Is it just me ... or do women make terrible comedians?

[Verp]

I find it very strange that judging from the responses, people seem to be almost exclusively taking stand-up comedy into account when measuring humour. Hardly any individual stand-up comedians, male or female, have made a lasting impression on me but for example the best sketch comedy programmes I have seen have been female-lead or comprised of around equally many males and females.

Also, when it comes to ordinary people who aren't comedians, I admit that I do laugh at males more often than females, but a lot of the time I feel like I'm only laughing because I would feel rude not laughing when a person is trying so hard to make people laugh. While it's a close call, I think I know more fluently funny females than males.

For the record, I'm neither a man or a woman myself. While I can't claim to be unbiased, I'm not rooting for "my team" here.

Unless you have no Chromosones or are in possession of both sets of genitals, you are biologically male or female.

What's up with the totally random piece of unrelated and inaccurate information? You want to derail this topic or what?

 

[Jonluw]

X-chromosome brain cells don't prevent you from telling a joke.

Think on that for a moment and you'll see my post start to make sense.

Or do they?
What studies, exactly, are you taking that claim from?

Because it seems to me that several times in this thread, studies have been cited that conclude that men are biologically "funnier" than women, since men need to be funny to court a woman, while women needn't be funny to draw the attention of a male. Natural selection takes care of the rest.

Now once again: I'm not saying the double x-chromosome means you're unable to do a stand up act. But I am saying that it might mean you're less likely to be good at it.

Being funny doesn't help you provide food, father children, or protect your mate. There's literally NO reason to say 'of course men are funnier, it's simple biology!'

Being funny doesn't help you survive, it helps you get laid.

It's called sexual selection. Ever seen those birds with ridiculous beaks?

That... thing... doesn't help it find food, protect mates or raise children. It's only there because the females of the species fancy it.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

I've seen a few women comedians that were hilarious, however none were particularly memorable (meaning I've forgotten their names and it's been years since I regularly watched Comedy Central Presents or Live! At Gotham). On the other side of that, I've seen some very perverse and disgusting female comedians who just didn't know how to appeal to a crowd.

I'm looking at you Sarah Silverman.

 

[bobknowsall]

I think that women tend to be worse at just throwing out one-liners and telling funny anecdotes.

However, looking at any book of comedic quotes will tell you that women can be absolutely brilliant in any setting other than stand-up comedy.

 

[Verp]

X-chromosome brain cells don't prevent you from telling a joke.

Think on that for a moment and you'll see my post start to make sense.

Or do they?
What studies, exactly, are you taking that claim from?

Because it seems to me that several times in this thread, studies have been cited that conclude that men are biologically "funnier" than women, since men need to be funny to court a woman, while women needn't be funny to draw the attention of a male. Natural selection takes care of the rest.

Now once again: I'm not saying the double x-chromosome means you're unable to do a stand up act. But I am saying that it might mean you're less likely to be good at it.

Being funny doesn't help you provide food, father children, or protect your mate. There's literally NO reason to say 'of course men are funnier, it's simple biology!'

Being funny doesn't help you survive, it helps you get laid.

It's called sexual selection. Ever seen those birds with ridiculous beaks?

That... thing... doesn't help it find food, protect mates or raise children. It's only there because the females of the species fancy it.

... But is there any reason to assume that the ability to make females laugh has been favoured for so long that it has become a widespread inborn trait specifically in male humans? Remember, 10 000 years is basically a blink of an eye when it comes to evolution. Was the ability make a female laugh, of all things, really that much of an advantage during, say, the Bronze Age? The ability to make someone laugh doesn't even ensure that the offspring are more likely to stay alive.

Also, birds are a bit of a special case when it comes to sexual selection, so using a bird as an example when talking about humans is a bad idea. In most bird species, a successful mating demands the co-operation of the female and in many species the females can even reject the semen after mating, so the males basically have a lot less choice in the matter.

 

[Jonluw]

X-chromosome brain cells don't prevent you from telling a joke.

Think on that for a moment and you'll see my post start to make sense.

Or do they?
What studies, exactly, are you taking that claim from?

