Early life and education
Milhiser grew up in Belle Mead, New Jersey and graduated from Montgomery High School in nearby Skillman in 2000. He went on to Hofstra University on Long Island, where he studied Film Studies and Production and was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity. He graduated from Hofstra in 2004.1
Career
Upright Citizens Brigade and Serious Lunch
After graduating, Milhiser moved into sketch and improv performance, joining the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City in 2005. There he co-founded the sketch comedy group Serious Lunch in 2007.1 The group built a following through viral YouTube videos emphasizing physical comedy and internet-native humor. Serious Lunch earned enough visibility to be featured on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and on the G4 series Attack of the Show.1 Milhiser also accumulated 46 episodes of UCB Comedy Originals, the theater's digital content strand.3
Saturday Night Live (2013 to 2014)
Milhiser was hired as a featured player for SNL's 39th season. He made his debut on September 28, 2013, in the season premiere hosted by Tina Fey with Arcade Fire as the musical guest.1 Over the course of the season he performed in 21 episodes.1 His recurring impressions included Jon Cryer, Matthew McConaughey, Verne Troyer (channeling his Austin Powers role as Mini-Me), and Billie Joe Armstrong.1
One notable sketch from his tenure was "4th Grade Talent Show," which he had originally developed for his SNL audition. When Lady Gaga hosted in November 2013 he pitched the piece to her: the sketch featured both performers as parents enthusiastically imitating their daughter's increasingly inappropriate dance routine. Gaga rehearsed the choreography with him ahead of the table read. The sketch was cut from the early lineup but Gaga intervened on its behalf, telling Milhiser before the live broadcast, "I fought for it." It aired in the final broadcast.4
His contract was not renewed for season 40. The non-renewal was announced on July 15, 2014.1 Reflecting on the experience, Milhiser said he felt "the least funny" during 2014.1
Post-SNL work
After SNL, Milhiser transitioned into a mix of film and television roles. He appeared in the YouTube Red comedy film Camp Takota (2014) alongside Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, and Mamrie Hart. In 2015 he had a role in the Paul Feig-produced sci-fi comedy Other Space (as the voice of Coffee Bot) and a guest spot on 2 Broke Girls. Netflix's Love (2016), the Judd Apatow comedy series, featured him as a tour guide. He played supporting roles in the dark comedy Greener Grass (2019), the series The Guest Book (2017), and Drama Club (2021). His television work continued into the 2020s: he appeared as a self-improvement coach named Terry in a 2024 episode of the Fox drama 9-1-1, and joined the casts of Gastronauts (2025) and Electric Bloom (2025). He also voices a character in the animated series Kevin (2026).3
Ghostbusters
Milhiser appears in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) as the Higgins Student (identified on-screen by his red shirt),2 a minor supporting character in the film's opening sequence set at the Kenneth P. Higgins Institute. The institute is the university where Abby Yates and Jillian Holtzmann are running their paranormal research lab before the Ghostbusters team forms. The scene establishes the institutional world the main characters are leaving behind.
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
-
"John Milhiser," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milhiser
-
IMDb, "Ghostbusters (2016) - John Milhiser as Higgins Student," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/characters/nm2275887
-
IMDb, "John Milhiser," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2275887/
-
Yahoo Entertainment, "'SNL' alum John Milhiser recalls how Lady Gaga fought to get his sketch on air," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.aol.com/snl-alum-john-milhiser-recalls-192410020.html
