Originally by Kel VarnsenList RulesThe funny females on this list can be from the world of stand up comedy, television, radio or cinema.
The funniest female comedians star on our favorite sitcoms, perform standup at the top comedy clubs and best of all, make us laugh until we cry. These talented women comedians (or 'commediennes' if you're fancy) are just as funny as any male comedians, if not funnier. Plus, they get to tell female-friendly jokes that most men wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. Girl comedians can just do some jokes better than the guys can.
Alone, these female comedians are utterly hilarious on their own, but when they team up, watch out. That was exactly the case in 2011 when funny ladies like Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy teamed up with some of the funniest minds in film today to make the smash comedy hit Bridesmaids. Previously, the blonde comedian was known mainly for her many quirky characters on Saturday Night Live, but she's more than just a funny lady, she's a smart (and beautiful!) one too.
For others, the leap from the gut-busting standup acts to primetime television came after the female comedians got noticed by the networks. Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings and even Ellen DeGeneres all paid their dues on the standup circuit before getting their own television series.
Whether these talented female comedians make us laugh with their television shows, appear in hilarious comedy movies, are familiar faces on Comedy Central or simply provide the best hilariously inappropriate jokes on celebrity roasts, each rival any of the top male comedians in the business today. Some of them are considered to be the funniest people of all time. Have a funny lady that makes you laugh until you wet your pants? White or black, young or old, tell us your favorites by voting up the best female comedians below.
1
4,0661,283Carol Burnett
Age: 87Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer and writer, whose career spans seven decades of television. She is best known for her groundbreaking comedy... more
2
4,0851,340Lucille Ball
Dec. at 78 (1911-1989)Birthplace: Jamestown, New York, USA
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, model, entertainment studio executive and producer. She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love... more- 34,4121,457
Betty White
Age: 98Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Betty Marion White Ludden (born January 17, 1922) is an American actress and comedian, with the longest television career of any entertainer, spanning 80 years. Regarded as a pioneer of television,... more - 42,6611,016
Gilda Radner
Dec. at 43 (1946-1989)Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American comedian and actress who was one of the seven original cast members for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). In her... more - 54,1992,311
Tina Fey
Age: 50Birthplace: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night... more - 63,0231,638
Kristen Wiig
Age: 47Birthplace: Canandaigua, New York, USA
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She was born in Canandaigua, New York, and raised in both Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester,... more - 71,794921
Madeline Kahn
Dec. at 57 (1942-1999)Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Madeline Gail Kahn (born Madeline Gail Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, voice actress, and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter... more - 83,2861,825
Amy Poehler
Age: 49Birthplace: Burlington, Massachusetts, USA
Amy Meredith Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s,... more - 92,7651,510
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Age: 59Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus Hall (; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, producer, and singer. She is known for her work in the television comedy series Saturday Night... more - 103,1221,712
Melissa McCarthy
Age: 50Birthplace: Plainfield, Illinois, United States of America
Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and fashion designer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards... more - 112,3421,294
Lily Tomlin
Age: 81Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer and producer. Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing Off-Broadway... more - 121,565843
Catherine O'Hara
Age: 66Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She first drew notice as an actress in 1974 as a member of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe in... more - 131,436731
Jane Curtin
Age: 73Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. She is sometimes referred to as "Queen of the Deadpan"; The Philadelphia Inquirer once called her a "refreshing drop... more - 141,552620
Kate McKinnon
Age: 36Birthplace: Sea Cliff, New York, USA
Kathryn McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and musician widely known as a regular cast member on The Big Gay Sketch Show (2007–2010) and Saturday Night Live... more - 151,447820
Cloris Leachman
Age: 94Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 26, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. In a career spanning over seven decades she won eight Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, and an... more - 161,125615
Estelle Getty
Dec. at 85 (1923-2008)Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Alternative Name: Stella Getty^! Estelle Scher^! Estelle Getty
Estelle Getty (née Scher; also known as Estelle Gettleman; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008) was an American actress and comedian, who appeared in film, television, and theatre. She was best known for... more - 17896486
Megan Mullally
Age: 61Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–present),... more - 181,9531,287
Maya Rudolph
Age: 48Birthplace: Gainesville, Florida, USA
Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, voice artist, comedian, and singer. Rudolph first gained prominence in the mid-1990s as a member of the alternative rock band The... more - 191,572970
Bea Arthur
Dec. at 87 (1922-2009)Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Alternative Name: Bea Arthur^! Beatrice Arthur
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedienne. Arthur began her career on stage in 1947 and made her Broadway debut in The Threepenny... more - 201,6551,023
Mary Tyler Moore
Age: 83Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Alternative Name: Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something... more - 211,175677
Vicki Lawrence
Age: 71Birthplace: Inglewood, California, USA
Alternative Name: Vicki Lawrence Schultz^! Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Ann Lawrence (born Vicki Ann Axelrad; born March 26, 1949), sometimes credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz, is an American actress, comedian, and pop music singer known for the many characters... more - 221,407916
Tracey Ullman
Age: 60Birthplace: Slough, Berkshire, England, UK
Alternative Name: Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman (born 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, director, author, and businesswoman. Her earliest appearances were on British... more - 231,160652
Christina Applegate
Age: 48Birthplace: Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress and dancer. As an adolescent actress, she started playing the role of Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children... more - 24987585
Joan Cusack
Age: 57Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the romantic comedy-drama Working... more - 251,464967
Goldie Hawn
Age: 74Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA
Alternative Name: Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–70), before going on to... more
