Ben Marshall has become a familiar name in comedy through his work with Please Don’t Destroy, the comedy trio he formed with Martin Herlihy and John Higgins. While the three comedians often joke about their families and backgrounds, Marshall’s own parents have remained mostly away from the public eye.
That has naturally led to curiosity about who Ben Marshall’s parents are and what is known about his family. Unlike Martin Herlihy and John Higgins, whose fathers have established connections to Saturday Night Live, Marshall does not come from a publicly known entertainment family.
The comedian has spoken about having a privileged upbringing, but he has not publicly identified his parents by their full names or provided detailed profiles of them. As a result, much of his family background remains private.
Who Are Ben Marshall’s Parents?
The identities of Ben Marshall’s parents have not been publicly confirmed in reliable detail. Some online biographies refer to them generally as Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, but there is not enough verified information to establish their full names, careers or personal backgrounds.
Marshall appears to have made a choice to keep that part of his life away from the spotlight. His public career is centered around comedy, writing and performing, while his parents have not become public figures in their own right.
That is worth pointing out because family connections are a recurring joke within Please Don’t Destroy.
Martin Herlihy is the son of comedy writer and director Tim Herlihy, while John Higgins is the son of longtime Saturday Night Live writer and announcer Steve Higgins. Their family connections to the comedy world have become part of the trio’s public story.
Marshall, on the other hand, is the member without a well-known entertainment-industry parent.
Ben Marshall Was Born in Savannah, Georgia
Ben Marshall was born on May 1, 1995, in Savannah, Georgia. Although his parents’ identities have not been made public, some biographical reports have connected his family background with Charlotte, North Carolina.
Marshall later attended New York University, where he became involved in comedy and eventually met the people who would become his Please Don’t Destroy partners.
His path into comedy was not built around a famous family name. Instead, Marshall developed his own career alongside Herlihy and Higgins, eventually becoming part of one of the more recognizable comedy groups associated with Saturday Night Live in recent years.
Marshall Has Talked About Having a Privileged Upbringing
Although he keeps his parents private, Marshall has occasionally been open about the advantages he had growing up.
In a 2021 interview, he acknowledged that he and his comedy partners were fortunate to have had access to opportunities that many people do not receive. He discussed attending NYU without being overwhelmed by student debt and described the trio as privileged to have had access to the opportunities they received.
That comment gives some insight into Marshall’s upbringing, even though it does not reveal the identities or occupations of his parents.
It also helps explain why he has been comfortable joking about privilege and family relationships in his comedy. His background appears to have given him a stable foundation, but there is still very little publicly documented information about his parents themselves.
His Father Has Appeared in His Social Media
Marshall has occasionally referenced his father publicly, including through social media posts. One example involved a backstage photo connected to Conan O’Brien.
Still, these appearances have not turned his father into a public personality. Marshall has not established a detailed public profile of either parent, and there is no widely confirmed information about their careers or professional lives.
For fans, that means there is a difference between knowing that Marshall has spoken about his parents and actually knowing who they are.
The comedian has made it clear that he has a good relationship with his father, though. That family dynamic has also influenced some of the jokes created by Please Don’t Destroy.
The Joke About Their Famous Fathers
One recurring theme in Please Don’t Destroy’s comedy is the relationship between sons and their fathers.
Because Herlihy and Higgins have fathers connected to the entertainment industry, the group has plenty of material to play with. Marshall has joked along with them despite not having the same type of family connection.
In an interview with Esquire, Marshall discussed the group’s interest in jokes about men constantly seeking approval from their fathers. He also made it clear that the three comedians have good relationships with their dads.
That detail is important because the comedy may exaggerate family dynamics for laughs, but it does not necessarily reflect serious problems within their families.
Conan O’Brien Played Marshall’s Dad
The family joke went even further in the Please Don’t Destroy movie, Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
Conan O’Brien, a former Saturday Night Live writer and performer, played Ben Marshall’s father in the film. It was a particularly fitting casting choice because Conan already had a long history with the SNL comedy world.
For Marshall, the fictional relationship gave the group another opportunity to joke about his supposed lack of a famous comedy family.
In reality, however, his parents remain private people.
Why So Little Is Known About His Parents?
There does not appear to be any indication that Marshall is hiding a major celebrity connection. Instead, the available information suggests that his parents simply have not pursued public careers or chosen to become part of his entertainment profile.
This is fairly common for comedians and actors. A public figure can have a successful career while keeping parents, siblings and other relatives completely outside the spotlight.
Marshall’s own career has become successful enough that fans are naturally interested in his personal life, but that does not mean every family detail is publicly available.
Ben Marshall’s Family Remains Private
At this point, the safest answer to the question of who Ben Marshall’s parents are is that their full identities have not been publicly disclosed.
What is known is that Marshall was born in Savannah, Georgia, and has spoken positively about his relationship with his father and about having a privileged upbringing. His family is not known for having the same entertainment-industry connections as the families of his Please Don’t Destroy partners.
That difference has actually become part of the trio’s comedy.
While Martin Herlihy and John Higgins can openly joke about growing up around established comedy figures, Marshall has created his own place in the industry without a publicly famous family name behind him. For now, his parents appear happy to remain outside the spotlight, while their son continues building his career through comedy, writing and Please Don’t Destroy.