Laughter brings people together, and the shared experiences of people in particular situations are what keep people engaged with and relating to one another. The LGBTQ+ community is no exception to this rule. In 2022 LGBTQ+ comedians have been given a much larger platform to share their experiences and make something fun, relatable, and often genuinely heartfelt, sharing them with live audiences across the entire world.
During Pride Month and every month, it is important to place the spotlight on these voices as they share their stories. The benefit to finding them in comedy is getting in plenty of laughs along the way. Whether looking for LGBTQ+ humor or just for some new names of comedians within the community, it's time to start streaming some new stand-up.
Flame Monroe in Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready
Streaming on Netflix
Having been nominated for an Emmy Award for this very production and performance of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready, Flame Monroe is an incredible comedian and emcee. She spends her half-hour set telling stories about her experiences as a transgender black woman in America and as a drag queen raising three rambunctious children.
Flame Monroe's set in the second episode of They Ready season 1 is heavy on the criticism and even heavier on the laughs. With a larger-than-life attitude and one of the biggest personalities in the show, her set is definitely worth a watch. Monroe brings tough topics to light in her incredible delivery and stage presence, proving her to be a highly underrated LGBTQ+ star in comedy.
Jaboukie Young-White in Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents
Streaming on Paramount+
Jaboukie Young-White, at just 24 years old, took to the stage in this episode of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents to tell stories about his youth, his sexuality, and his experience with ridesharing apps. The actor, writer, and comedian has played several minor and supporting roles across many film and television productions and has also dabbled as a writer.
Episode one of season 3 features a 20-minute stand-up routine by the young comedian and kicks off with his impression of a frat bro followed by a mock lecture on "Feminism for Men." Engaging from start to finish, Young-White's career is without a doubt still on the rise and his episode of Comedy Central Stand-Up remains worth the watch within his filmography.
Simon Amstell: Set Free
Streaming on Netflix
In his own offbeat style, Simon Amstell delivers an hour of stories with punchlines scattered throughout. His delivery a combination of professional storyteller and an old friend catching up, Amstell covers topics from marriage to drugs to sexuality and everything in between in a manner that maintains a fun and easy-to-digest tone throughout.
As with any good comedian, Amstell is a true cynic. His enthusiasm for sharing his experiences is what makes his comedy as entertaining as it is, and his genuine introspective abilities are the reason he appeals to so many. Even though his opinions may be shared with many, it's his unique experiences and desire to share them with the world that puts Amstell in a well-deserved spotlight in this comedy special.
Rhys Nicholson: Live at the Athenaeum
Streamig on Netflix
Rhys Nicholson's sense of humor is a delightful and welcome change of pace to the standard stand-up comedy act. His quick-wittiness makes for excellent storytelling, and his disdain for all things Carol makes him an excellent addition to the LGBTQ+ comedian community.
At one point in his special, Nicholson describes himself as the "fun aunt" which fans have since embraced as a way to describe him. Besides that, he speaks to the difficulties of long-term relationships and being "a gay" in the eyes of haters. He embraces his identity and makes his comedy show an exceptionally enjoyable experience for both the live audience and all viewers of the special.
Chaunté Wayans in Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready
Streaming on Netflix
In another 20-minute set hand-picked and presented by Tiffany Haddish, Chaunté Wayans takes to the stage to tell stories about her experiences with work, family, and dating. She discusses having grown up in fame and becoming her own person, and how being seen as "one-of-the-guys" helped to make her who she is today.
In the final episode of They Ready season 1, Wayans is introduced sincerely and sweetly by Haddish herself and gives thanks for the opportunity to step on stage and be her truest self. She delivers a series of anecdotes and punchlines worthy of an hour-long special and closes out the performance, and the show's season, with energy to match.
Matteo Lane in The Comedy Lineup
Streaming on Netflix
Although a short set of only thirteen minutes in the second episode of Netflix's The Comedy Lineup's second season, Matteo Lane delivers a phenomenal act full of heart, humor, and hilarious impressions. He touches on the difficulties of living and loving in the digital age and pitches an app idea to a very niche audience.
