The Moment That Mattered
On a humid May evening in Kampala, Anne Kansiime walked onstage at the Sheraton Gardens wearing a flowing pink gown, ready to be roasted. Uganda’s self-proclaimed “Queen of Comedy” had gathered the country’s sharpest wits for the nation’s first professional comedy roast, a landmark for East African stand-up. Meanwhile, 7,000 miles away in New York, Quinta Brunson collected her fourth Emmy nomination for Abbott Elementary, cementing her place as the third most-nominated Black woman in comedy acting history. And in Johannesburg, Celeste Ntuli held the Waldo trophy high as South Africa named her Comedian of the Year, marking two decades in the business.
Three cities, three stages, one message: Black female comedians are commanding rooms, screens, and streaming queues like never before. From Accra to Atlanta, Lagos to Los Angeles, they’re selling out theaters, launching production companies, and building cross-continental fanbases that span YouTube channels, Netflix specials, and TikTok clips that rack up millions of views overnight. They’re not waiting for Hollywood’s blessing; they’re building their own empires, one punchline at a time.
It’s a seismic shift in who gets to tell the jokes, who owns the IP, and who decides what’s funny.
Tiffany Haddish
Who She Is: Emmy and Grammy winner, breakout star of Girls Trip, first Black female stand-up to host Saturday Night Live.
Source: Tiffany Haddish – Wikipedia
Why She Matters In 2026
Haddish remains one of comedy’s most bankable names, with a 2026 tour schedule that spans intimate comedy clubs to major theaters. Her “Funny and Fearless Tour” kicked off in Las Vegas in late June 2025 and continues through spring 2026, with stops across the U.S., including Cleveland, Columbus, and Birmingham. Though her last major special was 2019’s Black Mitzvah on Netflix, Haddish has maintained visibility through film roles (Haunted Mansion, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) and her Emmy-winning stint hosting the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty. Her comedy style, raw, autobiographical, and unapologetically Black, has made her a touchstone for a generation of performers who refuse to soften their edges for mainstream comfort.
Where To Watch
Touring details are here. Streaming: Black Mitzvah (2019, Netflix); She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood (2017, Showtime).
Must-See Clip
Her SNL monologue from 2017 remains a masterclass in turning personal struggle into communal laughter, vulnerable, fearless, and funny as hell.
Sam Jay
Who She Is: Emmy-nominated writer (Saturday Night Live), host of HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, co-creator of Peacock’s Bust Down.
Source: Sam Jay – IMDb
Why She Matters In 2026
Jay is the comedy world’s most incisive cultural commentator, unafraid to tackle race, sexuality, and class with a directness that can feel jarring and necessary in equal measure. Her 2023 HBO special Salute Me or Shoot Me showcased her evolution from SNL writer to fully realized stand-up auteur. In 2025, she headlined festivals including the New York Comedy Festival and maintained a steady club circuit, building toward new material for what’s expected to be another HBO special in late 2026. Jay’s work sits at the intersection of stand-up, cultural criticism, and late-night television, making her essential viewing for anyone who wants comedy that thinks as hard as it laughs.
Where To Watch
Touring: Spring 2026 dates in Philadelphia, San Antonio, and DC. Streaming: Salute Me or Shoot Me (2023, HBO Max); 3 in the Morning (2020, Netflix); Pause with Sam Jay (2021-2022, HBO).
Must-See Clip
Her segment from Netflix’s Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration (2023) demonstrates why she’s considered one of comedy’s sharpest voices; no subject is off-limits, no audience is coddled.
Quinta Brunson
Who She Is: Creator, writer, and star of Abbott Elementary; Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
Source: Quinta Brunson – IMDb
Why She Matters In 2026
Brunson made history at the 2023 Emmys, becoming the first Black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in over 40 years. Her ABC mockumentary Abbott Elementary, which returned for its fifth season in October 2025, continues to dominate broadcast television, earning six Emmy nominations at the 2025 ceremony. As Variety reported in August 2025, Brunson earned her fourth Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress, making her the third most-nominated Black woman in the category. But Brunson’s influence extends beyond acting: she’s become a blueprint for how comedians can build entire universes around their vision, retaining creative control while working within the network system. Her move from BuzzFeed sketches to running one of TV’s most beloved sitcoms proves that Black women don’t need permission to create hits; they just need the right platform.
Where To Watch
TV: Abbott Elementary Season 5 airs Wednesdays on ABC; streaming on Hulu. Earlier work: A Black Lady Sketch Show(HBO), BuzzFeed video archives.
Industry Take
Variety noted in July 2025 that Brunson tied with Stefani Robinson for the most writing nominations by a Black woman, solidifying her status as a creative force beyond performance.
Ayo Edebiri
Who She Is: The Bear star, Emmy-winning actress, writer, and now director, comedy’s most exciting multi-hyphenate.