Because it seems to me that several times in this thread, studies have been cited that conclude that men are biologically "funnier" than women, since men need to be funny to court a woman, while women needn't be funny to draw the attention of a male. Natural selection takes care of the rest.

Now once again: I'm not saying the double x-chromosome means you're unable to do a stand up act. But I am saying that it might mean you're less likely to be good at it.

Being funny doesn't help you provide food, father children, or protect your mate. There's literally NO reason to say 'of course men are funnier, it's simple biology!'

Being funny doesn't help you survive, it helps you get laid.

It's called sexual selection. Ever seen those birds with ridiculous beaks?

That... thing... doesn't help it find food, protect mates or raise children. It's only there because the females of the species fancy it.

... But is there any reason to assume that the ability to make females laugh has been favoured for so long that it has become a widespread inborn trait specifically in male humans? Remember, 10 000 years is basically a blink of an eye when it comes to evolution. Was the ability make a female laugh, of all things, really that much of an advantage during, say, the Bronze Age? The ability to make someone laugh doesn't even ensure that the offspring are more likely to stay alive.

I'm guessing it would be a pretty decent advantage even in the bronze age. Although the ability to make someone laugh doesn't help your spawn stay alive, it can certainly help you create a lot more of them.

Still, I believe there was some study cited earlier in the thread that mentions this issue.
I'm a bit too lazy to look it up right now. And I need to start studying for tomorrow's history test (I haven't opened the book since the last test... :/ I might be in some deep shit.)
My point though, wasn't so much that males are necessarily or provably better at comedy (though I believe they are). I just wanted to point out that the differences in the male and female brains are plentiful as opposed to what michael87cn claimed.

 

[Inchronica]

Jokes about periods are about as tasteless as jokes about boners, and I see enough of both. I think I see less female comedians than male, but I've seen a few good ones.

I'm assuming you're referring to standup, by the way, because I've seen some actresses here on the Escapist that are quite funny, and Kristen Schaal is great in Flight of the Conchords.

Kristen Schaal is pretty funny, I'll give you that. I saw her on The Daily Show, And Bob's Burgers, Hilarious!

 

[Inchronica]

I think Lisa Foiles has her moments...

I feel like she tries too hard.

 

[Roofstone]

Of course there are great female comedians. Although, as for most of the female stand-up commedians: Stop with the fake voices.. Really, Like 9 out of 10 female comedians do fake voices... Stop it already!

 

[funguy2121]

Seriously, I've yet to see one funny female comedian. I don't mean to sound sexist but, It's like they try too hard to compete with they're male counter part. Again, Don't get me wrong, I'm not sexist it's just the impression I get.

-Clearing my throat and preparing for quite a bit of ninja-ing here-

Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, Allison Brie, Jessica Walter, Portia de Rossi (sorry, I forgot her post-marriage name), Aisha Tyler, Alex Borstein, Diablo Cody, Gilda Radner, Julia Sweeney, Jan Hooks, Jane Curtain, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Kaitlin Olsen would like to have a word with you.

In case I need to pop that thought bubble with the giant question mark over your head...

Silverman is the star of her own Comedy Central show and an author and emmy-winner (for a youtube video, no less), if you don't know who Tina Fey is then you probably aren't familiar with television, Allison Brie is but one of the fine castmembers on Community, Jessica Walter and Aisha Tyler co-star on Archer on FX (the best new animated comedy IN YEARS), the latter having been a major character on Arrested Development, the former having previously filled Joel McHale's current spot on The Soup, Portia de Rossi also starred on Arrested Development, Alex Borstein was a regular on Mad TV and is now the voice of Lois on Family Guy, Diablo Cody wrote Juno and the brilliant Showtime series United States of Tara, Radner, Sweeney, Hooks and Curtain are all iconic SNL alums, Louis-Dreyfuss was Elaine on Seinfeld, and Kaitlin Olsen is one of the stars of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Oh, and I forgot Ann Coulter. Brilliant comic, that Ann.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

There are plenty of women gifted with a great sense of humor, both in show business and in real life.

