Michaels was born in Fort Riley, Kansas to a father in the United States Army, and a German mother.
[1] She was raised in several locations, living for two years in her mother's native Berlin, before the family settled in Fountain, Colorado.
[3] She is also a photographer,[4] and her 2008 photography project, titled "Stand Up / Stripped Down", documents comedians and the mystery of what happens backstage in the shadows that lead from the green room to the power of the stage.
[5][6] She is also a recipient of a CINE Golden Eagle Award[citation needed] for In The Weeds (2010), a short film she wrote and directed.
[7] Michaels was the co-host of a popular weekly podcast with Joey Diaz named Beauty and Da Beast.