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 Got the 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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Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney & Jill Marie Jones On 'Games Women Play' & Dating Over 40
What do you get when you mix unfiltered truths, high-stakes romance, and a few well-timed one-liners? You get Games Women Play—the sizzling new stage play by Je’Caryous Johnson that’s part relationship rollercoaster, part grown-woman group chat.
With a powerhouse cast that includes Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney, Jill Marie Jones, Carl Payne, Chico Bean, and Brian J. White, the play dives headfirst into the messy, hilarious, and heart-wrenching games people play for love, power, and peace of mind. And the women leading this story? They’re bringing their whole selves to the stage—and leaving nothing behind.
From Script to Spotlight
The road to Games Women Play started over 20 years ago—literally.
“This script was written 20 years ago,” Jill Marie Jones said with a smile. “It was originally called Men, Money & Gold Diggers, and I was in the film version. So when Je’Caryous called me to bring it to the stage, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’” Now reimagined for 2025, the play is updated with sharp dialogue and modern relationship dynamics that feel all too real.
Demetria McKinney, no stranger to Je’Caryous Johnson’s productions, jumped at the opportunity to join the cast once again. “This is my third time working with him,” she shared. “It was an opportunity to stretch. I’d never been directed by Carl Payne before, and the chance to work with talent I admire—Jill, Claudia, Chico—it was a no-brainer.”
Claudia Jordan joked that she originally saw the role as just another check. “I didn’t take it that seriously at first,” she admitted. “But this is my first full-on tour—and now I’ve got a whole new respect for how hard people work in theater. This ain’t easy.”
Modern Love, Stage Left
The play doesn’t hold back when it comes to the messier parts of love. One jaw-dropping moment comes when a live podcast proposal flips into a prenup bombshell—leaving the audience (and the characters) gasping.
Demetria broke it down with honesty. “People don’t ask the real questions when they date. Like, ‘Do you want kids? How do you feel about money?’ These convos aren’t happening, and then everyone’s confused. That moment in the play—it’s real. That happens all the time.”
Jill chimed in, noting how the play speaks to emotional disconnect. “We’re giving each other different tokens of love. Men might offer security and money. Women, we’re giving our hearts. But there’s a disconnect—and that’s where things fall apart.”
And then Claudia, of course, took it all the way there. “These men don’t even want to sign our prenups now!” she laughed. “They want to live the soft life, too. Wearing units, gloss, getting their brows done. We can’t have nothing! Y’all want to be like us? Then get a damn period and go through menopause.”
Dating Over 40: “You Better Come Correct”
When the conversation turned to real-life relationships, all three women lit up. Their experiences dating in their 40s and 50s have given them both clarity—and zero tolerance for games.
“I feel sexier than I’ve ever felt,” said Jill, who proudly turned 50 in January. “I say what I want. I mean what I say. I’m inside my woman, and I’m not apologizing for it.”
Demetria added that dating now comes with deeper self-awareness. “Anybody in my life is there because I want them there. I’ve worked hard to need nobody. But I’m open to love—as long as you keep doing what got me there in the first place.”
For Claudia, the bar is high—and the peace is priceless. “I’ve worked hard for my peace,” she said. “I’m not dating for food. I’m dating because I want to spend time with you. And honestly, if being with you isn’t better than being alone with my candles and fountains and cats? Then no thanks.”
Channeling Strength & Icon Status
Each actress brings something different to the play—but all of them deliver.
“I actually wish I could be messier on stage,” Claudia joked. “But I think about my grandmother—she was born in 1929, couldn’t even vote or buy a house without a man, and didn’t give a damn. She was fearless. That’s where my strength comes from.”
For Jill, the comparisons to her iconic Girlfriends character Toni Childs aren’t far off—but this role gave her a chance to dig deeper. “If you really understood Toni, you’d see how layered she was. And Paisley is the same—misunderstood, but strong. There’s more to her than people see at first glance.”
Demetria, who juggles singing and acting seamlessly, shared that live theater pushes her in a new way. “Every moment on stage counts. You can’t redo anything. It’s a different kind of love and discipline. You have to give the performance away—live, in the moment—and trust that it lands.”
Laughter, Lessons & Black Girl Gems
The show has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments—and the cast isn’t shy about who steals scenes.
“Chico Bean gets a lot of gasps and laughs,” Claudia said. “And Naomi Booker? Every scene she’s in—she’s hilarious.”
But the play isn’t just about humor. It leaves space for reflection—especially for Black women.
“I hope we get back to the foundation of love and communication,” said Demetria. “A lot of us are in protector mode. But that’s turned into survival mode. We’ve lost softness. We’ve lost connection.”
Claudia agreed. “We’re doing it all—but it’s not because we want to be strong all the time. It’s because we have to be. And I just want women to know: You can have peace, you can be soft. But stop bringing your old pain into new love. Don’t let past heartbreak build walls so high that the right person can’t climb over.”
