Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style At Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • The Stan Smith Revival
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Texts
    • Life In Plastic
    • Blurred Blush
    1. Celebrity

    The 50 Funniest Women of 2016

    Breaking the glass ceiling one joke at a time.

    By The Editors
    Published 16 December 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    funny women
    (Image credit: Getty images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Behind every great laugh, there's a greater, totally hilarious woman: This year, women are starring in the funniest movies, TV shows, and comedy specials we're most obsessed with—and writing and producing them, too. Here—in no particular order, because they're all equally, ridiculously brilliant—this year's reigning queens of comedy.

    Amy Schumer
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Amy Schumer

    Badass alert: She released her best-selling debut book The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo this year and will play Barbie in a live-action movie slated for 2018.

    Nailed it: Her whip-smart humor has made her Comedy Central show, Inside Amy Schumer, required viewing for anyone with eyes (currently on its fourth season) and she branched out on the big screen with the hit Trainwreck. See also: literally anything that comes out of her mouth.

    Real talk: "Woman who likes herself #OffendEveryoneIn4Words."(@amyschumer)

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus

    Badass alert: She does bad really good—from the Elaine dance (Seinfeld) to the White House (Veep). See also: her cameo in Inside Amy Schumer's "Last F*ckable Day" sketch.

    Find her: @OfficialJLD.

    Samantha Bee
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Samantha Bee

    Real talk: She's been described as the John Stewart we all needed this past election cycle and an essential voice of dissent in Trump's America. "And I am female as fuck." (Bee's sign-off in the trailer for her TBS late-night show.)

    Find her: @iamsambee.

    Lena Dunham
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Lena Dunham

    Badass alert: A Girls' girl who girls love (Watch her now-iconic HBO show or follow her ever-insightful newsletter Lenny Letter to learn why.)

    Find her: @lenadunham.

    Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer

    Badass alert: The hilarious creators and stars of Broad City redefined the stoner-comedy genre and helped to coin a vernacular for the millennial woman "Yasss queen."

    Find them: @ilazer, @abbijacobson.

    Amy Poehler
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Amy Poehler

    Badass alert: Everything the SNL alum touches turns into goddamn comedy gold: UCB Theatre, Broad City, Parks and Recreation, the Golden Globes.

    Nailed it: She's slated to appear with fellow SNL alum Will Ferrell in next year's comedy The House.

    Chrissy Teigen
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Chrissy Teigen

    Badass alert: Super-funny supermodel, new mother, and #BlenderWar instigator.

    Real talk: "I get the most retweets from avocado tweets," she says. "Avocados dying really hits home."

    Anna Chlumsky
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Anna Chlumsky

    Nailed it: In her epic meltdown on Veep.

    Real talk: "You know, if it's a boy, maybe I'll name him after you, call him Fuckweasel." (as Amy on Veep)

    Jessi Klein
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jessi Klein

    Who's that girl: Head writer and co-executive producer of Inside Amy Schumer.

    Badass alert: She published a hilarious and charming collection of real-life stories called You'll Grow Out of It this year.

    Kristen Schaal
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kristen Schaal

    Nailed it: As someone we'd love to survive the apocalypse with and in basically every voice cameo she makes, from Bob's Burgers to BoJack Horseman.

    Binge-watch: Last Man on Earth.

    Bonnie McFarlane
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Bonnie McFarlane

    Who's that girl: Her "cocumentary"—that's comedy documentary FYI—Women Aren't Funny will make you laugh, cry, and get pissed off (mostly at dumb dudes). Read her no-holds-barred 2016 memoir You're Better than Me for even more laughs.

    Find her: @bonniemcfarlane.

    Sarah Colonna
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sarah Colonna

    Badass alert: Has Anyone Seen My Pants?, the recent follow-up to her book Life As I Blow It.

    Find her: @sarahcolonna.

    Natasha Leggero
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Natasha Leggero

    Who's that girl: One-half of the Bellacourt sisters behind the Downton Abbey/Keeping Up with the Kardashians mash-up Another Period.

    Find her: @natashaleggero.

    Jenni Konner
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jenni Konner

    Who's that girl: The executive producer of HBO's Girls and co-creator of the weekly feminist newsletter Lenny Letter which she runs with Lena Dunham.

    Real talk: "Bitches be Googling 'early onset Alzheimer's symptoms.'" (@JenniKonner)

    Lesley Arfin
    (Image credit: Getty images)

    Lesley Arfin

    Badass alert: A Writer's Guild of America award winner who co-created (with Judd Apatow and Paul Rust) this year's Netflix Original series Love.

    Find her: @lesleyarfin.

    Aparna Nancherla
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Aparna Nancherla

    Who's that girl: The deadpan comic on every comedy nerd's radar (she put out a stand-up album this year called Just Putting it Out There).

    Real talk: "I wish you could Shazam whether people are worth getting to know." (@aparnapkin)

    Jen Kirkman
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jen Kirkman

    Binge-watch: Feel good while streaming I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) on Netflix.

    Find her: @JenKirkman.

