This ‘Opposition’ Journalist Isn’t The Trump Supporter She Plays On Comedy Central

The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper is hosted by someone who The Daily Show viewers will definitely recognize, but the new late night series is also bringing several new faces to Comedy Central. Host Jordan Klepper's supporting cast includes several relative newcomers who audiences will get to know over the course of the tongue-in-cheek conspiracy comedy. The Opposition's Niccole Thurman may be new to Comedy Central late night, but she's a seasoned actor and improviser.

In Thurman's Opposition debut, she was in-character as a Trump supporter. (Klepper and his staff of his "citizen journalists" are parodying extreme alt-right media in the new series.) Her first assignment wa to cover a Donald Trump rally, where she proclaimed, "Obamacare was bullsh*t," and explained that she gets her healthcare from the Affordable Care Act instead. Of course, most people who don't automatically distrust policy that carries Obama's name know that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing, but it's understandable and hilarious to point out that Thurman's alt-right pundit wouldn't know that — or would refuse to acknowledge it.

The role of citizen journalist on The Opposition is Thurman's most high-profile role yet, but the ultra-conservative caricature she plays seems to be pretty far from her real self, at least according to her social media.

Thurman, like Klepper, is an alumni of the famous Second City theater in Chicago. The theater has proven to be a prolific training ground for many comedians including Tina Fey, Amy Sedaris, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert. In addition to her time at Second City, Thurman has appeared on several TV comedies. Her credits include appearances on Superstore, Great News, and Loosely Exactly Nicole, according to her personal website, and she also served as a co-host for PBS' Local USA. Outside of television, she's been in several online comedy sketches – including one which foreshadows her future career in political comedy on The Opposition.

When she's not taking on the establishment, or shooting comedy sketches, her Instagram reveals that Thurmann spends her time practicing guitar, hanging out with her family, and catching Wonder Woman in theaters. So basically, the comedian is probably a lot more like you than the character she's playing on The Opposition.

On the first episode of The Opposition, that character noted that "the room stops" when she walks into a Trump rally. The real Niccole Thurman, however, makes it clear that her real politics are much different than her citizen journalist persona. She hasn't been shy about sharing her opinions about Trump on Twitter. She and the other citizen journalists on The Opposition will be "satirizing the hyperbolic, conspiracy-laden noise machine that is the alternative-media landscape," in their work on the show, according to a Comedy Central press release.

Thurman will be joining fellow "citizen journalists" Tim Baltz, Laura Grey, Aaron Jackson, Josh Sharp, and Kobi Libii in serving as the show's eyes and ears in the field. Klepper said in that same press release, "Like the dodgeball captain I once longed to be, I finally got a chance to select a team of fearless warriors who will use their immense skills to shield me from harm."

The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper will be airing Mondays through Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. EST. With four shows every week, Opposition fans can get used to seeing Thurman and her castmates provide a multitude of takes on everything happening in the world of politics, the mainstream media, and the fringe alternative-news media that The Opposition is so keen to parody. Just keep in mind that while you may not agree with the Thurman you see on the show, her new role is as much an acting gig as it is a comedy gig.