Jen Kirkman couldn’t care less if her biological clock is ticking.

The American writer and comedian is so passionate about living life child-free that she incorporated the topic into her standup act and soon learned she’s not the only person on the planet lacking a burning desire to have kids.

“Some women have been coming up saying: ‘Thank you, I didn’t know it was normal not to want to have kids.’ And it made me really sad, that people didn’t know this was OK,” said Kirkman, who’s first book, I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids, became a New York Times bestseller after its April release.

A regular writer on the late night comedy talk show Chelsea Lately, Kirkman is currently headlining her first tour and brings her act to Toronto June 7 and 8 for a trio of gigs at the Comedy Bar.

Kirkman, 38, never set out to be the face of any sort of movement — especially one dedicated to living life void of ankle-biters. What stared out with a couple of jokes in her act about how bad a parent she would be soon snowballed. The Massachusetts native’s no-child stance was galvanized by both supporters and detractors. “Some people think I am being preachy,” she said.

Since the release of the book, there has been quite a bit of negative feedback. Kirkman has heard all sorts of reasons why she is dead wrong, including comments from those who believe she’ll change her mind and others who warn she’ll die alone.

“You get some people who understand (my stance) completely and other people who dismiss it and think you are saying something you are not,” said Kirkman, who argues it’s not abnormal for people to not want to procreate.

One of the most surprising results of her campaign has been the number of men who approach her with similar stories. “An equal amount of men tell me that people say just the same dumb things to them.”

She believes woman do feel more pressure to have kids simply because they have the equipment, but that each gender is pushed to have a 1950s style family.

“There are two types of pressure — one is you are not a real woman, the other is you will be a better man.”

While the success of the book has brought more recognition, Kirkman is no overnight sensation, having worked in comedy for more than 15 years. Prior to the book she was best known for her work on Chelsea Lately, her contributions to Paul F. Tompkins’s Pod F. Tompkast podcast as well as her work on Funny or Die’s series of Drunk History videos.

Kirkman says her own life is the biggest inspiration for her comedy bits.

“Anything I am going through is the driving force of my act,” Kirkman said. “Right now I am talking about being divorced and how it is great and how a strange person I was when I was married.”

She recognizes that dishing secrets about her personal life on stage might seem daunting or risky, but she insists she’d have it no other way.

Jen Kirkman performs at Toronto’s Comedy Bar June 7 and 8. Tickets are $20.