Stand-up comedy is a man’s world. Very few women are able to break in and gain a toehold in that arena. When they do it is against the thought that women are not as funny as men. Poppycock, I say! Throughout the history of stand-up comedy there have been women who have managed to break through that glass ceiling. When they do it is due to possessing huge talent and have the cajones to hang with the boys. Trust me in that there is no scientific proof that you have to be a guy to be funny and actually these ten women are proof of the exact opposite. Here is my list of the top ten female stand-up comedians working today:
10) Amy Schumer: What elevates Schumer over other comedians (male and female) is her ability to be funny about a myriad of subjects. Fearless. She covers topics far and wide. Including topics that most wouldn’t dare touch such as those usually thought of as dark or poignant. Schumer still manages to make those funny. Her comedy contains stuff we can all relate to. Do yourself a favour and watch her Comedy Central show.
9) Whitney Cummings: Much better as a stand-up than she was on her awful television sitcom. She has talent; it just didn’t not show through in that show.
8) Wanda Sykes: What is great about her is her delivery. It is note perfect. Very versatile and can be funny about almost anything.
7) Tig Notaro: She made cancer funny. Her own bout with cancer. The lady is that funny. Full stop.
6) Kathy Griffin: So popular that she managed to have her own reality show, “My Life on the D List”. Not only does she poke fun at herself but targets Hollywood stars. No one is safe. No wilting flower and as a result she has caused some controversies over the course of her career.
5) Chelsea Handler: A rather unique comedic talent. Her stand-up shows garnered her so much attention that it led to her own late night show, “Chelsea Lately”. Not only does she poke fun at celebrities but also her own drinking and one night stands. Will cover just about any topic.
4) Margaret Cho: Nothing is off limits for this comedian. She talks about sex as easily as she does racial stereotypes. Her life has become an open book in which her act draws from. Listening to her act is like peeking in on someone’s voyage of self discovery. Talks frankly in her act about her eating disorder, drug use and bisexuality. Advocate for LGBT and female rights.
3) Ellen Degeneres: Huge. So big that the fact that she came out did not damage her career…actually it helped it. She now has her own daytime talk show that does boffo ratings and she is so popular that she has hosted the Oscars a couple of times. So popular that people seem to have forgotten that she started her career as a stand-up act. And a very good one at that. One moment she is covering something that makes her seem like everywoman where she is talking about an everyday thing then she’ll move on to a long and rambling story with plenty of sidebars and weirdness. Either way she is a scream.
2) Sarah Silverman: Believe it or not but this talented (but very quirky) lady was once fired from Saturday Night Live. Well, their loss. Most know and love her due to her odd Comedy Central skit show “The Sarah Silverman Show”. Definitely left of center but a total scream. Because her style is raw to say the least there has been some controversy, but it has never overshadowed the talent. Brave and smart. Taboo is a word that is not in her vocabulary and our stomach muscles get a workout as a result.
1) Joan Rivers: Though she died recently the lady is such a talent I’m going to include her on this list, dammit! Not only include her but rank her on top. A groundbreaker. She was one of the first female stand-ups who took on the boys and won. Her honesty, crudeness and unwillingness to back down won her millions of fans. A lady who would say what we were all thinking. A prolific career that spanned five decades. Rivers paved the road for today’s female stand-up comedians. Known as the Queen of Comedy.
