Is there such a thing as a funny female comedian?

Ridley · 30-12-2009 06:41PM

Apparently.

Just ignore Miss Piggy in that listing.

chopperbyrne · 30-12-2009 06:45PM

I like Kristen Schaal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4cCCDqOyE

scanlas · 30-12-2009 06:50PM

The best female comedian performance I can remember have been ok, that's about it. I've noticed that a lot of them seem to use self deprecating humour which is just not funny, males who use it aren't usually very funny either.

The best comedian performances I can think of were from;

Eddie Murphy;
Chris Rock;
Al Murray;
Michael Mcyntyre;
Frankie Boyle;
Some of Ricky Gervais.

I think to be a top comedian you need edgyness and to see events from a perspective that other people don't see them. You need to be able to see the underlying subconscious assumptions people base their beliefs and perspective on that are actually wrong. I think women in general are so socially influenced that they find it more difficult to cut through the assumptions and false beliefs of the masses.

phasers · 30-12-2009 06:59PM

scanlas wrote: »

The best comedian performances I can think of were from;

Michael Mcyntyre;

I think to be a top comedian you need edgyness and to see events from a perspective that other people don't see them. You need to be able to see the underlying subconscious assumptions people base their beliefs and perspective on that are actually wrong.

Does not compute, Michael Mcintyre's entire career is built on talking about boring everyday crap. He's as bland as they come.

ascanbe · 30-12-2009 06:59PM

peepeep wrote: »

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sarah Silverman yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3RYrQSir7k

Also, people who are essentially saying 'women arent funny'... what do you think of other generalisations along these lines, such as 'black people arent funny' or 'Jews arent funny'? Are these also acceptable things to say, or is it just sexism that is allowed?

Roughly 50% of black and jewish people would already qualify for the 'women aren't funny' generalisation.
If you then said 'black people aren't funny' or 'Jews aren't funny' should these women feel doubly offended?: or, like multiplying two negatives, would it give you a positive meaning that black and jewish women are funny?
Perhaps this would go someway towards explaining Joan Rivers and Wanda Sykes; two female comedians who immeadiately sprung to my mind.
The late Linda Smith was also very funny.

TheCardHolder · 30-12-2009 07:01PM

My girlfriend once asked me to cook the dinner for a change, I laughed. What a comedian.

Spiritoftheseventies · 30-12-2009 07:07PM

Catherine Tate quite funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INOL2zVv7mw

blinding · 30-12-2009 07:08PM

TheCardHolder wrote: »

My girlfriend once asked me to cook the dinner for a change, I laughed. What a comedian.

You should put that girl on the stage and go and cook the dinner.

bonerm · 30-12-2009 07:13PM

More importantly : Is there such a thing as a good-looking funny female comedian?

Nevyn · 30-12-2009 07:21PM

There is a listing of 311 women comdedians on Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Women_comedians

but humour is subjective and the op may not find even one of them funny
as I will never find johnny vegas to be funny ever, well I may laught if I got to watch him choke to death but that's about it.

Lily Tomlin
Margaret Cho
Are two of my favourates along with victoria wood.

Nevyn · 30-12-2009 07:22PM

bonerm wrote: »

More importantly : Is there such a thing as a good-looking funny female comedian?

Why do they have to be good looking?
Most male comedians aren't.

My name is URL · 30-12-2009 07:22PM

I think Jo Brand can be funny in the right circumstances.. like when she's on QI

Seloth · 30-12-2009 07:31PM

Why I dont find allot of women comdians funny is because they early all say the same jokes...not trying to be sexist or anything but once on Comedy central I watched tree diffrent femal comedians ((You know on one of those shows were diffrent people ge like 5- 10 mins)) and they all said the same thing just a little diiffrently...most jokes either about men or well another thing I'm afriad to mention cuase may to lead to a ban :rolleyes:

OutlawPete · 30-12-2009 07:31PM

thatsa spicy wrote: »

johnny vegas is a comedian

Are you serious? Johnny Vegas is f**king hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3yTHjQRrVs

PK2008 · 30-12-2009 07:38PM

Caroline Ahern

Creator of the Royle family, Mrs Merton

Genius

bonerm · 30-12-2009 07:51PM

Thaedydal wrote: »

Why do they have to be good looking?

Just makes it easier having to listen to them.

Never mind anyway. I found some.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiP25mvb3-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJi8FPjBAhQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjz32VmLeIQ

(... actually a lie. They're not funny.)

Sir Gallagher · 30-12-2009 07:51PM

Good article here by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair on why women comedians aren't funny.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/01/hitchens200701

KnifeWRENCH · 30-12-2009 07:58PM

Ok I know she's not a standup but I am shocked to see Tina Fey not mentioned here yet. One of the finest comedy writers around and a great actress too; anyone who's seen 30 Rock will surely agree with me here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMKrAR6YBDI

As for standups, Joan Rivers, Shappi Khorsandi, Jo Caulfield and Sarah Milican all have had good moments but they're very hit and miss. I love Jo Brand on QI but don't like her standup.

