Comedy has historically been a field saturated with men. While male comedians often receive the most media exposure, women have been behind some of the best and most innovative contributions to comedy in both recent years and throughout the history of the genre.
In Comedy Central’s list of 100 Greatest Standups, just seven are women. Many other popular rankings of comedians are dominated by men. To highlight many of the contributions women made in the field of comedy, 24/7 Wall St. created a ranking of the best female comedians using data from Wikipedia and the Internet Movie Database.
Click here to see the full list of the best female comedians.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
50. Alex Borstein
> Average IMDb rating: 7.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,322
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Shameless” (8.7/10)
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49. Natasha Leggero
> Average IMDb rating: 7.5/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,506
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Comedy Central Presents” (8.1/10)
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48. Vicki Lawrence
> Average IMDb rating: 7.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,439
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Vicki!” (7.7/10)
47. Vanessa Bayer
> Average IMDb rating: 7.6/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,672
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Sound Advice” (7.6/10)
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46. Chelsea Handler
> Average IMDb rating: 6.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,153
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Comedy Central Presents” (8.1/10)
45. Cecily Strong
> Average IMDb rating: 7.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,249
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “2015 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner” (7.0/10)
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44. Ali Wong
> Average IMDb rating: 7.6/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,750
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Fresh Off the Boat” (8.0/10)
43. Hannah Hart
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,060
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “My Drunk Kitchen” (8.4/10)
42. Tracey Ullman
> Average IMDb rating: 7.2/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,150
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Tracey Ullman: A Class Act” (8.3/10)
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41. Rosie O’Donnell
> Average IMDb rating: 6.4/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,120
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “America” (6.4/10)
40. Nancy Carell
> Average IMDb rating: 7.8/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,796
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Angie Tribeca” (7.0/10)
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39. Colleen Ballinger
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,711
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Miranda Sings: Selp Helf” (6.9/10)
38. Abbi Jacobson
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,364
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Broad City” (8.7/10)
37. Samantha Bee
> Average IMDb rating: 7.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,486
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Detour” (7.8/10)
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36. Valerie Harper
> Average IMDb rating: 7.5/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,224
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Love, American Style” (6.9/10)
35. Andrea Martin
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,275
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “SCTV” (8.5/10)
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34. Kate Micucci
> Average IMDb rating: 7.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,239
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Garfunkel and Oates” (7.7/10)
33. Megan Mullally
> Average IMDb rating: 4.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,992
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Megan Mullally Show” (5.9/10)
32. Connie Booth
> Average IMDb rating: 8.9/10
> Daily avg. page views: 1,215
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Fawlty Towers” (8.8/10)
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31. Jenny McCarthy
> Average IMDb rating: 3.5/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,190
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Dirty Love” (3.5/10)
30. Aisha Tyler
> Average IMDb rating: 6.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,845
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Committed” (6.7/10)
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29. Fran Drescher
> Average IMDb rating: 7.8/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,368
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Nanny” (6.9/10)
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28. Roseanne Barr
> Average IMDb rating: 7.4/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,827
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Roseanne” (7.0/10)
27. Leslie Jones
> Average IMDb rating: 7.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,240
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Saturday Night Live” (8.1/10)
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26. Melissa Rauch
> Average IMDb rating: 6.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,292
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Bronze” (6.0/10)
25. Maya Rudolph
> Average IMDb rating: 7.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,553
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Maya & Marty” (6.7/10)
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24. Bette Midler
> Average IMDb rating: 7.4/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,337
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Bette Midler: Art or Bust” (8.8/10)
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23. Ilana Glazer
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3/10
> Daily avg. page views: 2,472
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Broad City” (8.7/10)
22. Kathy Griffin
> Average IMDb rating: 7.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,435
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Kathy Griffin: Allegedly” (7.9/10)
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21. Tiffany Haddish
> Average IMDb rating: 7.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,375
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Who’s Got Jokes?” (7.8/10)
20. Shelley Duvall
