# Why are there no (good) female comedians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769 "2006-04-15T08:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/21 "2006-04-15T14:34:32Z")
Oh… forgot link [Lisa Lampanelli](http://www.insultcomic.com/home.php#beabetter) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/22 "2006-04-15T15:34:42Z")
Part of it is that there’s fewer female comedians than male comedians, which is why we see fewer of them. So many female comedians, though, base their acts around … well, being female. If I see a female standup comedian on Comedy Central or HBO, seven or eight times out of ten she’ll be talking about her period, bashing her boyfriend, or whining about her weight. They’re like talking Cathy comic strips. It reminds me of the black comedians whose acts are centered around their race, who don’t stray far from the “white people walk like this [stiff walk] black people walk like this [cool walk]” bits. White male comedians generally don’t base their acts around being white or male. They don’t dwell on tools or sports. I’ve seen a lot of funny female comedians, but the best have acts where they don’t kvetch about menstruation, shopping or their boyfriend’s penis; Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garafolo, and … well, give me a few mintes to think of some more. Something to consider: watching improv, do you find yourself laughing at the women as much as the men on stage? If so, the problem probably lies with the typical female comedy act. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/23 "2006-04-15T16:02:55Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Something to consider: watching improv, do you find yourself laughing at the women as much as the men on stage? If so, the problem probably lies with the typical female comedy act. I’m not sure I’ve seen enough improv to qualify, only Whose Line Is It Anyway - but they mostly invite males too. Collin (what’s his last name?) and Ryan Stiles are always a knock-out team, and the interchangeable guests can be hit-or-miss, but I’ve never really laughed at the women I’ve seen on there either. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/24 "2006-04-15T16:14:26Z")
Maria Bamford ---
**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:** [April 15, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/25 "2006-04-15T16:22:10Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > It just occurred to me, that while I have seen a few female stand-up comics, not one of them has ever been funny. I wouldn’t go that far, but I do agree that there are far fewer female than male stand-up comics that I find funny. > [@](#): > > Any speculation as to why this is such a male-dominated profession? I think **elmwood** made a very good point. I also wonder—and this is speculation here—if there are more male comedians because males have more “need” to be funny than females do. What ways do boys have of getting attention and making people like them? of being part of the gang or getting girls to notice them? They can be good at something, preferably something athletic, or they can be funny, and make people laugh. Girls, on the other hand, have other resources for getting attention from the opposite sex: their looks, their sex appeal, their often greater social/relational skills. (For males, being funny can be a big factor in their sex appeal; not so much so for females.) ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/26 "2006-04-15T16:35:31Z")
Interesting thread, I think. There _is_ in my view a dichotomy between what we expect and accept from male and female comedians, probably to do with how vulnerable laughter makes us, and how we tend to show (or hide) our vulnerability to the opposite sex. **Thudlow** might be on to something, though I would say men develop humor _defensively_ more often than do women, which may account for the difference. It’s hard to say. The funniest female comedians I’ve ever seen have been those who make jokes about the same _kinds_ of things as my favorite male comedians. I’ve been too firmly raised to be respectful and understanding of women and their unique biology to really feel comfortable laughing at menstruation jokes — and so it feels as if I’m deliberately being excluded from the humor somehow. That exclusion doesn’t make me feel like laughing. Maybe it says more about me, that I don’t let my guard down as easily for female comedians. I dunno. Not that all female comedians lean on menstruation and tampons in their repetoire, and not that it’s bad to joke about — hey, there’s humor everywhere and somebody’s gotta tell jokes about it — but the best comedians of every kind have made _everybody_ laugh. Cosby didn’t rely on the “this is how white people walk” humor, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/27 "2006-04-15T16:42:37Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > For the most part it _is_ a male-dominated field, however: Sarah Silverman. Whoa. Silverman is highly overrated. She’s more annoying than funny. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/28 "2006-04-15T16:48:00Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Silverman is highly overrated. She’s more annoying than funny. YMMV. Thank you. In what universe is Silverman funny? She sucks. Margaret Cho could run circles around her. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/29 "2006-04-15T16:48:09Z")
Sarah Silverman doesn’t make me laugh. She just _makes_ me. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/30 "2006-04-15T17:26:46Z")
Most stand up comics have a limited shelf life. Wanda Sykes, Rita Rudner, Ellen Degeneres, etc. were all funny to me at one point but eventually I tire of their style and want to move on to other things. I feel the same way about male comics. Anyone who doesn’t laugh at Elvira Kurt’s routine has something wrong with them. She’s hilarious. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/31 "2006-04-15T17:35:15Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Part of it is that there’s fewer female comedians than male comedians, which is why we see fewer of them. My wife and I were talking about this today. I think if it has something to do with the stand-up comic life. It looks like it involves lots of travelling around and being apart from family for much of the time. If they have families, women are generally less likely to leave them for extended periods of time as men will. Therefore if less of them are willing to put up with that sort of lifestyle, less of them will rise up through the ranks. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/32 "2006-04-15T17:41:31Z")
