The Funniest Female Comedians of All Time
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.
- 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
- Betty Marion White Ludden (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a career spanning seven decades, White was noted for her ...more
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for playing Edith Bunker, the ...more
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Doris May Roberts (born Doris May Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress, author, and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades of television and film. She received ...more
- Anna Kay Faris (; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress, voice artist, producer, podcaster, and author. Faris rose to prominence for her work in comedic roles, particularly the lead part of ...more
- Rhea Jo Perlman (born March 31, 1948) is an American actress and author, best known for her role as head-waitress Carla Tortelli on the sitcom Cheers from 1982 to 1993. Over the course of 11 seasons, ...more
- Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian and comedienne who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George ...more
- 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
- Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian who was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. In 2017 she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for ...more