Historically, stand up comedy is a male-dominated industry. Yet Black women have always made space for their jokes. There are a number of Black women comedians currently taking the stand up world by storm. These comedians give commentary on politics, romance, misogyny, aging, singleness, and so much more with wit, intellect, and dry humor. We can’t get enough of them!
Here are four Black Female stand-up comedians to know.
Chanel Ali
Philadelphia native Chanel Ali is a stand up comedian, writer, and actress. Currently, she resides in New York City. Her accomplishments are incredile. She previously hosted the Food Network digital series Food Debate! Today. She also founded a podcast called A Girls Guide Podcast, offering advice for women on how to handle the literal and metaphorical “smoke” in your life. She’s appeared in the television series Night Train with Wyatt Cenac and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks on TruTV. She also made an appearence in the Netflix series Dash & Lily. Check out her website for her upcoming standup shows
Maurie Faustin
Maurie Faustin is a multi-talented actress, host and comedian based in New York City. Her stacked resume includes appearances on Broad City, Comedy Central Stand-Up, and MTV’s Girl Code. Earlier this year, she took on the role of host of the new live game show, Why Are You Single?, where she helps contestants determine whether they are the problem in their relationships (or lack thereof). She got her start hosting the Unofficial Expert Podcast alongside fellow comedian Sydnee Washington, which catapulted her early career to where it is today.
Sydnee Washington
Another multi-hyphenate, Sydnee Washington is a comedian, actress, model, and podcaster. In 2022, she received an Emmy nomination for her role in Bridesman. A self-proclaimed comedic chef, Sydnee started her Instagram Live cooking show, Syd Can Cook, a first-of-its-kind comedy cooking show where she cooks alongside celebrity guests.
Ayo Adebiri
Comedian Ayo Adebiri took the world by storm the last few years. She grew up in Boston to a Nigerian father and mother, an immigrant from Barbados. Early in her career, she picked up comedy gigs in Brooklyn and Manhattan, which opened doors for her to write for comedies such as Big Mouth, Dickinson, and What We Do in the Shadows. She struck gold when she stepped out from behind the camera and recently gained fame as Sydney in The Bear.