Reilly Anspaugh has quietly built an impressive career that spans comedy sketches, feature films, and reality television production. The 29-year-old multi-hyphenate talent isn’t just another Hollywood legacy kid trading on her famous parents’ names. She’s carved out her own identity as a writer, actress, producer, and singer who’s equally comfortable creating digital comedy content and starring in feature films.
Biography
Reilly Anspaugh was born in Los Angeles to entertainment industry royalty. Her mother, Roma Downey, is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress and producer. At the same time, her father, David Anspaugh, is a two-time Primetime Emmy-winning director, best known for sports films such as “Hoosiers” and “Rudy.” Her parents married on November 24, 1995, shortly before her birth, but divorced in March 1998 when she was approximately two years old.
Growing up in a blended Hollywood family gave Reilly both advantages and challenges. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Maureen O’Reilly Downey, creating a connection to her Irish heritage. Through her mother’s 2007 marriage to television producer Mark Burnett, she gained two step-brothers, James and Cameron Burnett. She also has a half-sister, Vanessa Anspaugh, from her father’s first marriage. Vanessa works as a choreographer and performance artist.
Despite the Hollywood pedigree, Reilly focused on building her own path. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Boston University, likely graduating around 2018, where she received the prestigious Bette Davis Scholarship for Artistic Excellence. She also completed a minor in Arts Leadership and obtained a Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. During her university years, she performed extensively in regional theatre at Boston New Repertory Theatre in productions including Mad Forest, Talley and Son, Parade, and Julius Caesar.
Her most notable theatre achievement came in the 2018 world premiere of “Ripe Frenzy” at New Repertory Theatre. She played dual roles so distinctly that critics didn’t realise one actor portrayed both characters. That versatility would become her trademark.
Career
Reilly’s professional journey began at HeadGum, the comedy podcast network founded by Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld. She started as a summer intern in 2017 and was hired as an Editorial Producer in May 2018, a position she still holds today. At HeadGum, she created an impressive body of work, writing, directing, and starring in approximately 160 comedy sketches across multiple series.
Her primary HeadGum projects included “Geoffrey the Dumbass” (2017-2023), where she appeared in all 48 episodes whilst writing 43 episodes, producing five, and directing eight. The series earned an impressive 8.2/10 rating on IMDb. “Off Days” (2017-2022) featured her in all 40 episodes as writer, with additional producing and directing credits. She also created and starred in “Bad Reilly” and “Day in the Strife,” both comedy sketch series available on HeadGum’s YouTube channel.
Between 2018 and 2019, Reilly performed twice as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in Tim Janis’ Annual Christmas Concerts. Her debut on November 30, 2018 at the Isaac Stern Auditorium featured a full orchestra and 200-voice choir, benefiting Kate Winslet’s Golden Hat Foundation for autism awareness. She returned on December 5, 2019, sharing the stage with Tori Kelly, Colbie Caillat, and Us The Duo.
On January 28, 2020, Reilly launched “Review Revue” with Geoffrey James. This weekly comedy improv podcast blended conversation with long-form improvised scenes based on absurd reviews from Yelp, Amazon, and other internet sources. The show attracted impressive guest talent, including Ben Schwartz, Lauren Lapkus, Lamorne Morris, Billy Magnussen, and even Jeff Probst. Over its nearly five-year run, Review Revue produced 179 episodes before concluding on December 24, 2024.
Her screen career began in earnest in 2017. Still, her feature film debut came in 2018’s “Buttons, A New Musical Film,” where she played Sister Mary alongside Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, and her mother, Roma Downey. In 2020, she took creative control with “Good Mourning,” an eight-minute short film where she starred, wrote, and produced. The project earned an impressive 8.7/10 rating on IMDb despite its modest $5,000 budget.
Her major television breakthrough came with “The Baxters,” the Amazon Prime Video series that premiered on March 28, 2024. Playing Erin Baxter Hogan across 34 episodes in three simultaneously released seasons, she starred alongside her mother, Roma Downey, who also executive-produced the faith-based family drama.
Since 2024, Reilly has served as Segment Producer for CBS’s “Survivor,” working across Seasons 45-48. She works both on location in Fiji during filming and in post-production in Los Angeles, having produced 31 episodes and over 40 “secret scenes.” Entertainment Weekly has featured her work multiple times, publishing exclusive deleted scenes she created.
“Homewrecker” (2025) represents Reilly’s most significant achievement to date. She stars as Megan, the lead role, and serves as producer in this dark comedy thriller about a woman who uses deepfake technology to frame her stepfather. Directed by Dante Marino, the 75-minute feature premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in March 2025 and is currently streaming on Apple TV, Tubi, Fandango at Home, and Plex. Film Threat praised her “thoroughly charismatic” performance, whilst Letterboxd reviewers called it a “smart and twisted comedy.”
In 2023, she co-directed, wrote, produced, and starred in “Chauncey,” a 10-minute romantic comedy short about a woman afraid to introduce her new boyfriend to her childhood stuffed animal. The film, based on her real relationship with partner Daniel Rashid, featured her actual childhood stuffed dog and screened at multiple festivals.
Personal Life
Reilly is engaged to Daniel Rashid, an actor, filmmaker, and director who graduated from USC in 2015 with a degree in theatre and film. Their relationship has spanned six-plus years as of 2024, and they’ve become prolific creative collaborators. Rashid directed her in “Good Mourning” (2020), co-directed and co-starred in “Chauncey” (2023), and co-starred in “Homewrecker” (2025).
Reilly has publicly praised him as “the best collaborator, sounding board, and just an incredible artist I get to look up to (and brush my teeth next to) every day.” Roma Downey hosted an engagement party for the couple in her hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, though a wedding date hasn’t been publicly announced. The couple shares a dog named Josie, who features prominently in Reilly’s social media content.