> Average IMDb rating: 7.8/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,846
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories” (7.8/10)
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19. Chelsea Peretti
> Average IMDb rating: 7.6/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,148
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Parks and Recreation” (8.6/10)
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18. Shirley MacLaine
> Average IMDb rating: 7.2/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,651
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir” (7.5/10)
17. Allison Williams
> Average IMDb rating: 6.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 5,250
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Will & Kate: Before Happily Ever After” (6.3/10)
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16. Lily Tomlin
> Average IMDb rating: 8.0/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,150
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Lily Tomlin Special” (8.4/10)
15. Carol Burnett
> Average IMDb rating: 8.8/10
> Daily avg. page views: 3,493
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Carol Burnett Show” (8.8/10)
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14. Tina Fey
> Average IMDb rating: 7.3/10
> Daily avg. page views: 5,262
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “30 Rock” (8.2/10)
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13. Whoopi Goldberg
> Average IMDb rating: 6.4/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,260
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway” (8.6/10)
12. Amy Schumer
> Average IMDb rating: 6.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,755
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Inside Amy Schumer” (6.5/10)
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11. Mindy Kaling
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Daily avg. page views: 4,876
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Office” (8.8/10)
10. Sarah Silverman
> Average IMDb rating: 6.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,378
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Saturday Night Live” (8.1/10)
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9. Kristen Wiig
> Average IMDb rating: 6.8/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,283
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Bridesmaids” (6.8/10)
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8. Jenny Slate
> Average IMDb rating: 7.7/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,167
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” (8.1/10)
7. Melissa McCarthy
> Average IMDb rating: 5.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 9,041
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Boss” (5.4/10)
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6. Amy Poehler
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,224
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Parks and Recreation” (8.6/10)
5. Lisa Kudrow
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1/10
> Daily avg. page views: 6,470
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “The Comeback” (8.0/10)
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4. Aubrey Plaza
> Average IMDb rating: 6.5/10
> Daily avg. page views: 8,264
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “UCB Comedy Originals” (6.5/10)
3. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5/10
> Daily avg. page views: 7,257
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist” (7.5/10)
2. Kate McKinnon
> Average IMDb rating: 7.6/10
> Daily avg. page views: 8,286
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “Notary Publix” (8.1/10)
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1. Ellen DeGeneres
> Average IMDb rating: 7.2/10
> Daily avg. page views: 11,432
> Highest rated TV show or movie: “My Short Film” (8.0/10)
Detailed Findings & Methodology
“Saturday Night Live” has historically been a gateway for many women comedians in achieving mainstream popularity. Some of the most popular comedians today — Kate McKinnon, Sarah Silverman, Kristen Wiig, and Tina Fey — got their start on the show. Many women from the original 1975 cast, such as Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin, are also among the most popular funny people.
Other top comedians cut their teeth doing stand-up for years before transitioning to film or television. Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Chelsea Peretti performed in small clubs and theaters for more than a decade before going on to create or star in their own shows: “Inside Amy Schumer,” “The Sarah Silverman Show,” and “Brooklyn 99.”
Some of the best comedians achieved success through a smash sitcom and continue to garner mainstream fame in syndication. Roseanne Barr, Lisa Kudrow, and Lucille Ball are just a few of the names behind some of the most acclaimed television series of all time.
In recent years, the number of platforms available for comedians has expanded rapidly. Megan Amram, for example, was able to parlay a popular Twitter account into a writing job on “Parks and Recreation.” She has also since authored the successful “Science…For Her!” parody textbook. Similarly, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer were able to transition “Broad City” from a small web series into a Comedy Central hit show after executive producer and fellow comedienne Amy Poehler became aware of the comedy duo on YouTube.
As more women in comedy are making their mark, they are also taking a stand against the industry’s current culture. In recent weeks, a number of women went on-the-record with sexual harassment claims against powerful Hollywood gatekeepers — actors, showrunners, producers, and more. Their accounts of trauma and assault reveal a culture of talented women losing roles or being outcast in other ways as a result of their speaking out or refusing to be victims. As more women are heard, and the misogynistic culture of the entertainment industry is exposed, more talented women may get the roles and exposure they deserve.
To determine the best female comedians, 24/7 Wall St. created an index ranking based on data from Wikipedia and the Internet Movie Database. The daily average Wikipedia page views for a comedian between November 14, 2016 and November 14, 2017 were included in the index and given full weight. The average IMDb user ratings for the television shows, television specials, and films that a comedian both starred in and wrote, according to IMDb, were also given full weight and included in the index. To be considered for the list, a comedian must be listed within the Wikipedia category American women comedians. Ratings are for the entire series, not just the episode in which the comedian starred.
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