Jackie Keith
Blog #3
May 6, 2016
Women in Comedy

          Comedy is all about pushing the boundaries. Comedy used to be a males domain and boys only club especially in the 1950s and 60s. For years, men ran comedy in clubs and television while the ladies were fighting their way just to get on some sort of stage to show audiences what they can do. Women were considered to have a good sense of humor if they laughed at the men’s jokes. When females would try to get a slot in comedy clubs the owners would laugh at them including owners that were also females. If women were lucky enough to get a slot to perform it was for a short time or they were put on stages were there was little to no audiences. Women also made men feel uncomfortable when they were up on stage telling jokes. “The most significant and longest social movement continuing is movement for emancipation of women.” (Ray pg. 1) Many women paved the way to get female comedians where they are today. Women would not be as successful as they are today in comedy if it was not for icons taking risks and crossing boundaries.
         In the early sixties, Phyllis Diller from Ohio was first to break the norm. She was a well-know groundbreaking comedian. Phyllis Diller was not only known for her crazy hair and outfits but mostly for her self-deprecating humor and the stage persona as the ugly duckling. The audiences laughed because she put herself down and made fun of herself in a humorous way. Phyllis Diller was not afraid to be crazy and clownish. She has paved the way for comedians such as Joan Rivers and Roseanne.
        Joan Rivers starting comedy in the late sixties, working wherever she could such as bars and strip clubs in between the stripper’s dances. Joan Rivers was always fired after one show because she was a women and to outrageous. She would make jokes in her context of marriage, being a mother, and being in a mans world. Joan Rivers was herself and realized she could use comedy to say what she wanted about how unfair women were treated. This started  a feminist movement and rebellion against the housewife domestic life.
        In the early 1980s, Roseanne took a different approach then Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers. Roseanne did not care about what anyone thought of her or what anyone was saying about her especially men. Roseanne would never belittle herself in a joke to get a laugh. She was a pioneer in comedy because she was hilarious with a nasty attitude bashing males. Roseanne’s appearance on Johnny Carson made her an overnight success. Roseanne then got a show that focused on a mother that had to work. This was tough to sell because Hollywood is all about being pretty and Roseanne was overweight, average looking, and a mother of three. At first, NBC rejected the show imminently. Then the show was taken to ABC who also had a hard time excepting the show. The wives of the executives at ABC got the show on air because of how much they loved it. Roseanne’s show was extremely real and relatable. This show talked about what other shows would not. Roseanne’s success brought her power which was uncommon for female comedians. She had a huge voice in running her show and everything else in her business life.
         The number of women in comedy has skyrocketed since Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, and Roseanne. These empowering women comedians paved the way and gave newer comedians a voice. Even though it was hard for these women, the rejection made them stronger and better than ever. I believe women are a force to be reckoned with in comedy and it is going to stay that way.








        Work Cited

Ray, J. G. (n.d.). Women and Media. Global Media Journal, 1-16.

Ewing, H., & Grady, R. (Directors). (n.d.). Women In Comedy [Motion picture on Documentary]. Makers.