[4] When she moved to Los Angeles with her father, Daniel Merritt Coughlan, she enrolled at the University of Southern California.
[citation needed] Coughlan's first film appearance to gain mainstream attention was in Kevin Williamson's directorial debut Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), in which she co-starred alongside Katie Holmes and Helen Mirren.
[6] Other films she appeared in included Pumpkin (co-starring with Christina Ricci), a drama about sorority girls; New Suit, a satirical comedy about the inner workings of Hollywood; Super Troopers, playing Officer Ursula Hanson; and Freddy Got Fingered as Betty.
[7] In 2016, it was reported by Variety that Fox was developing a comedy series titled Pushing, written by Coughlan and produced by Greg Berlanti.
[9] In November 2008, Coughlan married childhood friend Stephen Wallack in a ceremony at a private estate in Pasadena, California.