Varney was co-host of The Hollywood Show with Brian Unger, a recurring player on Norm Macdonald's sketch show Back to Norm, and an ensemble player on Crossballs, all for Comedy Central. She also starred in the short-lived Fox comedy Happy Hour. In 2007, Varney appeared in the short films Random Acts of Kindness, Die Hardly Working, Eternal Waters, Worldly Possession, The Losers, Keep Off Grass, and Dress For Success which were made during the reality showOn the Lot. She has appeared as recurring character eve in the web series Back on Topps with Randy and Jason Sklar. Starting in 2008, she began starring in the HBO television series Entourage, playing television producer Amy Miller who works alongside Eric and Charlie. Varney was also cast in a movie called Best Player, starring opposite Jerry Trainor and Jennette McCurdy. Varney played opposite John C. McGinley on IFC's Stan Against Evil as Sheriff Evie Barret. The show was cancelled in 2019 after three seasons. Varney also acts as host on ESCAPE!, a web series broadcast on Geek & Sundry where teams of celebrities work together to get out of an escape room.
''Dinner and a Movie''
In 2005, Varney replaced Lisa Kushell as the host of the TBS cooking and entertainment show Dinner and a Movie. She appeared with Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann in each episode, introducing films and injecting humor during the preparation of a creative dinner for some themes. The series was cancelled in 2011.
Varney has written and performed several comedic audio commentaries for films along with fellow SF Sketchfest co-founder Cole Stratton. These appear on the Rifftrax website under the Rifftrax Presents branding, as being officially sanctioned by Rifftrax founder and Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumnus, Michael J. Nelson. She has performed in Rifftrax commentaries for the following films:
Footloose
Poltergeist
Ghost
Dirty Dancing
Jaws 3-D
Flatliners
The Lost Boys
Dreamscape
Other professional projects
Varney is the co-founder, creative director and producer of SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival, and is also the co-founder of the San Francisco sketch group Totally False People. She performed with the Los Angeles and San Francisco-based group Sequel 4000. In March 2012, she launched a podcast entitled The JV Club, hosted on Nerdist.com from 2012 to 2018. In November 2018, it was announced that The JV Club would be moving to the Maximum Fun network. Varney has participated on a regular basis on the improv comedy podcast Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, where she is referred to as "Little Janet" Varney.
Personal life
Varney was in a relationship with comedian Chris Hardwick from 2004 to 2011. In young adulthood, Varney was diagnosed with depersonalization disorder. Varney is openly bisexual, telling a listener on her Instagram page, "You should listen to my podcast, I've made no secret of my bisexuality."