Nevyn · 30-12-2009 07:59PM

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

Good article here by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair on why women comedians aren't funny.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/01/hitchens200701

Interesting article

Precisely because humor is a sign of intelligence (and many women believe, or were taught by their mothers, that they become threatening to men if they appear too bright), it could be that in some way men do not want women to be funny. They want them as an audience, not as rivals. And there is a huge, brimming reservoir of male unease, which it would be too easy for women to exploit. (Men can tell jokes about what happened to John Wayne Bobbitt, but they don't want women doing so.) Men have prostate glands, hysterically enough, and these have a tendency to give out, along with their hearts and, it has to be said, their dicks. This is funny only in male company. For some reason, women do not find their own physical decay and absurdity to be so riotously amusing, which is why we admire Lucille Ball and Helen Fielding, who do see the funny side of it. But this is so rare as to be like Dr. Johnson's comparison of a woman preaching to a dog walking on its hind legs: the surprise is that it is done at all.

The plain fact is that the physical structure of the human being is a joke in itself: a flat, crude, unanswerable disproof of any nonsense about "intelligent design." The reproductive and eliminating functions (the closeness of which is the origin of all obscenity) were obviously wired together in hell by some subcommittee that was giggling cruelly as it went about its work. ("Think they'd wear this? Well, they're gonna have to.") The resulting confusion is the source of perhaps 50 percent of all humor. Filth. That's what the customers want, as we occasional stand-up performers all know. Filth, and plenty of it. Filth in lavish, heaping quantities. And there's another principle that helps exclude the fair sex. "Men obviously like gross stuff," says Fran Lebowitz. "Why? Because it's childish."

tech77 · 30-12-2009 08:01PM

peepeep wrote: »

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sarah Silverman yet...

Because her shock-by-numbers thing is a bit tiring and over-rated.

tech77 · 30-12-2009 08:05PM

RonMexico wrote: »

Is this a list of useless **** or what?

LOL

tech77 · 30-12-2009 08:12PM

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

eh...
Jo Brand..

Yeah i don't get the unfair criticism of Jo Brand.
OK she does the weight thing a bit (but isn't self-deprecation kinda endearing in a comedian anyway).
Otherwise, she is quite sharp and wry .
(i like her on QI).

OutlawPete · 30-12-2009 08:20PM

Anyone know Tasha K that does the Capitol and The International.

She tears into people some nights and one night she was just insulting everyone and anyone and came to me and made a few wisecracks. I said nothing till she was finished and threw a not very funny comment back which got more laughs than her whole routine.

Eventually the MC (the australian guy from I Dare Ya) came out and just ended her show for her as she was just standing there like she was on 20 cans of Redbull trying to think of what to say next.

Think I seen her recently on The Savage Eye of all things.

Ridley · 30-12-2009 08:20PM

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

I love Jo Brand on QI but don't like her standup.

I have a similar opinion for Jimmy Carr and Rich Hall.

Plenty of women I find funny though: Tamsin Greig; Julia Davis; Olivia Colman; the Smack the Pony trio; Arabella Weir; Felicity Montagu; Rebecca Front; Katherine Parkinson; Karen Taylor ...on The Sketch Show

scanlas · 30-12-2009 08:24PM

tech77 wrote: »

Yeah i don't get the unfair criticism of Jo Brand.
OK she does the weight thing a bit (but isn't self-deprecation kinda endearing in a comedian anyway).
Otherwise, she is quite sharp and wry .
(i like her on QI).

Self Deprecating humour is safe and gets a predictable forgettable laugh. Anyone can do it, it doesn't take much wit. I find it far from endearing.

Also it's an easy way to be likeable. If you want to be really funny you have to forget about being likeable.

tommmy1979 · 30-12-2009 08:54PM

mike rolite wrote: »

Maeve Higgins is hilarious. Completely wacky in a good way.

kmick wrote: »

Agreed but a lot of people dont like here so prepare for abuse in 3..2...

El Weirdo wrote: »

...1!

WTF?! You obviously have no taste when it comes to comedy.

She f*ucking brilliant.... and her comedy OBVIOUSLY goes over your head

G-Money · 30-12-2009 09:25PM

At the risk of getting flamed, there are very few women I find funny. But there are a lot of women around who think they are funny.

I think yer one Caroline Ahern is ok, as is Jo Brand. But that's about it.

The other naturally funny girl that I can think of is Holly Willoughby. She's not a stand-up but she's naturally funny. That's such a rare thing in a girl. No wonder most women hate her

johnmike · 30-12-2009 09:29PM

i have never heard a funny comedienne

Killaqueen!!! · 30-12-2009 09:46PM

I'm female and I agree there are a lot of sucky female comedians. Most of em I just wanna punch in the face.

But, there are some hilarious ones. I don't know whether the OP is looking for stand up, sketches, tv etc.??

Joan Rivers
Dawn French (Saunders is only good when with French)
Pauline McGlynn
Ellen DeGeneres

and em...*cough* Jo Brand

Sarah Silverman is sooo annoying though :mad:

steel_spine · 30-12-2009 09:58PM

Margaret Cho and Joan Rivers would spring to mind, though Joan Rivers does have the odd off day.
Can't think of any other names offhand, but I have seen a few on Edinburgh & beyond and other such shows that were pretty good.

Is there such a thing as a funny female comedian?

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