Women have not always been considered funny. I know, I can’t believe it either. Society has made important steps in appreciating women’s inherent humor, despite stand-up comedy still being traditionally dominated by cisgender, straight, white men. But, women and nonbinary comedians are some of the funniest people alive—correction: the funniest people alive. And now that lesbian comedians are able to be more open about their queerness, it’s about damn time to celebrate both familiar funny faces and get acquainted with some new comics.
After most comedy clubs temporarily closed in 2020, the future of stand-up seemed uncertain—and, uh, not so funny. But, luckily, there are so many more ways for comedians to share their sense of humor with the world. They can create videos on TikTok like Grace Kuhlenschmidt or tweet out jokes like Sarah Schauer. Thanks to social media, comedians don’t have to rely on traditional mediums, like booking a spot on late night shows or writing on Saturday Night Live, to reach an audience.
And, while methods might change over time, the impact humor has on society endures. “Comedy is a powerful tool, not just to make people laugh, but to connect them and give a platform and microphone to those traditionally underrepresented, [enabling them] to speak from a place of authenticity and humor,” says Raina Deerwater, Entertainment Research & Analysis Manager at GLAAD. “As a lesbian, there is something profound about hearing these jokes and stories from queer comedians that allow us to honestly reflect on our lived and, often, absurd shared human experiences.”
Queer comedians are pushing the boundaries of comedy by making light of all that it is to be human—the good, the bad, and the ugly. “Right now, the LGBTQ community, specifically the trans community, is facing an escalating assault on our equality,” notes Deerwater. “Comedy can be used as a necessary source of relief in hard times… [and] that is so needed right now.” So, if you need a chuckle—and tbh, you probably do—look no further than these 32 women and nonbinary queer comedians to add more laughter into your day:
1 Sarah Schauer
Sarah Schauer is an ex-Viner, YouTuber, and all around funny internet person. You’ll find them joking around, as well as serving hot takes, on Twitter and TikTok. They’ve even got chaotic YouTube episodes with “Kombucha Girl” Brittany Broski, where, for example, they quiz each other on Moira Rose’s vocabulary.
2 Lena Waithe
Lena Waithe is a screenwriter, producer, and actress. She appeared in and wrote for the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None and became the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for her work on the show. She then went on to create her own TV show, The Chi, and write the screenplay for 2019 film Queen & Slim. Recently, she’s written for and will appear in the upcoming season of Master of None.
4 Sam Jay
Sam Jay is a stand-up comedian and writer, currently writing for SNL. She has performed her stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel and has a Netflix special called 3 in The Morning. Sam told The New York Times that she herself a late bloomer, “Got my period late, got my titties late,” and didn’t start comedy until 29. But being able to establish her career at an older age has allowed her to push the boundaries in comedy.
5 Kate McKinnon
You definitely know Kate McKinnon from Saturday Night Live, where she routinely steals the show with her iconic impersonations of Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and RBG. Along with her weekly SNL appearances, Kate has starred in major films like Bombshell, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and—a personal favorite of mine—Ghostbusters (2016).
6 Grace Kuhlenschmidt
Grace Kuhlenschmidt is a popular TikTok comedian making viral jokes about TikTok trends, straight people, being gay, and just about everything else. Grace has even virtually met Phoebe Bridgers and sang “Monster” with her, so yeah, she’s kinda a big deal.
7 Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter. In the early ’90s, she starred in All American Girl, a sitcom that ran for one season on ABC. After starring in the show based on her stand-up act, she has done a variety of things, most notably continuing her stand-up career and writing a book. She’s also become a bellydancer, started a podcast called The Margaret Cho, and even released some music.
8 Cameron Esposito
Cameron Esposito is a Los Angelese-based stand-up comic, writer, actor, and podcaster. She and her ex-spouse, Rhea Butcher, created and starred in Take My Wife, a sitcom about a comic couple navigating comedy and marriage. She also has a podcast, Queery, where she interviews LGBTQ+ luminaries.
9 Hannah Gadsby
Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian, writer, and actress. She’s best known for her hit Netflix stand-up special, Nanette, which explores whether she should quit comedy because of how harmful self-deprecating humor can be for someone in a marginalized community. She performs with incredible charm and, at points, heartbreaking transparency (especially about how women and nonbinary people are treated in our society). Her second stand-up special, Douglas, can also be found on Netflix.
10 Punkie Johnson
Punkie Johnson joined the cast of SNL in 2020. Before that, Punkie performed at The Comedy Store and Just For Laughs.
11 Sandi Toksvig
You might recognize this lovely lady from The Great British Baking Show! Aside from being a host on the hit reality competition show, Sandi Toksvig is also a writer, comedian, broadcaster, actor, podcaster, TV presenter, and producer. (Whoa, she does it all!)