Source: Ayo Edebiri – Wikipedia
Why She Matters In 2026
At 29, Edebiri made history at the 2025 Emmys as the first woman nominated for both acting and directing in a comedy series in the same year, and the youngest Black woman to receive three acting Emmy nominations. Her directorial debut, The Bear‘s Season 3 episode “Napkins”, earned critical praise and demonstrated a range that extends far beyond her breakout role as Sydney Adamu. As Variety reported, Edebiri is only the second Black woman ever nominated for comedy directing, after Millicent Shelton in 2009. But Edebiri’s 2025 has been about more than awards: she voiced Envy in Pixar’s Inside Out 2, one of the year’s highest-grossing films, and headlines the 2026 psychological thriller After the Hunt alongside Julia Roberts. She represents comedy’s new paradigm, comedians who refuse to be boxed into stand-up or sitcom roles, who move fluidly between drama and comedy, voice work and directing, without losing the edge that made them funny in the first place.
Where To Watch
TV: The Bear, Seasons 1-4 (Hulu/Disney+); recurring role on Abbott Elementary. Film: Inside Out 2 (theaters/streaming); Theater Camp (2023, Hulu).
Must-See Moment
Her directorial debut, the “Napkins” episode of The Bear Season 3, centers Liza Colón-Zayas’s character Tina in a tender portrait of working-class resilience.
Michelle Buteau
Who She Is: Critics’ Choice Award-winning comedian, creator/star of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest, host of The Circle.
Source: Michelle Buteau – IMDb
Why She Matters In 2026
Buteau taped her second Netflix special, A Buteau-ful Mind, live at Radio City Music Hall in June 2024, becoming the first woman to record a special at the iconic venue, and the special dropped on Netflix on December 31, 2024. Her “Surviving and Thriving Tour” is now one of the most-sought-after tickets in comedy, with 2025 dates extending into spring 2026 due to overwhelming demand. Her series Survival of the Thickest returned for Season 2 on March 27, 2025, earning her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative. Buteau’s comedy is unabashedly body-positive, centering Caribbean-American immigrant experiences with warmth and bite. She’s the friend who tells you the truth you need to hear, wrapped in a joke that makes you spit out your drink.
Where To Watch
Touring: U.S. theater dates through spring 2026. Streaming: A Buteau-ful Mind (2024, Netflix); Welcome to Buteaupia (2020, Netflix, Critics’ Choice Award winner); Survival of the Thickest, Seasons 1-2 (Netflix).
Must-See Clip
Her Radio City Music Hall special showcases her at peak confidence, riffing on parenting twins, marriage, and navigating Hollywood as a Caribbean woman who refuses to dim her light.
What’s Driving the Moment
- Streaming democratization: Platforms like Netflix, Showmax, and YouTube have created direct-to-audience paths, allowing comedians from Lagos to Los Angeles to build fanbases without traditional gatekeepers.
- Cross-Atlantic collaborations: UK and African comics are increasingly booking U.S. tours, while American comics are headlining festivals in Johannesburg and Lagos, creating a truly global Black comedy circuit.
- Production company ownership: Comedians like Quinta Brunson and Michelle Buteau are executive producing their own series, retaining creative control and IP rights that previous generations rarely accessed.
- Festival circuits expanding: Comedy festivals in Accra, Nairobi, and Johannesburg now rival Edinburgh and Just For Laughs in prestige, offering emerging comics international exposure.
How To See Them:
For U.S. Audiences:
- Streaming subscriptions: Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and Peacock carry most major specials.
- Tours: Check Ticketmaster, Bandsintown, and venue websites for touring schedules.
- Comedy festivals: Just For Laughs (Montreal), New York Comedy Festival, and SF Sketchfest feature many of these performers annually.
For African Audiences:
- Streaming platforms: Showmax, iROKOtv, Netflix Africa.
- YouTube: Free access to full episodes and clips for Anne Kansiime, Funke Akindele’s Jenifa’s Diary, and more.
- Local TV: Check Citizen TV (Kenya), NTV Uganda, and Nigerian channels for comedy programming.
- Live shows: Follow comedians on Instagram and Twitter for tour announcements—many announce dates on social media before official ticketing sites.
Looking Forward
Comedy’s next chapter is being written by women who refuse the old rules. They’re producing their own content, touring on their terms, and building audiences that span continents without compromising their voices. The question isn’t whether Black female comedians can headline; they’re already doing it. The question is what comes next when the infrastructure finally catches up to the talent.
Catch a live show? Share your experience and tag the comedian on social media and tell us who made you laugh hardest in 2026.
Anand Subramanian is a freelance photographer and content writer based out of Tamil Nadu, India. Having a background in Engineering always made him curious about life on the other side of the spectrum. He leapt forward towards the Photography life and never looked back. Specializing in Documentary and Portrait photography gave him an up-close and personal view into the complexities of human beings and those experiences helped him branch out from visual to words. Today he is mentoring passionate photographers and writing about the different dimensions of the art world.
