Top 10 Female Comedians

Kicking off our list is the beauty and brains behind the late-night talk show “Chelsea Lately,” and successful books like “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.” Handler’s schtick mainly consists of regaling audiences with tales of drunken evenings and one-night stands. No wonder she’s popular.

She is not afraid to piss people off. Silverman did “Saturday Night Live” for one season, but it’s really her stand-up that makes her a star – if you can get past her voice. She’s part of a generation of women that says “taboos be damned.” Translation: her best jokes are rape jokes. But, she opened doors for the likes of Whitney Cummings, so now she’s got competition. Plus, she’s ***ing Matt Damon.

“SNL” has produced so many talented women, they could have their own top ten list. Radner was an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player, but her career was cut short by her untimely cancer death in 1989. Her influence is undeniable, as “SNL” stars like Mike Myers and Tina Fey credit her with getting them interested in comedy. Her versatile, fearless and loud performances won her an Emmy in 1978. “It’s always something...”

Against all odds, Roseanne just keeps getting work. And by “odds,” I mean that voice. Stand-up success, sitcom supremacy, talk show triumphs. She even had a cooking show! But it’s her role as one of the first realistic, working-class TV moms that wins her the most fans. Plus, she gets points for being crass and opinionated. After all, “Roseanne’s Nuts.”

We can’t talk about funny ladies without a nod to Tina. First female “SNL” head writer, improv genius, Sarah Palin lookalike. Let’s give credit where credit is due: “30 Rock” rakes in awards, even if nobody watches it, and at least fifty percent of women in their 30s think they’re Liz Lemon. Mission accomplished, Tina Fey!

First things first: Whoopi can act, and has the awards to prove it. But her blunt stand-up comedy is what got her noticed. She can impersonate different ages, races, social classes, you name it. Whoopi’s definitely racy, but she manages to appeal to pretty much any audience: how else do you explain “Sister Act,” “The Color Purple,” “Captain Planet” and “Star Trek” on the same résumé?

Who would have predicted that this comic would become one of the most beloved daytime talk show stars? Ellen’s live sets were super successful, and she was the first female comedian to get called over to Johnny Carson’s hot seat. She got to where she is with clean, genuine and likeable routines. She also survived coming out on her sitcom and is now absolutely everywhere. Dance on, Ellen!

She’s one of the hardest working women in the biz, even at her age. Her trademark voice and acerbic wit have been helping her lampoon celebs – and herself – for decades. It’s hard not to use words like brash when talking about Joan, and that has gotten her into a fair share of feuds. But, like it or not, she’ll always be part of pop culture. Even if no one can remember what she really looks like.

Nobody does sketch comedy like the multi-talented Carol Burnett. And, nobody wears a curtain rod quite like Carol, either. Like her friend and mentor Lucille Ball, Burnett dominated a primarily male industry with superb physical comedy. “The Carol Burnett Show” was successful as a variety series for over a decade because it was good clean fun. And because the cast members were great at always making people laugh. Especially each other.

There’s no beating the original. Lucy takes the top spot on our list because she inspired almost every other entry. Behind-the-scenes she was a powerhouse, and on TV she’s a wacky, clumsy redhead who is prone to crying fits. Whether she’s filming a commercial, working in a candy factory or trying to convince her husband to let her join his act, hijinks ensue. And that’s why she’ll always be known as the First Lady of Television and the Queen of Comedy.