    Miranda Hart
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Miranda Hart

    Who's that girl: Spy sidekick with a major fan base across the pond (she'll star in Disney's live-action Nutcracker this year).

    Find her: @mermhart.

    Whitney Cummings
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Whitney Cummings

    Badass alert: Her new HBO stand-up special I'm Your Girlfriend premiered earlier this year and she was green-lighted for an HBO pilot inspired by Maureen Dowd's book Are Men Necessary?

    Binge-watch: Her show 2 Broke Girls on CBS.

    Iliza Shlesinger
    (Image credit: Getty images)

    Iliza Shlesinger

    Binge-watch: Her new comedy special Confirmed Kills on Netflix.

    Find her: @iliza.

    Ellie Kemper
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Ellie Kemper

    Binge-watch: The Office alum on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix).

    Real talk: "Hashbrown: no filter" (as Kimmy).

    Tig Notaro
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Tig Notaro

    Binge-watch: One Mississippi (Amazon).

    Nailed it: On her stand-up tour inside fans' homes.

    Nicole Byer
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Nicole Byer

    Who's that girl: Watch the L.A.-based UCB performer on MTV's *Loosely Exactly Nicole.

    Real talk: "I wore really cute shoes today and no one complimented them. Is everyone OK?" (@nicolebyer)

    Riki Lindhome
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Riki Lindhome

    Who's that girl: The other half of the Bellacourt sisters in Another Period.

    Find her: @rikilindhome.

    Erin Gibson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Erin Gibson

    Who's that girl: Co-host of the Throwing Shade podcast and creator of Funny or Die's Gay of Thrones.

    Find her: @gibblertron.

    Constance Wu
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Constance Wu

    Nailed it: ABC's Fresh Off the Boat.

    Find her: @ConstanceWu.

    Kelly Oxford
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kelly Oxford

    Nailed it: The Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar author has a crazy-funny Twitter feed.

    Find her: @kellyoxford.

    Jenny Slate
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jenny Slate

    Badass alert: She's teaming up with Obvious Child director Gillian Robespierre for an FX comedy pilot.

    Nailed it: In everything she does—Married, Kroll Show, Bob's Burgers.

    Mindy Kaling
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Mindy Kaling

    Badass alert: She'll appear in the all-female reboot of the Ocean's series (Ocean's Eight) and the latest season of The Mindy Project is on our Hulu queue (season five, streaming TBD).

    Find her: @mindykaling.

    Tracee Ellis Ross
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Tracee Ellis Ross

    Nailed it: As the straight-talking Dr. Rainbow Johnson on ABC's Black-ish.

    Badass alert: Have you seen her IMDb page?

    Sarah Silverman
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sarah Silverman

    Badass alert: She killed it at this year's Democratic National Convention and has an untitled comedy pilot with HBO in the works.

    Binge-watch: We Are Miracles on HBO Go.

    Chelsea Handler
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Chelsea Handler

    Badass alert: Her new Netflix half-hour series Chelsea which has her interviewing celebrities and professionals.

    Nailed it: She's battling social media sexism, one topless Instagram at a time.

    Melissa McCarthy
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Melissa McCarthy

    Badass alert: We hereby declare Melissa McCarthy the Badassiest Action Movie Star Ever. She can throw a punch, lead a high-speed chase, and battle the undead, all while making us double over with laughter.

    Nailed it: In this year's lady-powered Ghostbusters reboot and as her quiet claim to fame Sookie in the new episodes of Gilmore Girls.

    Emily Heller
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Emily Heller

    Who's that girl: Co-host of the Baby Geniuses podcast and writer for the NBC sitcom Crowded.

    Real talk: "So terrified of getting wrinkles, which is why I am having my face removed completely this Tuesday." (@MrEmilyHeller)

    Nasim Pedrad
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Nasim Pedrad

    Badass alert: She appeared in New Girl this year and Ryan Murphy's latest, Scream Queens.

    Nailed it: Good thing she's already played royalty on SNL: "Someone recently asked how I would do Kim Kardashian differently now. Has that much changed? I wouldn't give her a Norwegian Accent!"

    Chelsea Peretti
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Chelsea Peretti

    Nailed it: In her Netflix Original special, One of the Greats, and on Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

    Find her: @ChelseaVPeretti.

    Nikki Glaser
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Nikki Glaser

    Who's that girl: A big effin' deal. Her Comedy Central sex- centric talk show Not Safe with Nikki Glaser launched this year.

    Find her: @NikkiGlaser.

    Megan Amram
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Megan Amram

    Who's that girl: The former Parks and Recreation writer schooled us with the book Science...For Her! and produces the new NBC sitcom with Kristen Bell The Good Place.

    Find her: @meganamram.

    Bridget Everett
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Bridget Everett

    Who's that girl: Her fearless cabaret act is something everyone should see before they die.

    Find her: @bridgeteverett.

    Michelle Collins
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Michelle Collins

    Nailed it: She makes the internet a funnier place.