12 Sue Perkins
Sue Perkins is another comedienne you’ll recognize from The Great British Baking Show. She appeared on the first seven seasons as a host alongside Mel Giedroyc. Mel and Sue are a comedy duo known for their great involvement in GBBO as well as their daytime talk show.
13 Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes started her career as a writer for The Chris Rock Show. Since then, she’s not only become a successful stand-up comedian and actress, but fun fact: has probably voiced in one of your fave animated movies (Rio, Ice Age, Over the Hedge–all classics). She actively hates The Bachelor (and the fact that so many ladies are pining after one guy), which she talks about in her Netflix stand-up special, Not Normal.
14 Lily Tomlin
You may not know this but Lily Tomlin actually started her career as a stand-up comic! She’s been in the comedy and TV industry for 50 years, shining because of her observational and improvisational humor, as well as some seriously stellar acting chops. Decades after becoming a household name thanks to her role in 9 to 5 with Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, she and Jane reunited to star in Netflix’s hit sitcom, Grace and Frankie.
15 Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro is a stand-up comic, writer, actor, and radio contributor best known for her deadpan style comedy. You can find her first one hour special, Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted on HBO (which, btw, was nominated for an Emmy).
16 Jane Lynch
Actress and comedian Jane Lynch is best known for her iconic role as the cheerleading squad coach in Glee. But she’s always working on several projects at a time, both in film and TV. (Fun/random fact: She also appeared in one episode of iCarly as Sam’s mom, lol.)
17 Rose Dix and Rosie Spaughton
18 Fortune Feimster
Fortune Feimster has made a name for herself as a stand-up comic, actor, and writer. Not only has she starred in multiple TV shows (The Mindy Project, Life In Pieces, Kenan), she also has a Netflix special called Sweet and Salty.
19 Kemah Bob
Kemah Bob’s comedy centers around Black cultural identity, mental health, sexuality, and gender. She performs stand-up around the UK as well as hosting The FOC It Up Comedy Club, highlighting Femmes of Color in comedy.
20 Rhea Butcher
Rhea Butcher is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcast host. They started their career at The Second City in Chicago and have since starred in the show Take My Wife with then-spouse, Cameron Esposito. Rhea has also appeared in Adam Ruins Everything and currently hosts a baseball podcast called Three Swings.
21 Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone was the first woman to perform stand-up comedy at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She now hosts the weekly chaotic comedy podcast Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone which one listener has called “the best possible waste of time.”
22 Lea DeLaria
Lea DeLaria is a comedian, actress, and jazz singer (oooooh). If you’re a fan of Orange Is The New Black, you know her as Carrie “Big Boo” Black. She appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1993 as the first openly gay comic to appear on American TV. Apparently, this is her iconic joke: Question: “What does a lesbian bring on a second date?”Answer: “A U-Haul.”
23 Catherine Bohart
Catherine Bohart is an Irish stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. She has written for The Now Show, The News Quiz, and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order. Every week, you can catch her hosting an online comedy gig ironically called Gigless.
24 Zoe Lyons
Zoe Lyons is a British comedian, set to host a new game show on British television. You can find her stand-up comedy strewn about on YouTube.
25 Clea DuVall
Clea DuVall is an actress, writer, producer, and director. Most recently, she’s best known for playing Marjorie Palmiotti, Selina Meyer’s Secret Service agent/daughter-in-law, on VEEP. She’s also been in some film hits from the ’90s, including She’s All That and But I’m a Cheerleader.
26 Mae Martin
Mae Martin is a comedian, actor, and writer. They wrote and starred in the comedy series Feel Good on Netflix. Mae’s stand-up tour will be coming to the UK only this October.
27 Liz Feldman
Liz Feldman is a comedian, actress, producer, and writer. She started her stand-up career at the age of 15, performing and writing for All That on Nickelodeon in 1995! More recently, she created and produced the Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me.
29 Gina Yashere
Gina Yashere is a British comedian who has appeared on a variety of British and American TV shows, like Bob Hearts Abishola and Married Single Other. In 2017, she became the British correspondent for The Daily Show.
30 Rosie Jones
Rosie Jones is a British comedian and actress who has appeared in a variety of panel shows and performed stand-up at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her stand-up routines relate to her disability and sexuality. Oh, and she also wrote an episode of Netflix’s Sex Education.
32 Sarah Keyworth
Sarah Keyworth is a stand-up comedian based in the UK. She regularly performs around the UK, and she and her partner, Catherine Bohart, hosted a podcast called You’ll Do that offers relationship advice.
Josey Murray
Josey Murray is the editorial fellow at Women’s Health.
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