# Who's the Funniest Woman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756 "2011-06-08T16:52:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/1 "2011-06-08T16:52:49Z")
One vote If your woman is not on this list, vote “Other” and post who she is. Poll on the way with details after that. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/2 "2011-06-08T16:58:51Z")
For preliminaries and sources see: > **[Really Funny Women?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610358)** > > Aside from the female comics who rank high on the unfunny poll and the few that made it to the funny poll, aren’t there some decent female comics we could vote on for who’s funniest? YouTube clips to support your opinion(s) would be nice, but let’s... Really Funny Women? 05-28-2011, 05:33 PM > **[Funny Women Preliminary "A-L"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610660)** > > Honor-system. Limit your votes to 5. See other preliminary poll(s) for additional names \<\< poll on the way – give it a few minutes \>\> Funny Women Preliminary “A-L” 05-31-2011, 01:38 PM > **[Funny Women Preliminary "L-T"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610661)** > > Honor-system. Vote for 5. See other preliminary poll(s) for more names. \<\< poll on the way – give it a few minutes \>\> Funny Women Preliminary “L-T” 05-31-2011, 01:46 PM ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/3 "2011-06-08T17:07:50Z")
I said Other because Maria Bamford didn’t make the cut. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/4 "2011-06-08T19:17:45Z")
I chose Lucille Ball. I don’t find her particularly funny, but she was THE forerunner for funny ladies and I don’t see any names that have done more than her. If I were to choose who I think is currently the funniest woman, I’d have to go with Tina Fey ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/5 "2011-06-08T19:31:58Z")
I will probably be the only one, but I said Ellen DeGeneres. Her standup was hilarious,no other woman comes close in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/6 "2011-06-08T20:11:03Z")
Madeline Kahn. In a walk. It may be down to Mel Brooks but ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘History of the World, Part 1’ solidified her as the funniest lady ever. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/7 "2011-06-08T20:17:40Z")
Carol Burnett. I did a little mental 1-1 with each of the ladies on the list and thought, who do I thin is funnier a or b. The only people who gave me pause were Gilda Radner (almost picked her over Burnett) and Tina Fey (wasn’t as close and wouldn’t have picked over Radner either). Amy Poehler, and Madeline Kahn also deserve mention as being very funny, but neither of them are as funny as the above mentioned three. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/8 "2011-06-08T20:18:25Z")
Madeline Kahn for me. She was a riot in Blazing Saddles, What’s up, Doc? and especially [Young Frankenstein](http://content6.flixster.com/photo/98/20/24/9820248_gal.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/9 "2011-06-08T20:21:16Z")
The only one of my five faves from the prelims who was left in the lineup was Rita Rudner, so I went with her. She’s funny enough. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/10 "2011-06-08T20:37:19Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > The only one of my five faves from the prelims who was left in the lineup was Rita Rudner, so I went with her. She’s funny enough. Not to knock your pick, people like what they like, but “She’s funny enough” isn’t much of an endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/11 "2011-06-08T21:07:07Z")
Tina Fey was close, but I went with Carol. She just has more raw talent. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/12 "2011-06-08T22:30:26Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Tina Fey was close, but I went with Carol. She just has more raw talent. Has she written comedy, as well as performed it? I voted for Tina because I like her as a writer and as a performer. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/13 "2011-06-08T22:41:28Z")
I don’t know about writing. I meant she is a better performer. She can even do song and dance credibly. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/14 "2011-06-08T22:58:10Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Not to knock your pick, people like what they like, but “She’s funny enough” isn’t much of an endorsement. True, sounds like faint praise. She really is hilarious, has a KILLER delivery and really great timing. She’s funny enough to be a viable #1 is what I meant. Would have preferred Laura Kightlinger because her edgy wit appeals to my sense of taste more, or Stephanie Hodge because her Southern friend delivery hits me where I live. But Rudner is still great. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/15 "2011-06-09T01:43:25Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > True, sounds like faint praise. She really is hilarious, has a KILLER delivery and really great timing. She’s funny enough to be a viable #1 is what I meant. Would have preferred Laura Kightlinger because her edgy wit appeals to my sense of taste more, or Stephanie Hodge because her Southern friend delivery hits me where I live. But Rudner is still great. Yes. Kightlinger was so close in the prelims that I almost went against the Top 25% idea so as to include her. If I had I would have voted for her, too. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/16 "2011-06-09T07:32:51Z")
Although a Yank, I’m going across the pond and voting for “French & Saunders”. And if I can pick only one of them, I would pick Dawn French. I like Tina and Ellen and Carol and Betty White and some others, but F&S just make me laugh out loud more often than the others. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/17 "2011-06-09T17:05:38Z")
Already we’ve had more voters here than in either of the prelims. Thanks! And except for Gilda it looks as if the A-L sector is where the action really is. And since the “Other” option has been sparsely used, I get the impression that this poll included the real contenders. If you feel differently maybe another person’s selection of names from the threads dealing with funny women might make another case for “Who’s the Funniest Woman?” ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/18 "2011-06-09T18:02:22Z")
I nominated her before and she didn’t make the cut. But for pure laugh out loud hilarity, I still think **Andrea Martin** is funnier than all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/19 "2011-06-10T22:41:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Has she written comedy, as well as performed it? I voted for Tina because I like her as a writer and as a performer. Absolutely did Carol write her material. Not all of it, she had an amazing group of funny people working with her, but at least as much as Tina Fey writes of hers. Both are very talented women in delivery and writing, but I went with Carol just because of her history and breadth. Carol could make anything funny. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756/20 "2011-06-10T22:49:27Z")
I may be wrong about this, but I suspect some people who chose Tina Fey are too young to have seen Carol Burnett. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-funniest-woman/584756.md?page=2)