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If you Googled “Sarah Ziolkowska,” you likely stumbled upon her name next to comedian Nathan Fielder, the creator of Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. Sarah is no one’s footnote. She is a Canadian librarian and reading specialist who has spent her career assisting children with dyslexia in their attempts to learn to read on their own, a life lived quietly, and more privately than most realize, with the goal of helping children with dyslexia learn to read. Read on to find out about her schooling in Toronto, Halifax, and her work in Culver City, California, as well as the true facts about her marriage and divorce with one of comedy’s most bizarre characters.
Quick facts about Sarah Ziolkowska
| Detail | Info |
| Full name | Sarah Ziolkowska |
| Date of birth | Around May 12, 1983 (estimated) |
| Age | ~43 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | The University of Toronto (B.A.Sc. Psychology) and Dalhousie University (M.L.I.S.) |
| Profession | Librarian/Reading Specialist |
| Certification | Wilson Reading System (2015) |
| Workplace | Park Century School in Culver City, California |
| Ex-husband | Nathan Fielder (married 2011, divorced 2015) |
| Children | None |
| Estimated net worth | $400,000-$500,000 |
| Social media | No public accounts |
Who is Sarah Ziolkowska?
Sarah Ziolkowska is a born and raised Canadian, currently residing in Culver City, California, and is a librarian and reading specialist. In the public eye, she is well known as the ex-wife of comedian Nathan Fielder, who made him a cult star in American comedy with his show Nathan For You. But that’s only the beginning.
Before and after Sarah married she had a career in education. She specializes in working with a child who has a reading problem such as a child with dyslexia. She teaches structured literacy programs and works with traditional methods to engage children who struggle in the traditional classroom.
She is of a private nature, and has no social media presence, pointing to a life that has always been out of the public spotlight, despite what her previous marriage has done to attract it.
Her early life and love for reading
Sarah was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. According to all accounts she was a book-loving and quiet child who was drawn to libraries from an early age. Not only was it a hobby, but it was a connection to the written word. It made all her decisions with respect to her education and career.
She attended high school in Toronto and in 2002 went to the University of Toronto. In 2007 she earned a B.A.S. in Psychology which provided her with a solid base of knowledge about how children learn and why some of them have learning difficulties.
Her library education was at the University of Wyoming and the University of Utah.
Graduating from undergraduate studies, Sarah relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia to pursue post-graduate studies with Dalhousie University. One of the most highly respected library science programs in Canada, she received her Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) degree there.
As a student at Dalhousie, she also interned at the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library from 2008 to 2009. This was practically a hands-on internship.
- She created information literacy webcasts for students
- She gave reference and research help
- She supported faculty and staff with use of academic databases
This gave her great insight into what library work is truly like, how it is not merely about books to be shelved, but about people and information coming together.
As a librarian and reading specialist
Upon completion of her Dalhousie degree, Sarah served as a teaching assistant at Dalhousie for two years. She then moved to Culver City, California and became the librarian and reading specialist at Park Century School in October 2012.
Park Century is a school with a focus on children with learning differences, especially those with dyslexia and other reading differences. Sarah’s work there is more than just the management of a library collection.
- Each week, she has a library class for students
- She is the host of special literacy events to foster a love for reading
- She teaches students individually with the Wilson Reading System
What is the Wilson Reading System? A systematic literacy program, which is designed specifically for students who do not benefit from traditional reading instruction, and is based on the principles of Orton-Gillingham. Sarah has been a certified facilitator in the field since 2015. It is an intensive training to be certified and she is qualified to work with some of the most reading-challenged students in a school environment.
That’s where Sarah’s psychological training comes in direct. Language processing knowledge allows her to tailor instruction to the individual student.
She has also, part-time, served as a youth librarian at Halifax North Memorial Public Library, keeping in touch with her home province even though she lives in California.
How Sarah Ziolkowska met Nathan Fielder
Sarah met Nathan Fielder at a comedy show in Halifax in 2007. Nathan had yet to be famous. He was a working comedian in the making and Sarah was finishing her studies at Dalhousie. They were both part of the same city at the same time, and it just hit them.
They were together for a few years before they tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2011. It was a small wedding with close friends and family, much like the people they were at the time. They did not try to make any noise about themselves, and they lived for a time a quiet life together in California.
They only appeared together one time in public, at the Comedy Central Roast Of James Franco at Culver Studios in Culver City in August 2013. It is one of the few occasions on which they were photographed side by side.
