, the university announced Monday.

The Gaffigans, who have collaborated on a wide variety of comedy projects, will return to Jeannie's alma mater for its May 20 spring commencement at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. She graduated from Marquette's Diederich College of Communication in 1992.

Jim, who also is a product of a Jesuit education, graduated from Georgetown University in 1988.

As part of the university’s graduation ceremony, each will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

"We know the Gaffigans best for their humor, but I’m sure we’ll also learn from their insights and humility that through their Catholic faith they have a foundation for their relationship that holds their family together through good times and very difficult times,” Marquette President Michael Lovell said Monday in announcing the speakers.

The couple have been open about sharing their family’s challenges during a recent health scare, as Jeannie recovered from a brain tumor discovered in late 2016.

The Gaffigans, who have been referred to as “comedy’s quietest power couple” by Vanity Fair magazine, live in Manhattan with their five children.  

They've maintained ties to Milwaukee through Jim Gaffigan's annual New Year's Eve performances and tied that to their support for the Riverwest Food Pantry, which is run by Jeannie Gaffigan's brother, Vincent Noth.

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They recently ended their critically acclaimed semi-fictitious television show, “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” after two seasons. The series was written by Jim and Jeannie, who both also served as executive producers and show runners. 

Jim’s upcoming sixth comedy special, “Noble Ape,” was executive produced and directed by Jeannie. It will be available around the world on July 17.

Jeannie is an actress, producer, writer and philanthropist. In addition to collaborating with Jim on television, book and live comedy tour projects, she recently co-developed, directed and was an executive producer of Jim’s Netflix comedy special “Cinco.” She was founder and executive director of "Shakespeare on the Playground," a not-for-profit theater company that produced Shakespearean plays with inner-city teenagers with a focus on literacy and production skills.

Jim is a three-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer and producer whose unique brand of humor largely revolves around fatherhood and his observations on life. Both of his books, “Dad Is Fat” and “Food: A Love Story,” were featured on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Jim also was in Entertainment Studios’ recently released film, “Chappaquiddick.” He has a total of 12 films that have been released or are currently in production this year.

Marquette’s commencement ceremony will be at 9:30 a.m. May 20 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.