Aisha Tyler
“Whose Line Is It Anyway,” “The Talk,” “Archer”
Perhaps that’s because the co-host of “The Talk” and voice of one of “Archer’s” most beloved characters has never been a “black comic” in the way the industry and audiences initially expected her to be.
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Tracee Ellis Ross
“Girlfriends,” “black-ish”
While most probably know Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow on the hit “black-ish,” others see Joan Clayton of “Girlfriends,” the early 2000s show almost no one would argue about rebooting.
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Sherri Shepherd
“Trial & Error,” “The View”
Sherri Shepherd has made a career out of being different — refreshing, if you will — in a sea of comedians known for being bold and commanding. In fact, it’s how she was first inspired to hit the stage.
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Zainab Johnson
“Last Comic Standing,” “American Koko”
Zainab Johnson is a hard cast, and she knows it.
“I’ve got to star in my own show,” she said. “I don't play second well ... It ain’t really that believable for me to be your Rufio. I’m Peter Pan.”
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Kym Whitley
“Young & Hungry,” “Raising Whitley”
Behind just about every comedian in film or TV, there’s a funny black woman rolling her neck. And very often that woman is Kym Whitley, a bona-fide scene stealer.
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Tiffany Haddish
“Girls Trip,” “Keanu,” “The Carmichael Show”
Tiffany Haddish is legitimately having a moment. As a star of “Girls Trip,” opposite industry vets Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Regina Hall. Based on her performance, and with an upcoming Showtime comedy special, she’s on her way to household-name status.
But what else would you expect from “the last black unicorn?”
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Marsai Martin
“black-ish,” “Fun Mom Dinner”
It’s not every day that a kid is one of the most memorable and laugh-out-loud funny characters on a sitcom. But Marsai Martin is one of those kids with her character Diane on “black-ish.”
Standing out among comedic heavyweights like Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis is no easy task, especially for a 12-year-old.
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Amanda Seales
“Insecure,” “Get Your Life”
Amanda Seales has no time for the white gaze, and her comedy shows it.
“If I could just talk about racism and sexism and wack dating, that would be all I talk about,” she said. “I have planted my flag in my comedy being useful for social change.”
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Erica Ash
“Survivor’s Remorse,” “Real Husbands of Hollywood”
Erica Ash has done it all, quite successfully: Broadway, backup singing, modeling, acting and even ringside announcing. Stand-up, however, isn’t her thing.
“I thought about it, but there are a lot of writers who are asked why they don't go in front of the camera — it’s because they’re writers and they do that really well,” Ash said. “Stand-up just isn’t my blessing.”
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Regina Hall
“Girls Trip,” “Scary Movie”
What role do you most remember Regina Hall from?
No matter the character, Hall has most often been part of an ensemble or playing second (or third) fiddle to other stars. But it’s one way she’s stayed employed and kept her bills paid. In “Girls Trip,” she finally steps into the spotlight with a starring role in a major motion picture.
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Loretta Devine
“The Carmichael Show,” “Doc McStuffins,” “Waiting to Exhale”
Loretta Devine is much more than her name suggests. Sure, she’s angelic and delightful, but for so many lovers of black film and television, she’s the mom, or aunt, or grandmother, or best friend, we’ve always wanted to call our own. And that is an important quality that, even at 67 years old, keeps her booked.
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Yvonne Orji
“Insecure,” “Jane the Virgin”
Yvonne Orji is a woman on a mission, to bring the immigrant struggle to the mainstream. She does so through her comedy set and wants to do it through an original sitcom titled "First Gen" about being Nigerian in America.
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Loni Love
“The Real,” “Chelsea Lately,” “Soul Plane”
Loni Love wasn’t supposed to be a comedian. Her pursuit of an engineering degree from Prairie View A&M University was proof of that.
But while in college, hard up for money for books, she participated in a local bar’s competition in which the person who could tell the best story would win $50. She took home a crisp Ulysses S. Grant, along with the comedy bug.
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Tichina Arnold
“Survivor’s Remorse,” “Martin,” “Everybody Hates Chris”
No matter how much actors love acting and love Hollywood, the industry doesn’t always love them back. Just ask Tichina Arnold.
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Retta
“Parks and Recreation,” “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce”
Not many comedians are known by one name, but when that name is something as unique as Retta, who needs a surname?
After nearly 20 years in the industry, one thing still gets on her nerves: “Nothing makes me crazier than when people call me ‘sassy.’”
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Sheryl Underwood
“The Talk,” “Beauty Shop,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”
Sheryl Underwood does comedy like a man. She’s direct. She’s sexual. She’s uncompromising.
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