Women have been in comedy for centuries. From Lucille Ball to Betty White, the comedy world would be nothing without women. However, many female comics have gone unacknowledged and unappreciated for their work and talent. In fact, within “Saturday Night Live’s” total number of cast members for all 50 seasons totaling 167, only 57 are women. Additionally, the world of “late-night shows” has also been extremely lacking. While there have been a small handful of female late-night hosts, such as Joan Rivers and Whoopi Goldberg, all of these women had an unfortunately short run. Throughout the 2000s, women in comedy and standup have become more and more popular with the general public, but there is still more work to do.
2024 and now into 2025, so many women are getting the opportunities and recognition they deserve and have worked hard for; here are just a few!
Nikki Glaser
One of the most trendy comedians of 2025 so far (that you may have watched on TV or seen clips of her skit on TikTok) is Nikki Glaser. She recently hosted the Golden Globes and while she is by no means new to the comedy world, this was just a reminder to the public just how funny she is. Her monologue received outstanding reviews from critics and audiences alike. She has mastered the art of making mildly insulting or risque jokes while still making the entire audience feel good, comfortable, and entertained.Â
Taylor Tomlinson
Premiering Jan. 17, 2024, Taylor Tomlinson began hosting “After Midnight”, taking over James Corden’s late-night spot. Making her stand-up debut on Netflix in 2018 with years of prior experience, Tomlinson was more than prepared to take on this new opportunity. “After Midnight” is available to watch on CBS and Paramount+ (and her stand-up sets are definitely worth a watch, too)!Â
SNL Ladies
For the 2024-2025 season, “SNL” has brought on two new female cast members: Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Getting cast on “SNL” is considered a “big break” for a lot of people and so far, Padilla and Wickline have been a great mix with the rest of the cast. There are also multiple recurring female cast members that have gained a lot of popularity with their skits in the last year. Heidi Gardner and Sarah Sherman are just two to name a few (you may know them from the famous Domingo skit with Ariana Grande). Each of these cast members has proven to have their own individual style of comedy with their own strengths, but “SNL” allows them to collaborate in a very unique way.
Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson, creator, executive producer, co-writer and star of “Abbott Elementary”, has broken barriers as a female comic. While her success came long before 2025, “Abbott Elementary” is renewed for yet another season and Brunson has multiple nominations for an abundance of awards in 2025. At the 74th Emmy Awards, she became the first Black woman to be nominated three times in the comedy category, which she ended up winning for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. “Abbott Elementary” has had 269 award nominations and 87 wins throughout its run so far. Back in 2022, Brunson was on the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2022 list.