Celeste Barber
in conversation with Jameela Jamil

discussing her book,
Challenge Accepted!:
253 Steps to Becoming an Anti-It Girl

Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School
Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Blvd.,
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS
$50 Reserved Section + book 
$40 General Admission + Book
$20 General Admission

Celeste Barber is an actor, writer, comedian, wife, mom and stepmom to four children. Celeste has been working in the entertainment industry in Australia for over a decade, and her fan base in the US is growing with the launch of her new podcast, Celeste & Her Best, which debuted May 2019, and the release of her book, Challenge Accepted. Celeste went viral with #celestechallengeaccepted, an IG photo series in which she candidly recreates celebrity photos. Both her podcast and her book are extensions of this kind of authenticity; they add to and amplify the meaningful (and often hilarious) conversations that grew out of her insanely popular Instagram feed. In June, Celeste begins her second US comedy tour and will film her first stand up special for Showtime. 

“Prepare to laugh when reading this memoir. Just when Celeste has you in stitches, she hits you right in the heart.” —Reese Witherspoon

“Celeste Barber makes me laugh and is a daily reminder to not take it all too seriously!” —Cindy Crawford

“My daily dose of happiness.” —Gwyneth Paltrow

From funny woman, Instagram star, and international comedy sensation, Celeste Barber’s Challenge Accepted! is a raucous, hilarious, and outspoken guide to life, unwanted gas, and how to rock a sexy scar.

Part memoir, part comedy routine, part advice manual, Challenge Accepted! is Celeste at her best, revealing her secrets to love, friendship, family, and marriage (oh hai, #hothusband), and how to deal with life’s many challenges—why she checks the bath for sharks, how Nutella quite literally shaped who she is as a woman, and why being famous on Instagram is like being rich in Monopoly. It’s real, like totally, really real.

Jameela Jamil  can currently be seen starring in Mike Schur’s Golden Globe-nominated series for NBC, The Good Place, where she stars opposite Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. She also can be seen hosting the TBS game show, The Misery Index which will premiere in 2019, making her the only female woman of color hosting late night Television. 

In 2009, Jameela Jamil, an English Teacher at the time, was picked from obscurity to host the British breakfast TV program Freshly Squeezed where she went on to become a favorite weekend and weekday morning face for the station T4. In 2010, Jameela got her first solo presenting role on Koko Pop, a music show filmed in Camden’s iconic club, Koko which proved to be a big hit on Channel 4. The following year Jameela fronted E4’s cult series, Playing It Straight and BBC Radio 1 announced her as the new host for their Request Show on Sunday evenings. By 2013 she landed the role of first female presenter to host BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart Show.

In 2016 Jameela made her move to United States television where she was cast to portray the role of Tahani on NBC’s  The Good Place.  The show has won both an AFI Award and a Critics Choice Award and is currently in its third season. She is a frequent contributor and guest host for the NBC talk show Last Call with Carson Daly. She has also been cast in the Disney series Mira, Royal Detective with an all-Indian cast that includes Freida Pinto and Kal Penn, set to air in 2020.

 Jameela has also fronted a TV ad campaign for Maybelline and has been featured in many publications including   the covers of The Guardian, The Times, Stylist, Red and US Nylon as well as featured in Allure, Elle, Glamour,UK Vogue, Cosmo, InStyle, PAPER, Marie Claire UK, Grazia and Esquire. She is an advocate for many causes and in 2018 launched a movement and social media platform @i_Weigh which encourages women to feel valuable and look beyond the flesh on their bones. The movement has been recognized by both media outlets and the movement’s hundreds of thousands of followers over the world.