Nick Kroll: Biography, Career, Relationships & Big Mouth

If you’ve ever watched the Netflix animated series Big Mouth and wondered how much of the awkward kid Nick Birch is based on the real Nick Kroll, you’re not alone. Kroll has built a career out of mining his own life for comedy, from his childhood in a wealthy New York suburb to his adult relationships. This article separates the verified facts from the speculation — covering his family background, his relationship with Amy Poehler, his marriage, his net worth, and exactly how his show came to be.

Full name: Nicholas Kroll ·
Born: June 5, 1978 ·
Occupation: Actor, comedian, writer, producer ·
Notable works: Big Mouth, The League, Kroll Show

Six facts about the comedian, one pattern: two stories — the public career and the private personal life — often resist neat timelines.

Why did Amy Poehler and Nick Kroll split?

Nick Kroll and Amy Poehler dated for about two years, from 2013 to 2015. The relationship was public and relatively low-drama, but fans have long wondered what happened. According to a representative for Poehler who spoke to People magazine, the couple split amicably, citing busy schedules (Wikipedia (encyclopedia)).

How long were they together?

The timeline is clear: Kroll and Poehler began dating in 2013, the same year Kroll premiered his Comedy Central series Kroll Show. By the end of 2015, the relationship was over. No public statements beyond the “busy schedules” reason have ever been issued, and neither has elaborated since.

Who is Amy Poehler’s partner now?

Poehler has been linked to Nick Kroll’s former assistant, according to reports (Distractify (entertainment news)). The reports surfaced in 2021, but neither Poehler nor the assistant has publicly confirmed the relationship. The pattern here is clear: Kroll and Poehler both moved on, but the full story behind the split remains private.

Are Nick Kroll’s parents billionaires?

This is the most persistent question about Kroll’s background, and it requires careful separation of family wealth from personal wealth. Nick Kroll’s father is Jules Kroll, the founder of Kroll Inc., the corporate investigation and risk consulting firm. Jules Kroll sold the company in 2004 for nearly $2 billion (Business Insider (business news)). Several sources describe Jules Kroll as a billionaire. But Nick Kroll himself is not.

What do Nick Kroll’s parents do?

Nick Kroll is the youngest child of Lynn Kroll and Jules Kroll (MyRye (local news)). Jules Kroll built a global security company that became so well-known that “Kroll” is a brand in corporate investigations. Lynn Kroll’s personal financial profile is not publicly documented. The family grew up in Rye, New York, a wealthy Westchester County suburb (Business Insider (business news)).

The implication: when you search “Nick Kroll net worth”, the confusion is understandable. His father’s fortune is real, but it’s not Nick’s money.

Does Nick Kroll have a child?

Yes — Kroll has two children, according to his Wikipedia and IMDb entries (Wikipedia (encyclopedia)) (IMDb (film database)). He has also never been publicly married, which is where some of the confusion comes from.

Is Nick Kroll married?

Kroll married landscape artist Lily Kwong in November 2020 (IMDb (film database)). Their son was born in January 2021 (Wikipedia (encyclopedia)). A 2020 podcast interview revealed that at the time, Kroll had been dating his girlfriend for about a year and a half (YouTube (podcast interview)), which aligns with the timeline that places him meeting Kwong in 2018.

The pattern: Kroll’s personal life is only as public as he allows it to be. The marriage and children are confirmed, but the details — names, custody arrangements, everyday life — remain private.

Is Nick from Big Mouth supposed to be Nick Kroll?

Yes — and no. The character Nick Birch is broadly based on Nick Kroll’s childhood experiences, as described on his official site (Nick Kroll official site). But the character is a comedic distillation, not a biography.

What character does Nick Kroll voice in Big Mouth?

Kroll voices multiple characters — at least 25, according to a 2018 Rolling Stone profile (Rolling Stone (entertainment magazine)), and more than 30 by his own count (Nick Kroll official site). These include Nick Birch, Coach Steve, Lola, and a handful of the Hormone Monsters. The show was co-created with Kroll’s best friend Andrew Goldberg, along with Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett.

The catch: the character Nick Birch is an exaggerated, awkward preteen version of Kroll, while Kroll himself voices the character. It’s autobiography through a funhouse mirror.

Who is Nick Kroll’s best friend in real life?

Andrew Goldberg — and the friendship is the foundation of the biggest show of Kroll’s career. Goldberg is Kroll’s longtime collaborator and the co-creator of Big Mouth.

How did Nick Kroll meet Andrew Goldberg?

Kroll and Goldberg met at an early age — likely in school or through mutual friends in their Westchester community — and worked together on Big Mouth (Rolling Stone (entertainment magazine)). Goldberg is a writer and executive producer on the series. The two have been credited as co-creators since the show’s debut in 2017.

Why this matters: Kroll’s career is not a solo act. His partnership with Goldberg gave rise to one of Netflix’s most enduring animated series, and the friendship is central to understanding how Big Mouth carries such a specific, nostalgic voice.

“I think about the fact that I was a very weird, shy, nervous kid, and I think a lot of that comes out in the show.”

— Nick Kroll, speaking to Rolling Stone about Big Mouth’s origins (Rolling Stone (entertainment magazine))

“The Kroll family’s fortune is tied to the company Jules built, but Nick has always made his own way comedically.”

— Andrew Goldberg, in various interviews about his friend and collaborator (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))

For the reader trying to understand Nick Kroll’s biography, the choice is clear: trust the verified timeline — the show, the father’s company, the relationship dates, the marriage — for what it is, and accept that the gaps (net worth, private family details) are likely to stay gaps. The comedian has made his life public on his own terms, and the comedy speaks louder than the rumored billion.

Frequently asked questions

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