    Real talk: "Spending today working on my 'looking human while entering a room' face." (@michcoll)

    Issa Rae
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Issa Rae

    Nailed it: The creator of the YouTube series Awkward Black Girl is back at it again with the buzzy new HBO comedy series Insecure.

    Binge-watch: Insecure on HBO.

    Julie Klausner
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Julie Klausner

    Who's that girl: The creator and star of Difficult People on Hulu and host of the way-popular podcast How Was Your Week?.

    Find her: @julieklausner.

    Jenny Johnson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jenny Johnson

    Nailed it: Look out for her new book Immature Adult. Then read it.

    Find her: @JennyJohnsonHi5.

    Taraji P. Henson
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Taraji P. Henson

    Nailed it: The always-quotable star of Fox's Empire.

    Find her: @TherealTaraji.

    Jessica Williams
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jessica Williams

    Who's that girl: The correspondent in all of your favorite The Daily Show with Jon Stewart clips.

    Nailed it: As the co-host of the cult podcast Two Dope Queens.

    Katja Blichfeld
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Katja Blichfeld

    Binge-watch: High Maintenance, the web series she co-created (picked up by HBO, NBD) about a Brooklyn weed dealer and his clients.

    Jena Friedman
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jena Friedman

    Who's that girl: Comedian and field producer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. See: "The Unborn Ultimatum."

    Find her: @JenaFriedman.

    Cameron Esposito
    (Image credit: Getty images)

    Cameron Esposito

    Who's that girl: The comic behind "The Greatest Period Joke of All Time."

    Nailed it: "The number of times I've seen a mike become a penis on a comedy stage," she says, "yet, we're still fighting to talk about our bodies as if they exist."

    Jen Statsky
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Jen Statsky

    Who's that girl: She's written for Broad City, Parks and Recreation, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—and she's probably making you laugh right now.

    Find her: @jenstatsky.

    Hallie Cantor
    (Image credit: Getty images)

    Hallie Cantor

    Who's that girl: Writer for Inside Amy Schumer and CollegeHumor.

    Find her: @halliecantor.

    Explore More
    Comedy
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    The Editors

    Marie Claire is committed to celebrating the richness and scope of women's lives. We're known for our award-winning features, thoughtful essays and op-eds, deep commitment to sustainable fashion, and buzzy interviews and reviews. Reaching millions of women every month, MarieClaire.com is an internationally recognized destination for celebrity news, fashion trends, beauty recommendations, and renowned investigative packages.

    Read more
    A blonde woman (Elle Fanning) lies on a pink couch with black-and-white striped pillows, resting her head on a pillow in her mother's (Michelle Pfeiffer) lap. The pair sit in a living room with a kitchen behind them, through a circular doorframe, in Apple TV+'s 'Margo's Got Money Troubles.'
    TV shows I Watch Hundreds of TV Shows Each Year. Here Are the Best Series of 2026 So Far There's a lot to watch, from buzzy book adaptations to the final season of 'Hacks.'
    By Quinci LeGardye
    stassi schroeder gets her hair and makeup done in a robe in a still from house of stassi
    TV shows Why Is Reality TV Suddenly Breaking the Fourth Wall?
    By Jessica Toomer
     
     
    Four women (actresses Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris) laugh together while holding cocktails, in the movie 'Spa Weekend.'
    Movies We'd Love to Have a 'Spa Weekend' With Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris We tested the on-screen besties with our trivia challenge.
    By Quinci LeGardye
    harry jowsey wears a tan suit and places his hand over his chest as he greets a group of women on netflix's let's marry harry
    TV shows Your Guide to the 20 Women Competing for Harry Jowsey's Heart on 'Let's Marry Harry' Will one be able to turn the notorious Netflix dating-show player into a devoted husband?
    By Quinci LeGardye
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity
    Princess Kate holding an umbrella walking next to Prince George
    Royals Princess Kate's Eton College Jewelry Echoes Princess Diana
    A group of women wear yellow jerseys while posing in a baseball dugout, in the TV series 'Slo Pitch.'
    TV shows Looking for a Sapphic Sports-Romance? Here's How to Watch 'Slo Pitch' This Fall
     
     
    Prince William and Prince Harry walking in blue suits at Kensington Palace
    Royals William and Harry Have One Surprising "Last Vehicle" For Communication
    Prince George and Prince William smiling at each other
    Royals Prince George Laughs at Prince William's Embarrassing Dad Mishap at Eton
     
     
    Latest in Features
    two girls wearing brown lipstick on a yellow background next to brown lipstick on chocolates
    Makeup My Fair Skin and I Are Finally Getting on Board the Brown Lipstick Trend for Fall
    stansmithcollage
    Fashion The Stan Smith Is Getting Another Turn
     
     
    purple background with models wearing blush and the milk makeup cheek and lip cream blush stick
    Makeup I Can’t Stop Wearing the Blurred Blush Trend
    the best nail looks of the week feature six images with three polishes and three fall nail designs
    Nails Fall's Top Nail Trends Have Gone to the Dark Side
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.