Read more: Roman Krause: the quiet life of Peter Krause’s only son
The marriage, the fame and what changed
In 2013, when Comedy Central launched Nathan For You with Nathan Fielder, it all changed. After Nathan gave the exciting advice of doing the opposite to a struggling small business by employing the most absurd techniques, the show was a genuine cultural success. It was received with critical acclaim and a loyal fan base.
For Nathan, it was a hectic schedule, lots of travelling, interviews and media coverage that he couldn’t turn off. This was hard on Sarah, for whom a life of quiet service and regular routine had been her calling.
Their values were similar, their lives had been designed around similar values. Fame turned Nathan’s life upside down. The gap between them was more than just geographical. It was about the changes in their lives.
In 2014 they divorced and on April 16, 2015, they divorced in Los Angeles, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. They had none of their children.
“Divorce is a wonderful baby,” was Nathan Fielder’s comment about that divorce.
When it comes to personal matters, Nathan Fielder doesn’t talk about them often, but he did in a 2017 Rolling Stone interview in which he spoke about the divorce. He said, “It was a very jarring experience and we know how emotional it was for me.” In spite of the pain, he said he and Sarah were able to get along after that.
Sarah, for her part, told The A.V. Club that the divorce was emotionally traumatizing for her as well. She didn’t go on to say much about it, nor has she been open about it since. This is in line with her nature. She dealt with her experience in private and went on.
Welcome back Sarah and why she’s back in searches
Public interest in Nathan Fielder went through the roof when he came back with the second season of The Rehearsal on HBO and so did the search for Sarah Ziolkowska. The theme of the show is Nathan’s preparation for real social settings through elaborate rehearsal scenarios, sometimes with actors portraying real people.
In Season 2, Nathan is learning to become a pilot, and conducting elaborate social experiments on a Boeing 737. The show’s return brought back many memories for viewers, such as Nathan’s marriage to Sarah, and prompted a surge of new queries for her name.
None of this enticed Sarah to come out of her private life. She didn’t take any part in the show, and didn’t do any interviews.
Sarah Ziolkowska’s life in the year 2026
Currently Sarah Ziolkowska lives in Culver City, California and works at Park Century School as of 2026. She has no public social media accounts. There are pages for her on Instagram but none of them are hers.
Estimated net worth: $400,000 to $500,000, accumulated after years of consistent efforts in the field of education. It’s a relatively small number compared to what Nathan Fielder estimates the value of his life is at $3 million, but that’s a different kind of life.
It is not reported that she remarried. Since the divorce, she hasn’t made any public statement. She keeps her personal life way off the scene and with every bit of information about her, it seems like it is a choice and not a response to something.
Final thoughts
The reason Sarah Ziolkowska’s story is worth reading is the same reason it’s difficult to write it. It can be found in very small amounts. She has maintained her private life in a time when privacy is down to the nitty-gritty and hard to find.
She is a reading specialist for children with dyslexia in a school environment, and once was her husband, one of the most written-about comedians on TV. One of these two is not overriding the other. The first is her actual job. The latter is what makes people come seeking her name.
If you’re here wondering who she is, the truth is that she’s a competent teacher who made a decision to value over attention and has been true to that decision ever since. In other words, in its own humble manner, it is worth knowing.
Three common interview questions about Sarah Ziolkowska answered
What is Sarah Ziolkowska’s age?
It is estimated that Sarah was born around May 12, 1983, thus about 43 years old in 2026. Her exact date of birth is not officially known.
What job does Sarah Ziolkowska have?
She is a librarian and reading specialist at Park Century School in Culver City, California. She is certified in a structured literacy program called the Wilson Reading System, and works with children who have dyslexia and other reading difficulties.
For what reasons did Sarah Ziolkowska and Nathan Fielder get divorced?
They divorced in 2014 and their divorce was finalized in April 2015. Both didn’t provide a detailed public account, but Nathan Fielder explained that the split was “a very jarring experience” in a 2017 Rolling Stone interview, and Sarah stated that it was “emotionally traumatizing” in a comment for The A.V. Club. Overall, public reports suggest that Nathan’s growing popularity has led to a distance in the relationship.
Is there Sarah Ziolkowska on social media?
No. There are no verified public accounts on Instagram, X, or any other social media platform that she has. Any pages with her name are not hers.
Do Sarah Ziolkowska and Nathan Fielder have kids?
No. The couple did not have any children during their marriage.
Has Sarah Ziolkowska made any public appearances since the divorce?
She has not made any public statements or appeared on television or radio interviews since her small quote to The A.V. Club around the time of the divorce. Since then, she’s maintained a totally private profile.
