To be honest, stand-up comedy can sometimes feel like a huge sausage party. To put it more lightly, for a long time it was exclusively a man’s game, a male-dominated part of the entertainment industry. There were exceptions like the unforgettable, groundbreaking icons such as Mae West, Betty Miller, Joan Rivers, Lucille Ball, etc. From those exceptions came a wave of new energy into stand-up that seems like it’s still settling down into normalcy. Female stand-up comedians have more and more success and have more impact since ever! Here are the top 5 active female stand-up comedians that you have to know!
1. Iliza Shlesinger
An all-American gal with a charm and sense of humor that anyone can find themselves drawn into. She has 5 Netflix stand-up comedy specials — available to stream. In the past couple of years, she started an acting career and had a personal sketch show. She is an undeniable icon of the comedy world, already. We are prepared for the greatness that she will achieve in the near future!
2. Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany is undeniably funny! She is also an actress, a producer and SHE READY, for sure! She made history as the first Black female comic to host Saturday Night Live — and she won an Emmy for it too. She has a Netflix special and the first thing that she did after her amazing success — she did a show on Netflix where she promotes talented, young, and promising stand-up comedians. She is an ICON, for sure!
3. Taylor Tomlinson
Taylor is a young, energetic, and enthusiastic stand-up comedian that is a great representative of the Millennials and all their perks. She has two Netflix specials and has appeared on the late-night circuit, was a finalist a few years ago on Last Comic Standing, and also killed it in the standup series The Comedy Lineup. She is definitely a stand-up comedian that we need to keep on the watch.
4. Amy Schumer
Amy has definitely become the legend that we all were kind of expecting her to become. She is an amazingly successful comedian, an actress, an Oscars presenter, etc. She is in the big league, for sure. It seems that nowadays when you mention a female stand-up comedian, hers is the first face that pops into your mind. She has Netflix specials, movies, a lot of content and yes, she is so funny and has a huge personality that you just LOVE!
5. Ali Wong
We can call her the queen of sarcasm, right? Her stand-up is like a splash of cold water thrown in your face. It definitely keeps you awake and leaves you facing the harsh truth while you’re in awe. She has three Netflix specials where she talks about sex, hoarding, and feminism. Two of them filmed while pregnant… so they are extra juicy!