Pathbreakers of Arab America—Kathy Najimy

posted on: Sep 9, 2026

By: John Mason / Arab America Contributing Writer

This is the 133d article in Arab America’s series on American pathbreakers of Arab descent. The series features figures from entertainment, business, sports, science, the arts, academia, journalism, and politics. Our 133d pathbreaker is Kathy Ann Najimy, a Lebanese American actress, comedian, voice artist, director, producer, and activist known for blending humor with social commentary. Najimy’s activism, integrated into her professional choices, has positioned her as an ally in social causes, enhancing her influence far beyond her acting.

Kathy Najimy, a highly successful actress and comic, has integrated her very serious, human rights side into her comedic acting career

Najimy was born on February 6, 1957, in San Diego, California, the daughter of Lebanese American parents, Samia and Fred Najimy. Her mother immigrated from Lebanon, where she was educated at the American School. Fred Najimy, born in Massachusetts to Lebanese parents, “represented the family’s bridging of old-world immigrant traditions with American life.” Kathy has three siblings—all raised in San Diego, “where the family’s dynamics centered on mutual support amid economic constraints typical of post-immigration households.”

Lebanese cultural values, including close-knit family structures and determination, shaped daily interactions, as evidenced by the parents’ efforts to maintain heritage ties despite assimilation pressures. Kathy’s early childhood included exposure to Catholicism, rooted in the family’s Lebanese descent, through household practices that reinforced communal and moral frameworks. One source cited noted that “Such influences, drawn from parental modeling rather than formal doctrine alone, contributed to foundational perspectives on community and duty, distinct from later personal developments.”

Najimy attended Crawford High School, followed by her enrollment at San Diego State University, from which she graduated in 1995. Soon thereafter, in 1998, she married actor and singer Dan Finnerty of The Dan Band. Poignantly, the late Gloria Steinem officiated at their wedding ceremony. Kathy and Gloria were longtime friends and colleagues, reflected in Kathy’s subsequent creation and production of the off-Broadway play ‘Gloria: A Life.’ Najimy and Finnerty live in Los Angeles with their daughter, musician Samia.

Kathy’s rise to fame occurred with the feminist stage show, ‘The Kathy and Mo Show,’ which led to acclaimed off-Broadway runs and HBO specials. Even with that early show, she began to show her activist role, seen in “featured satirical vignettes critiquing gender roles, marital dynamics, and societal expectations of women.” Najimy was presented with the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in her breakthrough screen role for ‘Sister Act,’ 1992. Critics bestowed recognition on her for another comedic performance, in her supporting role as Mary Sanderson in ‘Hocus Pocus.’

Kathy is also recognized for her extensive TV work, including Olive Massery in ‘Veronica’s Closet.’ In her voicing role of Peggy Hill on ‘King of the Hill’ she was noted for her timing and energy in ensemble casts. She drew accolades include a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in ‘Veep.’

She has also performed in several additional film roles, including one of her best known parts in ‘Soapdish,’ ‘The Wedding Planner,’ 2001, ‘Rat Race,’ 2001, ‘WALL-E,’ 2008, ‘Step Up 3D,’ 2010, ‘The Guilt Trip,’ 2012, ‘Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,’ 2013, ‘A Christmas Melody,’ 2015, ‘Dumplin,’ 2018, ‘Music,’ 2021, and ‘Single All the Way,’ 2021.

In her writing and directing career, Kathy co-authored multiple comedic revues with collaborator Mo Gaffney, focusing on satirical sketches about women’s experiences. These include ‘The Kathy & Mo Show: Parallel Lives,’ 1992 and ‘The Further Adventures of Kathy and Mo,’ 1987. Their revue, ‘Afterbirth: Kathy and Mo’s Greatest Hits,’ a compilation of prior material, premiered at Second Stage Theater Off-Broadway on June 17, 2004. That production received mixed reviews for its sharp but nostalgic humor targeting modern American life from a female perspective. And, with that capstone on Cathy’s entertainment career, we turn to her “other career.”

Beyond acting, Najimy is recognized for her activism, advocating for women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, abortion access, and animal welfare

On balance, Najimy’s career has been as much about her human rights activism as it has her comedic acting. She admits to this very openly, stating, “First and foremost, I’m a feminist. And basically, that stems from a strong belief that all people and creatures deserve equal opportunity, rights and respect.”

