Starting in comedy at the age of just 19, Bamford quickly honed her darkly abstract and idiosyncratic style in local clubs and venues around Minneapolis. Her routines often include intelligently vicious barbs aimed at her family and high school classmates, both of whom seem to have not quite understood her artistic vision growing up. Combining observational humor, impressions, deadpan tales of mental illness, quirky joke structures and an uncomfortable, self-conscious stage presence, Bamford has gained a reputation as one of America's most respected cult comedians. Her appearances in the stand-up reality feature The Comedians of Comedy, alongside Patton Oswalt and Zach Galafianakis, helped her earn more widespread appeal that has seen her starring in Target commercials and countless Comedy Central showcases.