Do you wonder who the best female comedians of all time are? They are from different backgrounds and have explored comedy in different ways. Many of them have also turned to acting, writing, and production. Regardless, what stands them out is their delivery, the uniqueness of their comedies, and how well they have captured the world with their humor.
Many of the best women in comedy have been honored in many ways – from some of them being among the 100 most influential people in the world to winning Grammy Awards, becoming Hall of Famers, winning Emmys, and several other awards. In any case, let’s take a look at who makes it to the list of the best female comedians and why.
Meet the Best Female Comedians Ever
10. Patti Harrison
- Birth Name: Patti Harrison
- Age: 34 years old
- Nationality: American
Harrison is a woman whose career has placed her among the best female comedians. She is a standup comedian and an actress whose roles are sometimes comic. She has also co-hosted shows and podcasts.
In 2019, Patti Harrison was named one of Variety magazine’s 10 Comics to Watch in the year.
More into her comedy career, Harrison, a transgender woman joined the writers of the animated comedy series Big Mouth in its fourth season. She has since been breaking limits and making herself known across the globe.
9. Mo Collins
- Birth Name: Maureen Ann Collins
- Age: 59 years old
- Nationality: American
Collins started comedy when many women were not in the industry. She doubles comedy with flourishing acting caters.
Cmmis was a member of FOX’s sketch comedy series Mad TV where she played different roles.
As a comedian, she has performed a one-man show called Mo vs Mo across states in the US.
She is also famous for impersonating popular people. Some of these people include Hillary Clinton, Sandra Bullock., Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez, Anne Heche, Celine Dion, Paris Hilton, and Angelina Jolie.
8. Michelle Buteau
- Birth Name: Michelle Buteau
- Age: 47 years old
- Nationality: American
In 2017, Buteau was listed as one of ten comedians to watch by Esquire. She has been labeled as one of the best female comedians in the world. Nonetheless, she has had other careers as an actress, TV host, producer, and podcast host.
In 2020, she released a comedy special Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia.
Her comedy career has also landed her a role in The Comedy Lineup on Netflix where up-and-coming comedians have a 15-minute stand-up series.
7. Ali Wong
- Birth Name: Alexandra Dawn Wong
- Age: 42 years old
- Nationality: American
Having been called Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and 2023, Ali Wong has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. She is a comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director.
She has been nominated for Best Stand-Up Comedian Female at the Legionnaires of Laughter Legacy Award.
Wong released a comedy series in 2022, Ali Wong: Don Wong. The series was nominated for one Primetime Emmy. She has also released other comedy specials such as Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife (2018), Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016).
The standup comedian and actress is a Golden Globe Award winner and a Primetime Emmy Award winner. She won these awards for acting and became the first Asian woman to win a lead acting Emmy.
6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Birth Name: Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus
- Age: 63 years old
- Nationality: American
She is often considered a pioneer of women in comedy. Her comedy cuts across different genres such as observational comedy, insult comedy, shock comedy, black comedy, blue comedy, and improvisational comedy.
She performed comedy in different ways – from stage to movies, talk shows, and as a writer. In her career as a comedian, she won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for her What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? In 1984.
She also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host (The Joan Rivers Show) in 1992.
5. Tiffany Haddish
- Birth Name: Tiffany Cornilia Haddish
- Age: 44 years old
- Nationality: Eritrean-American
Several times, Tiffany Haddish has been named among the most powerful and influential people in the world by Time magazine and The Hollywood Reporter.
She doubles as a comedian and actress. As a comedian, she explores genres of observational comedy, surreal humor, sketch comedy, black comedy, blue comedy, and satire.
Haddish has released numerous comic works such as The Last Black Unicorn and Black Mitzvah. In 2021, she won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. With this award, she made history as the second African-American woman to win the prize after Whoopi Goldberg.
Tiffany Haddish has also won a Prime Emmy Award.
Many of her roles as an actress are in the comic line. Haddish is most famous for her roles in Girls Trip (2017), Like a Boss (2020), Here Today (2021), Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023), and Back on the Strip (2023).
See Also: 15 Talented And Funniest Black Female Comedians
4. Tina Fey
- Birth Name: Elizabeth Stamatina “Tina” Fe
- Age: 54 years old
- Nationality: American
She is one of the most famous of best female comedians of all time. She is also a writer and an actress. For her works, she has appeared on the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in 2007 and 2009.
Also, she was the youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor when she was awarded in 2010.
Fey is a recipient of nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards.
3. Whoopi Goldberg
- Birth Name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
- Age: 69 years old
- Nationality: American
From a small theater to standing on big stages, and to being featured as an actress in many films for decades, Whoopi Goldberg has had a successful career.
She has shown herself as a woman whose entertainment skills are worth noting. Goldberg’s funny side cannot be ignored. As a comedian, she held a one-woman comedy show. Her being a comedian has led to her being described by The Guardian as:
Whether it’s loose-lipped Lurleen or dope-smoking Fontaine, Whoopi’s alter egos let her go further – and be funnier – than other standup comedians might dare.
She touches on different genres such as Observational comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, character comedy, and satire. She touches on the subjects of African-American culture, American politics, race relations, racism, marriage, sex, everyday life, popular culture, and current events.
She is one of the only 19 people to win an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award (EGOT). She has also received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2001.
Grammy: Best comedy recording, Whoopi Goldberg—Original Broadway Show Recording (1986).
2. Carol Burnett
- Birth Name: Carol Creighton Burnett
- Age: 91 years old
- Nationality: American
Carol is greatly known for her immense contribution to comedy and acting. She became one of the first women to host a comedy show (The Carol Burnett Show) on TV.
She is one of the most awarded women in comedy and the movie industry. Burnett has won seven Primetime Emmy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, one Tony Award, one Grammy Award, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
As a comedian, Burnett explores the genres of parody, satire, and slapstick. She has released many solo/duet albums such as Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett: The CBS Television Specials – Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett (2012), Carol Burnett Featuring ‘If I Could Write a Song’ (1972), Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center – Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett (1971), Carol Burnett Remembers How They Stopped the Show (1961).
1. Amy Poehler
- Birth Name: Amy Poehler
- Age: 53 years old
- Nationality: American
Amy Poehler remains a notable woman in comedy with the genres of Improvisational comedy, blue comedy, sketch comedy, insult comedy, surreal humor, and satire. She is the co-founder of the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade.
She is also the founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
As an actress, Poehler has played many comic roles and has appeared in several award-winning films and series. She is most famous for her roles in Mean Girls (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011), Parks and Recreation (2009–2015, 2020) Inside Out (2015), and Moxie (2021).
Amy Poehler has won multiple awards such as the Golden Globe Award, Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress, and Primetime Emmy Award. She is also a Hollywood Walk of Famer.
