9 hilarious lesbian and bisexual comedians that’ll have you in hysterics

PinkNews logo on pink background with rainbow corners.

After rounding up the best lesbian movies, and the best lesbian characters on TV, and the most famous bisexual and lesbian celebs, we realised that we’d neglected some excellent lady-loving comedians.

So, here’s a list of some of our favourites – including established types like Queen Ellen DeGeneres and SNL goddess Kate McKinnon, as well as a decent handful of girls still on the rise.

Starting with the boss…

Ellen DeGeneres

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fBhad-_zN8&w=650&h=315]

Ellen – aka Queen of Comedy and Queen of Lesbians – feels like the right person to begin with.

A comedian, TV host, actress, writer and producer, Ellen starred in sitcom Ellen (where her character came out shortly after Ellen came out in real life) and has hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show since 2003.

Enjoy Ellen’s hilarious skit with Britney Spears above.

Kate McKinnon

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jh2n5ki0KE&w=650&h=315]

Kate McKinnon is best known for being a Saturday Night Live cast member, where she’s hilariously impersonated Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres.

She also starred in 2016’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot.

Here she is joking with actual Hillary Clinton…

Susan Calman

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j810A_wQu2w&w=650&h=315]

British comedian Susan Calman is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and at The Stand Comedy Club.

She’s also presented various radio shows, and appeared on UK sketch shows.

And, as she acknowledges in the video above – she’s really, really short.


Suzi Ruffell

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKt1ymEEZNU&w=650&h=315]

Praised as “a real stand up gem” by The Guardian, Suzi Ruffell regularly does comedy in clubs and theatres across the UK.

She’s supported Alan Carr, Josh Widdicombe, Kevin Bridges and Romesh Ranganathan on the live circuit, and took her solo show ‘Common’ on a sell out tour this year.

Listen to her heartwarming adoption story in the video above.

Sandi Toksvig

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLnwh7sEP88&w=650&h=315]

Sandi Toksvig, as we all know, is a comedian, writer, actor, presenter and producer on British radio and TV. Oh and she’s a political activist too.

In 2016, she took over from Stephen Fry as host of the BBC’s quiz show QI, and earlier this year, she was announced as the new co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off alongside comedian Noel Fielding.

Wanda Sykes

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_wWJ-_4uSY&w=650&h=315]

American actress, comedian and writer Wanda Sykes first gained recognition for her writing on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999.

Sykes has had TV roles in The New Adventures of Old Christine and Curb Your Enthusiasm, while her film appearances include Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty and License to Wed.

Above, Wanda reveals she never had to come out as black…

Mae Martin

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvxT1YTOgLI&w=650&h=315]

British-Canadian stand-up comedian and actress Mae Martin recently won a Canadian Screen Award for her writing on Canada’s comedy series Baroness Von Sketch Show.

She presents Mae Martin’s Guide to 21st Century Sexuality on BBC Radio 4 and regularly hosts her own stand-up nights in venues across London.

Tig Notaro

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yitxaN8LZ4M&w=650&h=315]

American stand-up comedian Tig Notaro is also a writer and actress and has appeared in TV shows The Sarah Silverman Program, The Office, Community, Bob’s Burgers, The Life & Times of Time, In the Motherhood and Dog Bites Man.

She also had her own half-hour special, Comedy Central Presents Tig.

Watch Tig giving Ellen the birthday gift of stand-up right in the video above.

Cameron Esposito

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLqAx_2183I&w=650&h=315]

As well as touring and hosting a stand-up podcast, Cameron Esposito was a regular panelist on Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea Lately, and writes a regular blog on The A.V. Club. She also appeared on Comedy Central’s Drunk History.

Esposito’s stand-up comedy often focuses on LGBTQ topics – check out her thoughts above on having a baby.