13 Black Women Slaying The Comedy Game
When it comes to representing for black female comedians, these women are not only funny, but they are about their business and building bridges for other black women to come up and succeed. They have been part of some of the most hilarious moments in TV and film, and several continue to hold their own in entertainment. Check out 13 femme phenoms slaying the comedy game:
Quinta Brunson
If you've never seen her self-produced series The Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date, you are truly missing out on some good laughs and relatable tea. Quinta Brunson, a writer, producer, comedian, and actress, has also produced and acted in BuzzFeed Video content and developed streaming series with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. Her voice has recently been featured on Netflix's Big Mouth and Adult Swim's Lazor Wulf.
Tiffany Haddish
We are so here for our favorite "We Ready" sis who continues to glow up in Hollywood. From her start being consistently featured in works including Real Husbands of Hollywood, and The Carmichael Show, to her breakout role in Girls Trip and on to Night School, The Last OG and Self Made, Tiffany Haddish has done nothing but flourish and rise. She made history as the first black female stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live in 2017, and landed a big deal with Groupon as a spokeswoman. Today, the best-selling author is paying it forward with the launch of an internship program and has an upcoming project with legends Billy Crystal and Sharon Stone called "Here Today".
Amanda Seales
We loved her as the well-put-together mom and friend on Insecure, and she's a multi-hyphenate who proves that you don't have to box yourself into one lane. The former MTV VJ and The Real talk show host now leads the Small Doses podcast and Smart Funny & Black (SFB) Entertainment, and she does not hold her tongue when it comes to commentary. Amanda Seales recently partnered with Bumble to launch Dating in Boxes, an improv series about romance and social issues.
Ashley Nicole Black
An Emmy-winner in her own right, Ashley Nicole Black has career receipts that include writing for the TBS late-night show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and being a featured actress and writer for HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show. She's also appeared on Comedy Central's Drunk History, and the 2014 film An American Education.
Jasmine Luv
Jasmine Luv got her start on social media more than four years ago, and after her videos went viral, she was named one of the "top influencers" by VH1 and an "It Girl" at the 2018 BET Social Awards. She now has more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram alone, has gained features in projects sponsored by companies like AT&T and has served as a red carpet host for the NAACP Awards.
Nicole Byer
Nicole Byer is super-funny as host of Netflix's Nailed It---which got her an Emmy nomination---and she's featured on the streaming platform's series Comedians of the World. She's also hosted a slew of podcasts including Why Won't You Date Me? and 90-Day Bae that will literally have you laughing all the way out loud.
Luenell
One of our favorite aunties has been showing us what true confidence is---rocking the hell out of Savage x Fenty lingerie both online and in a live show----and she recently appeared in an episode of Power Book II: Ghost, the spin-off to Starz's Power series. She's held down a successful career in comedy for more than 20 years and has been featured with the likes of Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), Lady GaGa, Beyonce ("Telephone" video), Rickey Smiley, Master P (I Gotthe Hook-Up 2), Snoop Dogg, Martin Lawrence, Katt Williams and Kevin Hart. She's set to appear alongside Murphy again in Coming 2 America next spring.
LaLa Milan
When LaLa first hit the scene, you could not scroll through your feed without seeing a viral video featuring her crazy reenactments of pop culture and celebrity moments and her videos that make you laugh until you cry, and she's since grown her online following to more than 3.4 million. Her role as part of the cool and accomplished crew of Boomerang, a spin-off of the Eddie Murphy classic, was the perfect addition to the show, and she's always refreshing to watch hosting red carpet interviews. She's been a Savage x Fenty ambassador, did a legendary virtual table read directed by Sanaa Lathan and featuring heavyweights like Cedric the Entertainer and Wayne Brady, and now hosts a podcast called The Salon.
Sommore
One of the "Queens of Comedy", Sommore has sold-out shows and been featured in her own Netflix special Sommore: The Reign Continues. She's also been in cult classics including Ice Cube's Friday After Next, Family Reunion, and Soul Plane. She remains engaged with her more than 950,000 followers on Instagram, has been featured on shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The View. She continues to tour both domestically and internationally, keeping the grind and hustle going.
Jessica Williams
She got her claim to mainstream fame as the senior correspondent on The Daily Show and was co-host on the hilariously engaging podcast 2 Dope Queens with Phoebe Robinson. She also starred in Netflix's The Incredible Jessica James, and HBO's Girls, giving us depth, laughter, and a much-needed sprinkle of black girl magic. She will expand her role from the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in part 3 of the franchise, set to release in 2021.
Naomi Ekperigin
Naomi Ekperigin uses comedic savvy and tell-it-like-it-is candor to talk about issues that hit home, from racism to capitalism to the pandemic, and co-hosts Couple's Therapy podcast with her beau. The actress, stand-up comedian, and writer has appeared on MTV, VH1, and FX's Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and her insights have been seen in Huffington Post and on VanityFair.com. She's also worked as a writer on Comedy Central's Broad City and Difficult People.
Sasheer Zamata
In 2014, Sasheer Zamata made headlines after becoming the first black woman to join the main cast of SNL since Maya Rudolph's 2007 departure, and she made a name for herself hosting with Drake and impersonating top entertainers like Rihanna, Solange, and Nicki Minaj. She's been a featured actress in Hulu's Woke and Netflix's The Last OG, and she now co-hosts a podcast with Nicole Byer called Best Friends.
Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones has been an Emmy-nominated comedian and a staple on the Saturday Night Live cast. She's also had her own Showtime special, Problem Child and has been a featured performer at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the Aspen Comedy Festival. She raised more than an eyebrow starring in the reboot of Ghostbusters in 2016, and owned the screen as a spirit-slaying part of a landmark all-female team. She now hosts ABC's reboot of Supermarket Sweep, adding quirky fun and excitement to the modern remake.
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Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela “Blac Chyna” White’s transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasn’t that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has “fully recovered” from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
“I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, I’m like young, I’m gonna do wild things as we all have,” she said.
“...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and that’s a part of freedom, too.”
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something she’s grateful for. “And then the fact that people have been showing me grace, it’s like amazing,” she said. “And I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and I’ve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and that’s just kinda what it is.”
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
“I must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you don’t want to see your daughter doing certain things ‘cause it’s like it doesn’t matter what my past was or what we’re going through, I didn’t raise you that way,” she admitted. “So, it’s like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.”
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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