Unfortunately, a lot of the female comedy we're offered by the common media is watered-down rehashes of old comedy routines from a female perspective for whatever reason, which makes femcom look like a pale imitation of an art form that men have long since mastered; they're retelling old jokes with "LOL VAGINAS" thrown in and it unfairly represents female comedians as unoriginal harpies trying to cash in on the fact that being born with a vagina has given her heart-stopping insight into the previously unknown fact that periods suck and that she is, in case she forgot to mention it, a woman. If you want to see some funny-ass women, watch Last Comic Standing, where aspiring comedians show up with their own material and routine. If you want to see some unfunny women, watch an HBO/Comedy Central where investors will only give a comedienne stage time if her shtick is familiar and safe enough to avoid alienating potential viewers*.

[sub]*men[/sub]

Oh, and if you want to see a woman butcher perfectly good material, watch Olivia Munn on The Daily Show.

 

[Kraj]

It's not just you, but you're all wrong.

There are plenty of female comedians that are funny, fewer than men perhaps but still plenty.

My favourite's Jo Brand.

This this oh this.
I find most female comedians to be so annoying I find myself trying NOT to turn them off to give them more of a chance.
Not this one.
It's a shame really, my funniest friend is female, I don't see why the crappy comedians, "not just females" are the ones who are headlining so often.

 

[laol1999]

i think woman comedians talk about more things that woman can relate to where as male comedians talk about more stuff men can relate to making each funnier to their own gender

 

[funguy2121]

No. Committed feminists are terrible comedians. The women who get past the fact that men pee standing up are hilarious. Look at Sarah Silverman. Okay, she may occasionally say things that suggest that there's something wrong with her brain, but she is hilarious without bringing gender issues into her act.
And yes, she is extremely attractive. That may also be a factor.

It would seem you like your comedy to be a distraction/escape from your life. I like my comedy to embrace every dark corner and every controversy. The best comics, like Sarah Silverman, will address the things that many people would rather leave swept under the rug.

 

[funguy2121]

you just haven't seen the right ones, there are a lot of terrible ones out there, just as there are terrible male comedians.

I love Vanessa Hollingshead

She does a rap of Lucy in the sky with diamonds, that is just pricelss. Which isn't in here and I cant find

Good example of what the OP is talking about...

Actually not all of the content is woman specific. And what the OP is asking for is largely non existent comedians make jokes about their experiences. Chris Rock without black jokes?

Errr all the OP is asking is a funny female comedian not the actual content. That New Yorker "comedian" has just made jokes about towel heads and well...it's nothing but racist slander. You could even tell the crowd was like wtf...? Yeah and Chris Rock and nearly any Black American comedian revolves around racist comedy. You can call me racist or whatever but I'm sick of racism being the basis for so much comedy in America

OK, so you don't want vids.

Aaron MacGruder, Donald Glover, Dave Chappelle and Aisha Tyler do not just talk about racism all day. In fact, I can't recall EVER hearing a Don Glover bit or an episode of the Boondocks that addressed white-on-black racism.

 

[funguy2121]

At least they aren't as bad as American comics. They are terrible apart from Rich Hall and Reginald D Hunter who all live in the UK.....Funny that......

Also why the fuck do you Americans censor everything ? It Is so annoying they are just words ffs.

What about George Carlin? Or Bill Hicks?

Bill Hick's ? If I'm honest I think he Is the worst comic ever.... I do however hate the comics who act like Hicks. You know slow and in my honest opinion boring.

As for Carlin I've never heard of him. I shall research him now

Slow? Boring?

The Bushes, the Reagans and Dan Quayle pissing on Rush Limbaugh, the authorities finding the rotting skins of children hanging in Senator Jessie Helms' attic, the greatest masturbation joke ever...and he was slow and boring? If I'm honest I think you've got Hicks confused with someone else or you have only heard about 60 seconds of his material.

 

[funguy2121]

90% of comedians are men. 95% of comedians are terrible. Good female comedians are necessarily quite rare, but that has nothing to do with gender.

Tina Fey is funny on 30 Rock. Amy Poehler is funny on Parks and Recreation. Sarah Silverman is funny anywhere. Humorous women exist.

