The 11 Funniest Women in Hollywood Who Took Comedy to All-New Heights

Comedy is an industry that’s been dominated by men from the very beginning. But because of the changing times, more and more women enter the scene. Though the ratio is still 2 out of 10, the entertainment world spawned many great women who took comedy to a whole different level.

Here are the 11 funniest women in Hollywood who took comedy to all-new heights:

1. Betty White

Betty White was an American actress, animal rights activist, and author who has been a Hollywood legend for decades. She is best known for her roles as Elka Ostrovsky in the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund in the television series The Golden Girls.

She also had her own sitcom in the 1950s called Life with Elizabeth. She had complete creative control behind the scenes and in front of the camera, which was unheard of during that time and is still uncommon today.

In a career that has spanned more than 70 years since she first appeared on film at the age of 19, she has received four Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

2. Kristen Wiig

In a world where women are often underrepresented, Kristen Wiig is a breath of fresh air. She is one of the funniest women in Hollywood.

Kristen Wiig is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and the movie Bridesmaids. She has also appeared in The Martian and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot and did voice work for Despicable Me and How To Train Your Dragon.

Her hard work has paid off, as Kristen Wiig’s net worth has grown to $25 million this year.

3. Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph is an American actress, singer, comedian, and producer. She has been in the industry for a long time and has always been a favorite of many. She is best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007.

One thing that makes her such an amazing actress is that she can play any kind of role that you give her – from serious to silly. Rudolph has also appeared in films such as Bridesmaids (2011), Grown Ups (2010), I Am Sam (2001), and Big Momma’s House 2 (2006).

4. Nikki Glaser

Nikki Glaser is a stand-up comedian, writer, producer, and actress. She hosted her show called You Up with Nikki Glaser on Comedy Central and has been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Last Comic Standing. While still in college, Glaser started her first stand-up at 18 years old.

Nikki’s comedy is based on her personal life, and she has also written for the TV show Inside Amy Schumer. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2016 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Special.

In 2019, she released a Netflix stand-up special called Bangin’. With all the work she put in, Nikki Glaser’s net worth grew to 3 million this year.

5. Tina Fey

Tina Fey is a comedic genius. Fey’s first big break came when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live as a performer in 1997. Fey was the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live in 1999 and kept doing it for years. Later on, she served as an executive producer from 2002 to 2006. During this time, SNL became home to some of the funniest sketches in television history – many of which were written by Fey.

Everything Fey touches turns into gold, whether it’s her most famous movie Mean Girls, her own sitcom 30 Rock, or her book Bossypants.

6. Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock is one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. She has starred in many blockbuster movies such as Speed, The Blind Side, and Gravity. Sandra Bullock is also well known for her comedic roles in Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, and Bird Box.

As a successful actress, she has won many awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Blind Side.

7. Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler is a comedian, actress, producer, and author. She is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Poehler has starred in many films, including Mean Girls (2004), Blades of Glory (2007), Baby Mama (2008), all of which were very successful. In 2013, she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy.

8. Megan Mullally

Megan Mullally is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Mullally is best known for her role as Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. She has also appeared in several Broadway musicals, including Grease, Young Frankenstein, and Anything Goes.

Megan Mullally is an outstanding actor in Hollywood today with an impressive resume. She has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and four Golden Globe Awards nominations. She has also starred in Up All Night and Why Him.

9. Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Amy Schumer is known for her sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, which she created and starred in on Comedy Central. Schumer also wrote the movie Trainwreck, a film she also starred in. The film received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay by the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

She was nominated for five Emmy Awards, including the Outstanding Variety Sketch Series that she won in 2015.

She has also written for The New Yorker and released a book called The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo that topped the non-fiction bestseller list for two weeks.

10. Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is one of the funniest and most successful women in Hollywood. For over three decades, she has been a stand-up comedian and has starred in her sitcom, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, for more than 17 decades. Her show has won 61 Daytime Emmy Awards and 171 Daytime Emmy nominations. She was the first comedian to have her talk show on daytime television.

She is also an actress, producer, writer, and philanthropist. She has also hosted the Academy Awards, the Emmys, and Grammy Awards. Her success has resulted in an over $500 million net worth this year.

11. Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy is a well-known Hollywood actress and comedian. She has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She has been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

She is also known for her role in the Gilmore Girls (2000) TV series, as well as films like Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), and Ghostbusters (2016).

Final Thoughts

Even in today’s world, we’re breaking glass ceilings daily. Comedy is often still seen as a traditional boy’s club. And to be honest, it’s hard not to agree. Legends like Betty White set the foundations; then we have Tina Fey and Amy Schumer to prove that women are brilliant and can even be more hilarious than men. Schumer made it into Forbes’ top 10 male-dominated list of highest-paid comedians, and there will be more to follow.