After comparing hunting to drag and bursting into spontaneous song, this episode absolutely leaves the audience wanting so much more of Matteo Lane. With his infectious energy, Lane is an incredible comic and a delight to watch perform.
Streaming on Netflix
Viewers may recognize Tig Notaro from her acting gigs, including Bob's Burgers to Star Trek: Discovery, but she is also a skillful comedian who handles topics from surgery to parenting with whimsy and ease in her several stand-up comedy specials. In Happy to Be Here, a particular glance is given to her sexuality, gender miscommunications, and her children's first words.
Tig Notaro's monotonous delivery drives her jokes home and makes it all that much funnier when the occasional chuckle works its way through. Despite the truly professional delivery that she manages to exhibit in her comedic presence, one can tell that as the title says, she certainly is happy to be here.
Joel Kim Booster in Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents
Streaming on Paramount+
Joel Kim Booster, now with his brand new Netflix stand-up special titled, Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual, jumpstarted much of his initial success on season one episode eleven of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents back in 2017. He spends his set discussing his adoption and coming out to his parents with engaging details and a superb stage presence.
In addition to continuing his success in comedy, Kim Booster has made a strong name for himself in television since. And through all his other work, he has continued to spread the same excitable energy that he brings to his comedy and pour it into the rest of his life.
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal
Streaming on Netflix
Wanda Sykes' iconic stage presence and voice can be found in dozens of shows and movies from the last three decades, most notably her hilarious turn on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Here, she brings her incredible sense of humor and her love for her family to the stage in yet another new comedy special. While Not Normal heavily focuses on topics such as politics and racism, Sykes' stories about her wife and kids are always the highlight of her comedy sets.
While Not Normal (2019) is her most recently released solo show, Wanda Sykes has been recording stand-up specials for almost twenty years. This addition to her comedy library and to the Netflix lineup of LGBTQ+ material is definitely not one to be missed.
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
Streaming on Netflix
Hannah Gadsby's Nanette is particularly interesting for a Pride Month watch as the comedian delves into many different aspects of her past trauma and spins it around to enlighten the audience on topics regarding acceptance, vulnerability, and colors. In one of the best comedy specials on Netflix, Gadsby discusses many aspects of her lesbian identity in a special that many have referred to as "anti-comedy," allowing the audience to stir in the hanging punchlines of each incoming joke.
A deconstruction of the typical stand-up comedy special, perfect for fans of Bo Burnham's Inside, Nanette received much praise upon its release and immediately solidified Hannah Gadsby's place in Netflix's comedian hall of fame. Her second special, Douglas, which touches on her autistic diagnosis and her feelings on ninja turtles, was released in 2020 and met with just as much praise as the first.
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel
Streaming on HBO Max
An absolutely stellar comedy set and piece of cinematographic work, Jerrod Carmichael's 2022 comedy special Rothaniel marks the comedian's official coming out as well as some of the heaviest and most heartfelt and genuine stories told in a comedic setting in a long time.
With incredible delivery, wonderful direction, and a spectacular audience to drive the show home, this comedy special has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been met with Letterboxd ratings and reviews consistently singing its praise, including one by user Patrick Fisackerly claiming, "Finally, a Nanette for the boys!"
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Streaming on Netflix
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration was released just this month in celebration of Pride Month and included a star-studded cast of LGBTQ+ comedians and celebrities performing rapid-fire comedy sets that kept their live audience roaring. There truly is no better way to describe this hour-and-a-half-long comedy lineup than the special's opening narration: "Your favorite LGBTQ legends and rising stars perform on the same stage for one unforgettable, super gay night of comedy."
This special is unlike any other existing comedy special, created with the specific intention of celebrating Pride and the entire spectrum of queer identities. Among the festival's cast of comedians, drag queens, and actors are Lily Tomlin, Trixie Mattel, Billy Eichner, Margaret Cho, and dozens more that make this a true celebration to watch.