Black while funny and female: Black Women of Comedy
Tiffany Haddish – American actress, comedian, and author. Tiffany has starred in a number of T.V. series and movies. Wanda Sykes – American actress, comedian, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show and roles in various movies.
Sommore – Sommore is an American comedian and actress. Known as the “Diva of Contemporary Comedy,” her comedic style features a biting sarcasm and frank discussions about money, sex, and equality between the sexes.
Mo’Nique – American comedian and actress. She first gained recognition for her work in stand-up comedy, debuting as a member of The Queens of Comedy. In 2010 she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film “Precious”
Nicole Byer – American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and podcaster. She is known as the host of the Netflix comedic reality bake-off series Nailed It!
Leslie Jones – American comedian and actress who was a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2019. Since leaving SNL she has been in a variety of movies and has had a stand-up special on NetFlix.
Whoopi Goldberg – Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actress, comedian, author, and television personality. Goldberg is one of sixteen entertainers to be known as an EGOT winner, meaning she has won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award (Oscar), and a Tony Award.
Maya Rudolph – American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained prominence in the 1990s as a member of the alternative rock band The Rentals before joining The Groundlings improv troupe later in the decade. In 2000, Rudolph became a cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Later she would star in numerous movies and TV shows. Rudolph’s mother is the late singer Minnie Riperton.
Sasheer Zamata – American actress and comedian known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2017.
Moms Mabley – Loretta Mary Aiken, known by her stage name Jackie “Moms” Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Beginning her career on the theater stage in the 1920s, Mabley became a veteran entertainer of the Chitlin’ Circuit of African-American vaudeville.
Luenell – Luenell Campbell, known mononymously as Luenell, is an American comedian and actress and has starred in numerous films and TV shows.
Loni Love – Loni Love is an American comedian, television host, actress, author, and former electrical engineer. Since 2013, Love has served as one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real.
Sheryl Underwood – American comedian, actress and television host. Currently, Underwood is one of the hosts on the CBS Daytime talk show The Talk, a role she first stepped into in September 2011.
Sherri Shepherd – American actress, comedian, author, and television personality. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the daytime talk show The View.
Aisha Tyler – American actress, comedian, author, director, and talk show host. She has appeared on such shows as Talk Soup, Friends, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Archer, and served as host on CBS’s The Talk and Who’s Line Is It Anyway?
Danitra Vance – American actress and comedian, who was the first Black female cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live during its eleventh season. She would leave after that season. Vance was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, she would later pass away from the disease on August 21, 1994.
Tracee Ellis Ross – American actress, singer, television host, producer and director. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends and Black-ish. She is the daughter of music legend and actress Dianna Ross.
Debra Wilson – also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress, comedian and television presenter. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series Mad TV, having appeared for the show’s first eight seasons.
Retta – Marietta Sangai Sirleaf, professionally known as Retta, is an American standup comedian and actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Meagle on NBC’s Parks and Recreation.
Cree Summer – Actress, singer, and voice-actress. She is known for playing Winifred “Freddie” Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World. Since then she has worked primarily as a voice-actor lending her vocal talents to numerous animated shows, movies and video games including the show Comedy Central adult cartoon Drawn Together.
Marla Gibbs – American actress, comedian, singer, writer and television producer, whose career spans five decades. She is most known for her roles on the groundbreaking TV series The Jeffersons and 227.
Niecy Nash – American comedian, actress, television host, model, and producer, best known for her performances on television. Most notably the TV shows Reno911, Scream Queens and Claws.
LaWanda Page – American actress and comedian best known for her role as “Aunt” Esther Anderson in the popular television sitcom Sanford and Son, which originally aired from 1972 until 1977.
Yvette Nicole Brown – Yvette Nicole Brown is an American actress, comedian, writer, and host. Brown starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC comedy series Community.
Marsha Warfield – American actress and comedian. She is best known for her 1986– 92 role of Roz Russell on the Top 10 rated NBC sitcom Night Court.
Kim Coles – American actress, comedian and game show host. Coles is known for her roles as a cast member on In Living Color for the first season and as Synclaire James-Jones on television sitcom Living Single.
Jackée Harry – American actress, singer, comedian, director, and television personality. She is best known for her roles as Sandra Clark, the sexy nemesis of Mary Jenkins, on the NBC TV series 227, and as Lisa Landry on the ABC/The WB sitcom Sister, Sister.
Isabel Sanford – was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian best known for her role as Louise “Weezy” Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons.
Esther Rolle – An American actress. Rolle is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom Maude, for two seasons, and its spin-off series Good Times, for five seasons.