> [@MGibson](#): > > Anyone who doesn’t laugh at Elvira Kurt’s routine has something wrong with them. She’s hilarious. > > Marc True. But she’s a lesbian and the OP doesn’t count those as women comics. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/33 "2006-04-15T17:52:03Z")
Well, she’s no longer with us, and I’m not sure if she ever did stand-up, but I’d be hard-pressed to name anyone, male or female, funnier than Lucille Ball. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/34 "2006-04-15T17:56:04Z")
Actually, I think what the OP should have asked is, why isn’t there a female comedian (besides Ellen DeGeneres) that almost everyone thinks is funny. There are ar least a dozen male comics who are acknowledged as brilliant by everyone, even people who don’t really care for their humor. Female stand-up comedians (Gilda Radner was a comic actress) don’t seem to be able to break into that top tier. It may be because there’s too much goddamn stand-up comedy on TV these days, so it’s hard for anyone to shine recently except for comedians who are known for a sketch comedy show. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/35 "2006-04-15T17:56:25Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > True. But she’s a lesbian and the OP doesn’t count those as women comics. Again, I meant I don’t consider lesbianism very feminine in nature. 😛 I like what **Thudlow Boink** said and was thinking something along the same lines. It’s like men are **expected** to be funnier than women. I am specifically thinking of this relationship I had with a girl who acted like I was her personal comedy-bitch, and she didn’t have to do anything but “be cute” (her words, she wasn’t even very cute) and a pitting is stewing in my mind… ---
**Author:** ![Amaranta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/36 "2006-04-15T17:57:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Thank you. In what universe is Silverman funny? She sucks. > > Margaret Cho could run circles around her. THANK YOU. I was starting to think I was the only one. Her routine seems to be: take every single overdone Jew joke and turn it into something involving her vagina. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/37 "2006-04-15T17:59:57Z")
Well, doesn’t anyone find it strange how long we’ve had to wait for the first openly Jewish vagina in popular culture? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/38 "2006-04-15T18:06:50Z")
I have run across plenty of female comedians that I think are funny, but rarely do I run across HOT female comedians I think are funny. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/39 "2006-04-15T18:14:15Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Interesting thread, I think. There _is_ in my view a dichotomy between what we expect and accept from male and female comedians, probably to do with how vulnerable laughter makes us, and how we tend to show (or hide) our vulnerability to the opposite sex. > > **Thudlow** might be on to something, though I would say men develop humor _defensively_ more often than do women, which may account for the difference. It’s hard to say. > > The funniest female comedians I’ve ever seen have been those who make jokes about the same _kinds_ of things as my favorite male comedians. I’ve been too firmly raised to be respectful and understanding of women and their unique biology to really feel comfortable laughing at menstruation jokes — and so it feels as if I’m deliberately being excluded from the humor somehow. That exclusion doesn’t make me feel like laughing. Maybe it says more about me, that I don’t let my guard down as easily for female comedians. I dunno. > > Not that all female comedians lean on menstruation and tampons in their repetoire, and not that it’s bad to joke about — hey, there’s humor everywhere and somebody’s gotta tell jokes about it — but the best comedians of every kind have made _everybody_ laugh. Cosby didn’t rely on the “this is how white people walk” humor, for instance. I can’t stand any comic who is a one trick pony. Many who are “minorities” (at least in the area of stand up comedy) tend to play up their minority status. I know they are trying to ind their niche but it gets tiresome. I hated Rosanne when she started for this reason. Yes we get that you are a housewife, got anything else? She proved that she was talented later but she suckd when she started getting famous. All the tampon joke female comics fall into this category but it’s not just females. Yes Ant we get it, you’re gay. Dat Phan really, your parents speak with a funny accent? Hilarious :rolleyes: . As for some of those mentioned there are very few I find funny. I wouldn’t even consider Whoopi Goldberg a stand-up. Her most sucessful stagework is in her one woman shows, specifically her first one. That was acting not standup. When I have seen her attempt stand up like at Comic Relief she sucked. I like Ellen and still think she does good work. Sarah Silverman, eh. Brett Butler was good beore her meltdown but I haven’t seen her on stage since (good in My Name is Earl). Janeane Garafolo used to be Ok but has lost her sense of humor long ago. I only saw her do standup on TV so presumably she was at the top of her game. I have heard from people who saw her live and heard horror stories. Lisa Lampinelli is so funny it hurts. If you like nice refined feminine comedy get the hell out. Don’t watch if you are easily offended. Hell if it is possible for you to be offended at all, she will do it. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769/40 "2006-04-15T18:15:06Z")
Well, I’m going to place another vote in favor of Sarah Silverman. She has great “traditionally feminine qualities.” Put another way, she can tickle my funny bone anytime. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-good-female-comedians/352769.md?page=3)