Though the live stand-up comedy scene has taken a hit in the last few months, the industry is recuperating steadily, what with most comedians taking to social media or intimate, invite-only appearances to practice their skill. And while there’s no replacing Dave Chappelle or Tiffany Haddish, there’s a slew of interesting Black comics who are doing some incredible work and deserve to be billboard famous.

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Ayo Edebiro, for instance, is a millennial comedian who replaced Jenny Slate as the voice of Missy in Big Mouth, Not only is she an incredible stand-up performer, but her humor is quite searing and razor-sharp. Ian Lara is another name who just appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show, These are just a few of the lesser-known Black comedians that should be on every comedy lover’s radar.

Jaboukie Young-White

Jaboukie Young-White during a segment at The Today Show with Trevor Hoah

Gen-Z audiences really need to explore the entire range of this fantastic young comic who never misses a beat with his selection of topics. Jaboukie Young-White's comedy is very original and relevant since he talks about subjects almost every young person can relate to and he also has some great perspectives about queer Gen-Z life.

He’s also a correspondent on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah where he basically tries to explain what young people think of pressing issues. One of his most hilarious segments was when he tried to explain why Amazon’s proposed headquarters in Queens, New York, was such a bad idea. “Oh yeah, that’s just what New York needs. Another 25,000 tech bros sucking down green juice on the 7 train,” he quipped during one of his segments with Noah.

Marie Faustin

Comedian Marie Faustin in a beret during a stand-up show

The New York-based comedian and actor has some of the most entertaining stand-up sets and the most impeccable Instagram feed. “So, are we saying happy new year this year or just waiting to see how it goes,” she tweeted recently. Marie Faustin also had some of the best reactions to Joe Biden’s inauguration day when she tweeted, “Bernie dressed like inauguration is on his to-do list today but it ain’t his whole day.”

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She also has some great perspective about a noted Disney villain. “Of course, Scar had an attitude problem. They gave him a nickname about something he was probably insecure about. He just wanted Simba to call him Uncle Brandon ONE time,” Marie tweeted.

Ali Siddiq

Texas comedian Ali Siddiq during his Comedy Central special show

Probably one of the best improv comics of this generation, Texas-based comedian and public speaker Ali Siddiq is an incredible storyteller, which makes him so great at stand-up because his humor has a very keen spontaneity that his fans love. In 2013, Comedy Central named him the #1 Comic to Watch and in 2019 he was a finalist on NBC’s comedy competition show, Bring the Funny.

He is one of the comedians who has kept in touch with his fans via social media in the past year, amid the quarantine. Siddiq started exploring stand-up after his release from prison in 1997. In fact, one of his most memorable stand-up sets has him describing how he found himself in a tough spot when he realized he was unprepared for a prison riot.

Ian Lara

Comedian Ian Lara during his segment at Jimmy Fallon's show

There’s a reason why comedian Ian Lara is followed by Jimmy Fallon on Twitter. His sets are not just witty or relevant, but also really sharp in terms of curation. For instance, during one of his stand-up sets, he explained to the audience why it's so incredible that his mother, who hails from the Dominican Republic, has been in America for 45 years but still does not speak English.

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“People think that’s lazy. I think that takes skill. You know how committed you gotta be to live somewhere for 45 years and not pick up on a single word? That takes Navy SEAL level training,” Lara remarked during his episode of This Week at the Comedy Cellar.

Marina Franklin

Comedian Marina Franklin during a stand-up set

Marina Franklin really should be Tiffany Haddish famous by now because she has served up some of the fiercest and most timeless stand-up sets ever. In one of her 2011 comedy routines, she described in great detail how dating a younger white guy was hilarious:

“I’m officially a cougar. He’s young and white, so I’m not just a cougar, I’m a Black Panther,” she famously joked during the 2011 John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show. Franklin also loves dancing, as it helps her mental health, and she loves documenting her moves on Instagram, which is also the most interesting social media handle for comedy lovers.

Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson during one of his stand-up comedy gigs in New York

It’s a shame this Emmy-nominated writer isn’t a household name yet. Josh Johnson has some of the funniest problems and he hilariously communicates them to his fans. One of his recent comedy sets was about how he had a white man’s voice. “It’s like every time I laugh, someone, somewhere gets audited,” he joked during his performance at the Baron Vaughn & Open Mike Eagle's 2019 comedy series.

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He was also the person who came up with an incredible hack to simplify life in general: “Guys, let’s normalize just saying, ‘I don’t know.’ You don’t need to make up an answer just because someone asked you a question,” he tweeted. Johnson is also one of the comedians who took his comedy to social media to stay in touch with his fans since the live comedy scene took a hit amid the pandemic crisis.

DeRay Davis

DeRay Davis in a still from his Netflix special How to act black

DeRay Davis has one of the most prolific resumes in the comedy scene: he has been on Empire and in films like Jumping The Broom and 21 Jump Street.

As he points out in his 2017 comedy special, How To Act Black, he is also the first Black actor whose character survived in a horror movie. “I’m Black history!” he exclaimed on the show. He’s followed by names like Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg, and he was also Hart’s roommate back in the day. 

Ayo Edebiri

Big Mouth Recast_ Ayo Edebiri Replacing Jenny Slate As Missy

Ayo Edebiri just replaced Jenny Slate as Missy on Big Mouth and she has some of the funniest quips about how downright humiliating millennial life can be in New York. She is also co-producing an animated series for Netflix titled Mulligan and voicing the lead role in another Netflix animated series, We Lost Our Human, along with writing and acting in the second season of the acclaimed show Dickinson on Apple TV+.

She is also slated to act in the adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s novel, Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between. Plus, she hosts an incredible podcast called Iconography with Olivia Craighead that released its second season in 2020. Edebiri also successfully started a rumor on Twitter that she’s the showrunner for The Kominsky Method, so famous people would follow her. 

Janelle James

Comedian Janelle James in a maroon sweater at her comedy stand-up show

Janelle James arrived on the scene many years ago, but mainstream comedy lovers are only just starting to recognize her talent and range. Besides her stand-up, she’s also a prolific comedy writer, and her writing credits include The Rundown with Robin Thede and Black Monday. She has also acted on shows like Crashing and Central Park.

Her podcast, You In Danger Gurl, is one of the wittiest podcasts around and was named as one of the best comedy podcasts of 2020 by Spotify. In one of the newest episodes, for instance, James talks to columnist Amelie Gillette about red flags, men that talk too much and J-Lo's loungewear in the erotic thriller, The Boy Next Door.

Rachel Pegram

Comedy writer Rachel Pegram during an improv performance

This millennial comedian and writer is set to be the next big thing in comedy with an Instagram feed that’s packed with hilarity. She's part of the writing team on Kenan, but is perhaps most famous for her appearances in Adam Sandler’s The Week Of, Don’t Think Twice and The Chris Gethard Show.

“A year ago I moved to LA for my first writing job and now that show is coming out! I’m very excited!!!!!!! Kenan?? An icon, a legend! Honestly still can’t believe it. Watch tonight and swipe to see a pic of me when I got the news. I was actually crying bc Westville was out of brussel [sic] sprouts,” she wrote on her Instagram.

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