38% of statistics are made up on the spot.

38%? link your source

I think the problem with female comedians is the topics they talk about. it seems most talk about something to do with their vaginas. either whats gone into it or whats come out. so sex, pregnancy or their children. alot of the time the jokes just arent funny.

38% of escapists don't get irony.

I have to wonder where a lot of the posters are getting their comedy, or if they're even paying attention. Taking into account the nerd factor, there are plenty on these forums who won't pay attention to any woman unless she's feeding their sex fantasies. Overwhelmingly, I don't hear women doing the pandering kind of standup that I keep hearing described ad nauseum on this thread. Whitney Cummings is somewhat guilty of this (and yells way too much!) but is enjoyable nonetheless.

I can't recall the name - sorry - but I saw/heard a female comic on John Oliver's new show who had an odd, high-pitched voice. About 2/3 of the way through her set she mentioned that sometimes people ask her why doesn't talk like a normal person. Immediately her voice changed to a typical American female voice and she started walking around the state, gesturing exaggeratedly and saying things like "Women, we DO love to shop, don't we? Don't we love to shop, women?" This went on for a few seconds before she went "back to normal." Bloody brilliant.

Edit: Kristen Schaal!

 

[Woodsey]

Hahahahaha...no.
If you think women cant be funny, then you just never watched any comedy by women.

Did you not read his OP?

OT: I certainly find them less funny, even when taking into account that there are less of them. I'm not really sure what it is, but there is something that kind of gets in the way - and no, its not them being women, or even them making jokes about being women.

That certainly doesn't apply to all though, but I see what you're saying.

 

[funguy2121]

This is a bit tangential, but I don't see the point in emphasizing the differences between sexes. It strikes me as a divisive tactic that creates two separate camps, as opposed to creating an environment in which persons of either sex feel empowered to follow their interests irrespective of traditional expectations. Certainly there are more popular male comedians than there are female comedians, but we need not perpetuate the scenario by promoting the idea that women are incapable of being funny. There's a big difference between current abilities and the capacity to improve those abilities. Just my two cents.

The reason to emphasise the differences is because otherwise you place unattainable goals upon people. There's a reason that different sexes behave in different ways and it only hurts people to pretend that we should all act the same, why make people feel bad for something that comes naturally?

Now if we're going to do the 'different but equal' thing that means that we have to realise that sometimes a sex won't be as typically suited for a job. It happens, it's why there aren't as many men in the caring professions and why female groups and male groups solve the same problem in radically different ways. If we don't accept that there are differences then it's always going to be 'society keeping the women down' regardless of whether it really is or not, because we'll be too terrified of viewing the alternative explanation, that maybe most women CAN'T do something as well as most men.

OT: I've not seen many good female comedians but from what I've heard there are far less. I remember reading that comedy clubs try to give equal time to female comics despite there being less, so they're less picky about what comics they bring in.

To be fair, there are plenty of ideas about what men do better: like map-reading, parallell parking, room orientation tasks and so on.
It is just that these ideas are seen as sexist and outdated in the popular opinion. Who knows? Maybe these ideas are correct?

I've not seen them being considered 'outdated' in real life if I'm honest. I've only ever seen these ideas being challenged online, in the real world it seems to be considered common knowledge that the sexes aren't interchangeable.

To be honest I tend to prefer women as comic characters in a show rather than as stand-up comedians, I've seen a lot more funny women when they've got others to play off of.

But that's all bullshit. I can multitask like crazy. There may be more women who can multitask better, but what are these studies based on? Mapping an adult brain? Are you mapping the adult brain of a working single mother of three who's also a member of the PTA and a church deacon and comparing it to the adult brain of Dad the Trucker who only has to keep his eyes on the road all day?

There is a difference between what is actively true a lot of the time and what is fundamentally, absolutely true (if there even is such a thing). Women aren't better or worse than men at anything. There certainly things that more women or less are better at. But those exceptions are a-plenty. I've met a whole Hell of a lot of shitty moms, teachers, multitaskers and nurturers. Nature vs. nurture? Hell, it's always both.

Also, something funny.