Final Act: Pack the House
If there’s one thing this cast agrees on, it’s that this play isn’t just entertainment—it’s necessary.
“Atlanta is the Black entertainment hub,” Claudia said. “We need y’all to show up for this play. Support the arts. Support each other. Because when we pack the house, we make space for more stories like this.”
Games Women Play is more than a play—it’s a mirror. You’ll see yourself, your friends, your exes, and maybe even your next chapter. So get ready to laugh, reflect, and maybe even heal—because the games are on.
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Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Relationship Timeline
Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe are one of our favorite Hollywood couples. We can't get over their adorable moments together on the red carpet and on social media. While they're both from St. Louis, they didn't meet until college, which they both attended Stanford. And the rest is as they say, history. Read below as we dive into their decades-long relationship.
Mid to Late1990s: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Meet
Sterling and Ryan met as freshmen at Stanford University. "We were in the same dorm freshman year...that's kind of how we met," Ryan said in an interview with ET. "I was mesmerized," she said after watching him audition for the school play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Sterling revealed that The First Wives Club star was dating someone else, so they started off as friends.
"She got cast in the play as well, and we would ride bikes to rehearsal, and we would just talk. We found out that we were both from St. Louis. We didn't know that we were both from St. Louis, like, our parents went to rival high schools. We were born in the same hospital. Like, we were friends," he said.
The first few years of their relationship involved many breakups and makeups. However, they ended up graduating and attended NYU's Tisch Grad Acting Program together.
Early 2000s: Sterling K. Brown Tells Ryan Michelle Bathe She's 'The Love Of My Life'
The Paradise star opened up about telling Ryan that she was the one. "We broke up for three and a half years before we came back into each other's lives," he said. "She was on the treadmill working out, and I had this epiphany, 'I have to go tell this woman she's the love of my life.'"
"I go to her apartment, I tell her, and she's like, 'Well, I'm working out right now,' and I was like, 'No, I can see that—I'll just talk to you while you're on the treadmill,' and she's like, 'Well, I feel like going outside. So I'm gonna go on a run,'" he continued. "So I'm like dressed [in a suit], and she starts running through Koreatown, and I start running along with her. Brother had to work, but it was well worthwhile."
2006: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Tie The Knot
The St. Louis natives eloped in 2006 and a year later held a larger ceremony. According to the bride, the best part of their wedding was the food. "The best thing about it was the food," she told ET.
"Can I just say, sometimes you go to weddings, and you get the winner-winner chicken dinner and you're like, 'I pay. OK, it's fine.' But I wanted people to remember their experience -- their culinary experience. So I was happy about that. The food was good."
2011: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Welcome Their First Child
In 2011, Sterling and The Endgame actress welcomed their first son, Andrew. In a 2017 tweet, Sterling revealed they had a home birth. "An unexpected home delivery is something my wife and I went through ourselves with our first born, so this was round 2 for me!" he wrote while referring to a scene involving his character Randall, in This Is Us.
2012: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Appear On-screen Together
A year later, the couple acted together on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
2015: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Welcome Their Second Child
In 2015, Sterling and Ryan welcomed another son, Amaré. Sterling shared an Instagram post about their latest addition to the family. "1st post. 2nd child. All good! #imoninstagram," the Atlas star wrote.
2016: Ryan Michelle Bathe Joins Sterling K. Brown On 'This Is Us'
Ryan guest appears on her hubby's show, This Is Us.
Sterling K. Brown Reveals Ryan Michelle Bathe's Mother Didn't Like Him At First
During their sit-down interview for the Black Love series, Sterling revealed that Ryan's mother wasn't a fan of him, which caused friction in their relationship.
2024: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Explain How Jennifer Lopez Once Broke Them Up
While visiting The Jennifer Hudson Show, Sterling and Ryan share their hilarious Jennifer Lopez break-up story. "We had just gone out, we were living in New York City, we were in grad school, and we had gone to see a Broadway play and we came back to my place and my roommate was playing the ["Love Don't Cost A Thing"] video on MTV," Sterling said.
"Now I'm a fan of Jennifer Lopez's dancing, and I was watching the video and I knew my young...21, 22-year-old girlfriend was looking at me watch the video. And I know I'm not supposed to have a reaction. In trying NOT to have a reaction, what had happened was, my eyes began to water."
Ryan jumped in, "Otherwise known as, TEARS! I turn around and my boyfriend is weeping, tears like big fat [tears]. And I'm looking and she's just a shakin' and a shimming, and he's just crying. I said 'Oh no, I got to go.' "
2024: Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathe Launch Their Podcast, We Don't Always Agree
The couple launched their podcast, We Don't Always Agree, where they disclose more intimate details about their love story.
Feature image by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock