Why arent many female comedians funny ?

SJW Lover

Lux23 wrote: »

It's probably the same reason a lot of men won't read a book by a female author because subconsciously they don't believe the writing could reach the depth of feeling that a man might.

Eh, what?

Wayne Jarvis

kildare lad wrote: »

I just don't think women are funny generally.

That's just not true though. Even here on boards women make me laugh regularly. Electro Bitch, Leg End Reject, bigbagofcans, Lux23 (who zinged me earlier in this thread!). They are funny women and that's just off the top of my head. Plenty of funny women out there.

razorblunt

Sharon Horgan isn't a comedian though, is she?
She's an actress who is very, very good in comedic roles.

As with most comedians these days a lot of them are affected by over exposure on panel shows with scripted jokes.
You see them do stand up then and its an inevitable let down.

Woke Hogan

greenspurs wrote: »

You ok hon ?

Bilious - "spiteful; bad-tempered"
The only thing bilious on this thread are your posts directed at me.

Are you a female comedian by any chance?

Oh dear. What a disaster. You better stick to the funny lists, funny man.

sbsquarepants

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

Now female writers of comedy shows? I NEVER had a problem there. Some of my favourite shows were written by female writers: The Royale Family, for me, is one of the funniest and real shows ever to grace TV. right up to Derry Girls.

Caroline Aherne was brilliant in fairness. Royale family and Mrs Merton were genuinely hillarious.

Bigbagofcans

Guy Person wrote: »

That's just not true though. Even here on boards women make me laugh regularly. Electro Bitch, Leg End Reject, bigbagofcans, Lux23 (who zinged me earlier in this thread!). They are funny women and that's just off the top of my head. Plenty of funny women out there.

Thank you, Guy. Likewise

Lots of funny women out there, kildare lad. If you're a 'lads lads lads' type of lad, then I'm guessing you don't make time for female friendships.

sbsquarepants

That's the thing though, i'd say it's 50 / 50 in real life. There are just as many women who are funny as men, but it just doesn't seem to translate to stand up comedy. I've no idea why but it's definitely there in my opinion, any number of funny male stand ups, precious few women.

Abel Ruiz

Abdullah Old-fashioned Quid wrote: »

But sure, they're not standing behind a microphone slagging their wife off and talking about their dicks so they don't count I guess!

Who hurt you?

I miss a good dick joke. Haven't heard any in years

Abel Ruiz

Lux23 wrote: »

[/B]

Why? Pretty much everyone I know enjoys laughing.

Yes they do.
But men make up more of the audience at any comedy show I've been to.

Wayne Jarvis

Guy Person wrote: »

That's just not true though. Even here on boards women make me laugh regularly. Electro Bitch, Leg End Reject, bigbagofcans, Lux23 (who zinged me earlier in this thread!). They are funny women and that's just off the top of my head. Plenty of funny women out there.

A few more I thought of on my lunch break. Persepoly & Purple Mountain.

Also I have near enough the same number of female friends as male ones and 1 thing they all have in common is that they are funny. I don't want to spend time with people who don't make me laugh.

ToddyDoody

Guy Person wrote: »

(who zinged me earlier in this thread!).

What does that mean? (Pardon my ignorance)

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

sbsquarepants wrote: »

That's the thing though, i'd say it's 50 / 50 in real life. There are just as many women who are funny as men, but it just doesn't seem to translate to stand up comedy. I've no idea why but it's definitely there in my opinion, any number of funny male stand ups, precious few women.

There's a lifestyle associated with getting established in stand up that's a lot of months on the road, sleeping in vans, poverty and alcohol. Women don't, by and large tend to be drawn to that sort of thing where men are more able to put up with it. The scene when stand up itself was being established was a very macho, locker room sort of place a lot of the time too. You end up with an industry that's male dominated for those reasons, and that male dominance itself then makes women less likely to go for it and more likely to drop out.

Stand up is a pretty solitary life too, the act takes all the risk, all the glory. The aspects of comedy where there are more women, and more women excelling, tend to be more collaborative; sketch comedy, tv ensembles. Also lines of work while you'll work hard and long, it'll probably be in the one place and you can just half ass your family commitments rather than completely abandon them for six months of the year :pac:

When you think about it a little it does start to make sense pretty quickly.

Or for those of us who prefer not to think at all, just boil that on down to "women aren't funny hnarf arf arf"

JohnnyFlash

Woke Hogan wrote: »

There's definitely a lot of angry young men on the internet who hold Alison Spittle in particular contempt, probably because she's committing the crime of not being particularly attractive.

I have never seen her live but my daughter insisted I watch that sitcom Spittle put out a few years ago. It wasn't to my taste but I wasn't foaming at the mouth watching it either, frantically compiling a list of female comedians and trying to top myself with each bilious description in turn. Most critics of female comedians don't seem to have any hint of a sense of humour themselves.

Fairly astute observations there, Hogan. I've never watched any of Spittle's tv shows, but I did find her stand-up pretty funny. Not exactly slapping my knees with laughter, but it was the sort of pleasant, self-deprecating, and slightly awkward comedy that harms nobody. Fair fúcks to her.



It was the same a few years back with the girl from Cork - Maeve Higgins. Subject to terrible abuse from the internet hate crew. Again, saw her a few times in the International, and found her funny. Maybe I just like self-deprecating humour, but I think it's more to do with recognising that people find different things funny. Like for example, I find Stewart Lee about as funny as an outbreak of measles, but there's loads of overweight men with those little beards who seem to rate him as some sort of comedy messiah.

Wayne Jarvis

ToddyDoody wrote: »

What does that mean? (Pardon my ignorance)

It means she gave a great slagging comeback to something I said. I think it's an American phrase, another way to put it could be she "burned" me.

randd1

When you watch comedy, you want to be entertained at the same time. The problem I find with most female comedians is that more often than not, their jokes are an interruption of a lecture about womanhood, and they're mostly jokes we've heard before. There's nothing really new and the entertainment value drops as a result.

When females comedians don't go down the safe route they're as funny as any man. Joan Rivers being the classic example. Jo Brand's jokes are based purely on sexism, but they're funny, and she can be great at observational humour.

Also with some comedians it depends on the medium. Ed Byrne as an example, I wouldn't cross the road to watch one of his shows, they're not that funny (the odd joke aside) and way too rehearsed. Yet on TV shows, when he has to make jokes off the cuff, he can be quite witty and genuinely funny. And I genuinely think female comedians work better on panel shows where the off the cuff jokes sound better than the rehearsed monologues that many of them do in shows.

kildare lad

Bigbagofcans wrote: »

Thank you, Guy. Likewise

Lots of funny women out there, kildare lad. If you're a 'lads lads lads' type of lad, then I'm guessing you don't make time for female friendships.

I am a bit , but I did hang around with plenty of girls when I was younger , still chat to plenty of women at my kids sport and worked with about 40 women for 2 years . Ye you could have a laugh and a joke with lots of them but I'd only ever say that one of them was " gas ". I just don't think women are generally funny .

I remember reading an article before why men were funnier than women , it had to do with trying to attract women . If you were good looking or rich , you normally had no problem with women. But if you were neither , the only other way of attracting women was by making them laugh.

jasonb

Never really understood this distinction between whether Men or Women are funnier. Maybe it's just not how my brain works, but I find some people funny and some not, their gender has nothing to do with it, at least for me.

Also, I can't believe no-one has put this clip up during this thread...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5_IcqrM96M

dubstepper

While the title of this thread does read like trolling, there definitely is some truth in it.

As electro-bich said perhaps there is an element of the 'life' of a standup that may account for it, but I think that perhaps it may be due to the fact that you need to be more of a misanthrope to be a great comedian. I'm not sure there are that many female comedians that would be put into that category without being confused as a misandrist, which would promptly end their career...

Also Deirdre O'Kane joins the select group of WTF irish 'comedians'. Notable members include Jason Byrne, Ed Byrne, PJ Gallagher....

Zorya

Homelander wrote: »

This clip is really funny, one of my favorites. No idea if she's alway this funny, but it's gold. Her accent really makes it.

She is adorable, must look her up.
I like Kristen Wiig the odd time I come across her.

silverharp

Hitchens summed it up by saying men need to be able to make women laugh if they want to stay in the gene pool whereas women don't need to, we like them just the way they are.

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Fairly astute observations there, Hogan.

Naturally, you would be inclined to agree with yourself.

Setting out your stall as a heroic defender to Spittle/Higgins is as futile as pushing back the tide. Instead of pontificating from a height, try to accept that people other than your multiple selves have their own comedic preferences. You don't get to dictate taste, so why flail about like an angst-ridden teenager with a gross inferiority complex.

Wayne Jarvis

Forgetting the gender aspect of the thread, can we at least all agree that Mitch Hedberg is/was the best comedian? Even now 14 years after he died nobody makes me laugh more than him.

Bigbagofcans

kildare lad wrote: »

I remember reading an article before why men were funnier than women , it had to do with trying to attract women . If you were good looking or rich , you normally had no problem with women. But if you were neither , the only other way of attracting women was by making them laugh.

Do men not look for a woman that makes them laugh?

If you're with a partner and they don't make you laugh a lot, then to me, you're with the wrong person.

Woke Hogan

Deleted User wrote: »

Naturally, you would be inclined to agree with yourself.

Setting out your stall as a heroic defender to Spittle/Higgins is as futile as pushing back the tide. Instead of pontificating from a height, try to accept that people other than your multiple selves have their own comedic preferences. You don't get to dictate taste, so why flail about like an angst-ridden teenager with a gross inferiority complex.

You're starting early today. Happy hour in the tavern?

greenspurs

Woke Hogan wrote: »

Oh dear. What a disaster. You better stick to the funny lists, funny man.

triggered ?


:cool:

greenspurs

Deleted User wrote: »

Naturally, you would be inclined to agree with yourself.

Setting out your stall as a heroic defender to Spittle/Higgins is as futile as pushing back the tide. Instead of pontificating from a height, try to accept that people other than your multiple selves have their own comedic preferences. You don't get to dictate taste, so why flail about like an angst-ridden teenager with a gross inferiority complex.

You noticed that too ??

greenspurs

dubstepper wrote: »

While the title of this thread does read like trolling, there definitely is some truth in it.

As electro-bich said perhaps there is an element of the 'life' of a standup that may account for it, but I think that perhaps it may be due to the fact that you need to be more of a misanthrope to be a great comedian. I'm not sure there are that many female comedians that would be put into that category without being confused as a misandrist, which would promptly end their career...

Also Deirdre O'Kane joins the select group of WTF irish 'comedians'. Notable members include Jason Byrne, Ed Byrne, PJ Gallagher....

How? What ??
Its my observation about comedians.
In my opinion, I find that a lot of the female comedians on tv/stand up , just don't make me laugh, and I gave examples of them.
I also gave examples of women that do make me laugh ??

Which bit is trolling, and which bit is the bit that "definitely is (has *sic) some truth in it"

JohnnyFlash

Deleted User wrote: »

Naturally, you would be inclined to agree with yourself.

Setting out your stall as a heroic defender to Spittle/Higgins is as futile as pushing back the tide. Instead of pontificating from a height, try to accept that people other than your multiple selves have their own comedic preferences. You don't get to dictate taste, so why flail about like an angst-ridden teenager with a gross inferiority complex.

I've only one account on this site, Bertie. If you've compiled a file with evidence to the contrary, then I'd suggest you present it to the Admin team and let them mull it over. Otherwise you're in danger of coming across as being a bit 'unhinged'.

I've been to events where Higgins and Spittle went on stage and performed comedy. I didn't find either of them outrageously funny, but I did find both of them made me laugh. Legit like. Certainly neither of them have done something so outrageous and disgraceful that they deserve the bile and hate that gets thrown at them by oddball men (always men) who seem to spend their days trying to double down on how angry they woke up that morning.

That's all. Chillax, pal. :cool:

Earthhorse

dubstepper wrote: »

While the title of this thread does read like trolling, there definitely is some truth in it.

I do find, in general, men are funnier than women (but not by much) and that the very best stand ups are men. But women have only broken into comedy in any kind of numbers in the last twenty years or so.

As electro-bich said perhaps there is an element of the 'life' of a standup that may account for it, but I think that perhaps it may be due to the fact that you need to be more of a misanthrope to be a great comedian. I'm not sure there are that many female comedians that would be put into that category without being confused as a misandrist, which would promptly end their career...

Tbh, the life of an actress, producer, writer (like Sharon Horgan's) isn't much better. I think it's more to do with what another poster said about the level of laughing at yourself that men do vs women. Just my own opinion, of course, and impossible to prove, it'll be interesting to see what the next generation of women stand ups are like and whether they change in this regard.

Deebles McBeebles

Guy Person wrote: »

Forgetting the gender aspect of the thread, can we at least all agree that Mitch Hedberg is/was the best comedian? Even now 14 years after he died nobody makes me laugh more than him.

Loved Hedberg but its still Bill Hicks for me. As clever as he was dark.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

greenspurs wrote: »

triggered ?


:cool:

See now that's the kind of joke Aisling Bea couldn't come up with in like a week, and it took you BARELY an hour! Amazing! And coming hot on the heels of a "you ok hon?"

I mean how do 3000 of ye manage to come up with saying that every day? Oooh the comedy!

Woke Hogan

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I've only one account on this site, Bertie. If you've compiled a file with evidence to the contrary, then I'd suggest you present it to the Admin team and let them mull it over. Otherwise you're in danger of coming across as being a bit 'unhinged'.

I've been to events where Higgins and Spittle went on stage and performed comedy. I didn't find either of them outrageously funny, but I did find both of them made me laugh. Legit like. Certainly neither of them have done something so outrageous and disgraceful that they deserve the bile and hate that gets thrown at them by oddball men (always men) who seem to spend their days trying to double down on how angry they woke up that morning.

That's all. Chillax, pal. :cool:

One more observation I would like to make about the likes of Spittle and Higgins: at least they're operating on good faith, namely in the effort of trying to make people laugh.

Their incel internet critics, however? I'm not so sure.

Deebles McBeebles

Bigbagofcans wrote: »

Do men not look for a woman that makes them laugh?

Can't speak for all men but I certainly do. Its a very important aspect of a relationship.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

Loved Hedberg but its still Bill Hicks for me. As clever as he was dark.

I was just rewatching some Richard Pryor during the week because my brother's gf hadn't heard of him and I think my heart still belongs to him. I think he was pretty instrumental in shaping the actual way stand up was produced and consumed as well, like the big tours in big venues, how personal the comedy was, the thing of filming live shows rather than recording comedy "albums".

Sorry about that

The funniest sketch I've ever seen is Katherine Lynch's Liz Hurley from Mohill. I like all her characters but this one is incredibly funny; at one point she's sliding down a slanted wall for her own amusement, has to be seen to be believed! (Also fond of a pint of
shnakebite).
In general I think there are more funny men, but there are definitely a few hilarious women comics.

greenspurs

Abdullah Old-fashioned Quid wrote: »

See now that's the kind of joke Aisling Bea couldn't come up with in like a week, and it took you BARELY an hour! Amazing! And coming hot on the heels of a "you ok hon?"

I mean how do 3000 of ye manage to come up with saying that every day? Oooh the comedy!

:rolleyes:

Are you Ok hon ?
You seem a bit triggered there....
Or were you trying to be funny ??? I just don't know ….. :rolleyes:

EmmetSpiceland

greenspurs wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Are you Ok hon ?
You seem a bit triggered there....
Or were you trying to be funny ??? I just don't know ….. :rolleyes:

Weak.

SJW Lover

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I've only one account on this site, Bertie. If you've compiled a file with evidence to the contrary, then I'd suggest you present it to the Admin team and let them mull it over. Otherwise you're in danger of coming across as being a bit 'unhinged'.

I've been to events where Higgins and Spittle went on stage and performed comedy. I didn't find either of them outrageously funny, but I did find both of them made me laugh. Legit like. Certainly neither of them have done something so outrageous and disgraceful that they deserve the bile and hate that gets thrown at them by oddball men (always men) who seem to spend their days trying to double down on how angry they woke up that morning.

That's all. Chillax, pal. :cool:

I agree with everything Pintman Paddy Losty says above.

Akabusi

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Alison Spittle did a quick show in the entertainment tent at the races in Leopardstown last Christmas. I had two dozen pints down the hatch at that stage, but I found her self-deprecating humour to be funny.

Plus, she really seems to annoy losers on the internet who proclaim to somehow be an expert on comedy, yet wouldn’t know comedy if it hit them in the face with an oversized frying pan.

Johnny, I fixed a mistake in your post

Whatever about the rest of them..We can surely all agree that that O Kane one is definitely not funny..

Ray Palmer

Deirdre O'Kane was never really a comedian. She wanted to be an actor and couldn't get work doing it. She then turned to stand up and because there were practically no women she would get invited to be part of shows. Painfully unfunny and just like somebody down the pub telling a story and thinking everyone thinks she is funny.

Saw her at a comedy show once. She asks did anyone see "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" where the guy got the first question wrong. The crowd said yes but she decided to tell us what we had seen. Long drawn out version of events with vague impressions thrown in. Nobody laughed or even chuckled. Normally feel bad for a performer to die on stage like that but she was told we all saw it and she decided to proceed.

She was at least funny on Moon Boy but she was never a good stand up and only got known because she was female. Caught a bit of the show last night and she sees herself as some great comedy icon who made a path for others. Doesn't look that way to me more like people made exceptions for her because they wanted to have female comedians on the roster.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Whatever about the rest of them..We can surely all agree that that O Kane one is definitely not funny..

I remember liking her in Moonboy, she can be a funny actor sometimes.

Those appliances delivered ads are RAPIDLY eroding any goodwill I have towards her though.

Thelonious Monk

I think women can be equally as funny as men but maybe the stand up cock waving style doesn't really suit them

Woke Hogan

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Weak.

Asking if people were "triggered" and "ok hun" twice. Someone with such a terrible sense of humour themselves clearly aren't capable of appreciating good comedy. Like when a dog tries to listen to Beethoven.

Ash.J.Williams

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Alison Spittle did a quick show in the entertainment tent at the races in Leopardstown last Christmas. I had half a dozen pints down the hatch at that stage, but I found her self-deprecating humour to be funny.

Plus, she really seems to annoy losers on the internet who proclaim to somehow be an expert on comedy, yet wouldn’t know comedy if it hit them in the face with an oversized frying pan.

true, i think when posters focus on her appearance so much they're opinion doesn't hold any ...er weight

suicide_circus

there are certainly funny women. both stand up and writing.

however i do kind of buy into the notion of "being funny" as being more necessary for men than for women, evolutionarily speaking.

Being funny not only can get a man noticed by women who may not otherwise take notice but can also enable him to get himself out of physical confrontation with men who he could not compete with.

greenspurs

Woke Hogan wrote: »

Asking if people were "triggered" and "ok hun" twice. Someone with such a terrible sense of humour themselves clearly aren't capable of appreciating good comedy. Like when a dog tries to listen to Beethoven.

Why are you suddenly obsessed with me ??? :eek:


I wasn't trying to be funny ……



*tumbleweed

Yeah, I dunno, I saw some of her on the late late show at some stage.. fair bad..

But as for funny women..the blond one on parks and recreation..Tina Fey..Mindy Kaling..Ellie Kemper.. Kristen Schall.. Eliza Schlesinger.. Kate Micucci..

So there's a few..I dunno, maybe it's not for Irish women.. There's probably a tendency to go for tired period and sex jokes too, so a lot of that probably hasn't been funny since the 90s, and can very quickly come across as just crass..

loalae

I like Aisling Bea, Ellie Taylor, and Sara Pascoe.

I don't agree that women comedians are not as funny as men - some are truly terrible but that is true of men as well. Gender and sex don't determine whether someone is funny.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Earthhorse wrote: »

Tbh, the life of an actress, producer, writer (like Sharon Horgan's) isn't much better. I think it's more to do with what another poster said about the level of laughing at yourself that men do vs women. Just my own opinion, of course, and impossible to prove, it'll be interesting to see what the next generation of women stand ups are like and whether they change in this regard.

Yeah I remember reading an interview with Rachel Bloom, didn't have kids, her husband was in the bizz too, she was living in the city where she was shooting...and they ended up just building her a pretend hotel room on set so she could sleep there and not get depressed feeling like she was living in her trailer :pac: Mind you as well as writing, directing and starring, she also had a song and dance number to contend with most weeks.

The laughing at yourself thing is interesting, imo each gender tends to think their own is the more self deprecating or able to laugh at themselves.