In what was once considered a male-dominated industry, women have been making waves in the comedy industry for quite some time. Outside of leaving audiences in stitches with their stand-up, these highly talented women also have contributed to award-winning television programs with their unique writing abilities.
Seasoned veterans such as Wanda Sykes and Loni Love continue to reinvent themselves year after year, while this era’s comics like B. Simone and Pretty Vee use the internet and social media to increase engagement and further hone their crafts. All of these women comedians have evolved their careers from stand-up, to creating opportunities for themselves, as well as others, in many different lanes of entertainment.
Take a look at eight women comedians winning big in 2022.
01
Jessica Williams
The funny and talented Williams has been in the game for over 15 years. After bursting on to the national spotlight in 2012 as a correspondent for The Daily Show, she also co-hosted the podcast/comedy series 2 Dope Queens. This past year, Williams starred in the hit film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and was the voice of Meadow in Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic. She is set to star in Shrinking for Apple TV+ next year.
02
B. Simone
This comedian is a long standing cast member of MTV’s hit series Wild N Out with six seasons to her name – her other acting credits include multiple feature films as well as dozens of appearances on BET, MTV, and VH1. In addition to her wildly popular makeup line and fitness brand, she can also be seen in Scheme Queens.
03
Wanda Sykes
Sykes is a seasoned veteran in the standup circuit and has only gotten better with time. She has long been a respected writer and actress in entertainment, and in 2022 she co-hosted the 94th Annual Academy Awards. She also had a voiceover role in the video game Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and stars in Q-Force and Netflix’s The Upshaws alongside Mike Epps.
04
Sherri Shepherd
The Emmy Award-winning Sherri Shepherd has been in the comedy game for almost 30 years. She had a big year in 2022; her daytime talk show Sherri debuted, where she hosts a segment called The Laugh Lounge, paying homage to her roots in stand up comedy.
05
Loni Love
This comedian, television host, actress, author, and former electrical engineer launched her career in standup comedy in the early 2000s. Along with co-hosting The Real until it’s cancellation this past June, Love also hosted E! Daily Pop, Rupaul’s Drag Race, and Is It Cake?