Kathy is an activist and frequently travels the country to speak on issues of equal rights, safety, and self-esteem for women and girls, LGBTQ rights, AIDS awareness, domestic violence, body image, and civil rights. She has spoken at the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and PFLAG. She was a surrogate speaker for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. In 2004, Najimy was ‘Ms. Magazine’s’ Woman of the Year and a speaker at the March for Women’s Lives. She is an active member of ‘Time’s Up.’

As mentioned earlier, Kathy created and produced the off-Broadway play ‘Gloria: A Life,’ about the life of recently deceased activist Gloria Steinem. Starting in 2012, Najimy has been creating, directing, and co-writing personal monologues with actresses including Olivia Wilde, Amy Schumer, Zosia Mamet, Debra Messing, Rosie Perez, and Gabourey Sidibe. The pieces have been performed at Glamour Magazine’s live evening of personal monologues titled “These Girls.”

Najimy is currently working on a documentary about the 53% of white women who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. She has performed her solo show, ‘Lift Up Your Skirt,’ at many venues including the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, ICONS at Fire Island, and Feinstein’s at The Nikko in San Francisco. She is also currently producing a television series about the women’s movement.

Najimy has also worked with PETA on several animal welfare issues and posed with Todd Oldham for the “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. PETA gave her their Humanitarian of the Year award in 2000 and their Compassionate Action Award in 2014. She has supported the Equal Rights Amendment through involvement with the ERA Coalition, serving as an advisory council member and emceeing events such as the organization’s 2022 commemoration of the ERA’s congressional passage 50 years prior, featuring speakers such as Gloria Steinem and Nancy Pelosi.

Advocating for LGBTQ+ rights since the 1970s, Kathy initially became involved in that movement during her early career in performance and activism. “She has publicly emphasized empathy, understanding, and legal equality for the community, including efforts toward same-sex marriage legalization and the repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.” Najimy has integrated LGBTQ+ themes into her performance work, including a role in the 2010 off-Broadway production ‘Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays,’ a series of short pieces advocating for marriage equality.

In 2017, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis honored Kathy for over 30 years of support for LGBTQ+ men’s health initiatives, including HIV advocacy, during which she raised awareness through public appearances and fundraising. She served as a speaker at NYC Pride’s annual protest and activism event, ‘The Rally,’ in 2023, alongside other activists.

Kathy’s vocal pro-choice advocacy almost by definition has drawn criticism from pro-life organizations and conservative commentators, “who contend it promotes abortion without engaging empirical evidence on fetal development or alternatives such as adoption.” Following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling on June 24, 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion regulation to the states, Najimy participated in the National Abortion Federation’s ‘#ItsYourCall’ campaign, releasing a public service announcement on September 22, 2022, “in which she shared her personal abortion experience at age 19 to encourage callers to the organization’s hotline.

Kathy Najimy is a fearless soul whose personal, moral and ethical principles are rooted in her close family ties, her Lebanese cultural and religious traditions, and in her experiences as a comedic actress. It may seem ironic that a person such as Najimy can seriously link comedy to social activism, integrating her activism into her professional choices. This would seem to represent a life truly worth living, one in which comedy leads to the seriousness of caring deeply about her fellow human beings.

Sources:
“Kathy Najimy,”, Wikipedia, 2026
“Kathy Najimy,” Grokipedia, 2026
“Kathy Najimy: Mother, Activist, and Actor. In That Order,” Glamour, 1/11/ 2025.
“Kathy Najimy Knows She’s a Gay icon,” Vogue, 11/6/2022

John Mason, Ph.D., focuses on Arab culture, society, and history and is the author of LEFT-HANDED IN AN ISLAMIC WORLD: An Anthropologist’s Journey into the Middle East, New Academia Publishing, 2017 and of his new novel, WHISPERS FROM THE DESERT: Zaki, a Little Genie’s Tales of Good and Evil (2025), under his pen name, Yahia Al-Banna. He has taught at the University of Libya in Benghazi, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and the American University in Cairo. John served with the United Nations in Tripoli, Libya, and consulted extensively on socioeconomic and political development for USAID and the World Bank in 65 countries.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.

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