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Will recently released his debut comedy special, "Warm Regards", which premiered in June 2025 to wide acclaim.

11 LGBTQ stand-up comedians you should be watching

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  • Many stand-up comedians incorporate their experience as members of the LGBTQ community into their sets. 
  • Not only do comics like Hannah Gadsby and Bowen Yang entertain people, but they also expose widespread audiences to LGBTQ voices. 
  • Insider rounded up 11 LGBTQ stand-up comics that you should be watching. 
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

While stand-up comedy can seem like 45 minutes to an hour of pure entertainment, many comedians use their stage time to weave in social commentary and tell their own stories. 

Their sexuality isn't necessarily the focal point of their sets, but for LGBTQ comedians, stand-up is an opportunity for their voices to be heard.

Hannah Gadsby, for example, speaks about growing up as a lesbian in Tasmania, where homosexuality was illegal until 1997. Gadsby also draws on more recent life experiences, like forgetting to come out to her own grandmother.

Gadsby performs her sets for people to laugh with her, not at her — and her comedy benefits from it.

Where to watch: Gadsby's specials, "Nanette" and "Douglas," can be streamed on Netflix.

Wanda Sykes has been deemed one of the funniest people in America.

Sykes got her start in comedy as a writer on "The Chris Rock Show" for five years.

Cho often imitates her Korean mother during sets, also inserting commentary on topics like drugs, sex, politics, race, and her own identity as a member of the LGBTQ community. 

Cho, who is bisexual, told the Los Angeles Times that she's "attracted to all different types of people." And in the 2015 special "Psycho," Cho gives a no-holds-barred look into her experience dating both men and women and revels in her deep love for sex toys.

Whether she's pulling down her pants to show the audience her tattoos or dressing up as dictators, Cho consistently keeps audiences on their toes. 

Where to watch: Cho's 2015 special "Psycho" is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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"My transgender identity is my afterthought because when you introduce me as a 'transgender comedian', or a 'drag queen comedian,' most people don't hear the 'comedian' part.

After watching Monroe deliver a strong 30-minute performance on stage, where she confidently chats about life as a single parent while donning thigh-high sparkly boots, it's easy to see why Haddish picked her.

Where to watch: Monroe appears on Netflix's "Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready."

Sam Jay is an Emmy-nominated writer for "Saturday Night Live."

Jay is a stand-up comedian who joined the "SNL" writing team in 2017, becoming the first Black lesbian writer in the show's history.

Few, if any, topics are off-limits in her stand-up sets, ranging from syncing menstrual cycles with her wife to adopting the best baby.

Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? All they hear is 'transgender' or 'drag queen.'"

After performing in Chicago for years and moving to California, Monroe was chosen as one of the six stand-up comedians on "They Ready," Tiffany Haddish's Netflix program.

(21+)

WILL BURKART

Comedian.

will burkart gay

Her identity, Jay told Encore, is the fuel behind her comedy. 

"I think I noticed when I came out that sometimes people act different to you. Sometimes I've been called a 'd---,' but I don't know if it's a thing where I wake up every day feeling like my life is harder," she said. 

Jay continued, "My identity constantly influences my comedy, so I feel like life experience is a huge part of comedy and these things happen to be a part of my life experience — so, yeah, they influence it, but I don't see any 'negative' in it."

Where to watch: Jay appears on Netflix's "The Comedy Lineup."

Margaret Cho breaks down Asian-American women stereotypes.

Cho, who grew up in San Francisco and had parents that owned a gay bookstore, has squashed the stereotypical traits placed on Asian-American women.

She gained popularity by writing and starring in a sitcom called "All American Girl" and has become a celebrated stand-up comic.

Given the massive popularity of his stand up clips on social media,Will's fan base has skyrocketed over the past few years amassing over 1.5 million followers and more than 400 million views.

Since embarking on his first nationwide tour in 2023, Will has sold out clubs across the country, and headlined in the  Netflix is a Joke festival in 2024.

After growing up in the SF Bay Area, he moved out to LA and quickly established himself as one of the hardest working young comics on the scene. She's since become well-known for her work on "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Black-ish," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Sykes also made history by becoming the first Black and LGBTQ woman to perform at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and to star in a self-created sitcom, "Wanda at Large."

But her humor, witty with superb delivery, really comes through during her stand-up specials.

Though her sets touch on race, sexuality, and politics, she also gets very personal.

Actor. Now a cancer survivor who shares two sons with her wife Stephanie Allynne, Notaro has shown that life after cancer provides plenty of material. 

Where to watch: Notaro's special "Happy to Be Here" and the documentary "Tig" can be streamed on Netflix. The Virginia-native, who wed and divorced Dave Hall before marrying a French woman named Alex Niedbalski in 2008, talks about being a Black woman with a white wife and children during her routines.

And Bowen Yang became the first Asian-American and third openly gay cast member on "Saturday Night Live."

Insider listed 11 LGBTQ comics who are sharing their stories on the stage, drawing laughs along the way. 

Hannah Gadsby has become a global sensation.

Rising to fame following her special "Nanette," Gadsby has pushed comedy to new levels by weaving together personal stories, art history lessons, and scathing monologues — routinely taking hits at men and the patriarchy.

She chronicles her childhood growing up as a lesbian in Tasmania, where homosexuality was illegal until 1997.

Writer.

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Watch Will's debut comedy special "Warm Regards"
released on June 16th, 2025 shot in Sacramento, CA.

ABOUT WILL

Will Burkart is a Los Angeles based stand up comedian and actor.

She often jokes about racial dynamics within the family, stating that she can feel like a minority in her own home. 

Sykes' sets, filled with social commentary and a touch of self-deprecation, have earned her recognition as one of the funniest people in America.

Where to watch: Sykes' special "Not Normal" can be streamed on Netflix. 

Bowen Yang is the first Chinese-American "Saturday Night Live" cast member.

Yang became the first Chinese-American and third openly gay cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in 2019.

The comedian, who cohosts a pop culture podcast called "Las Culturistas," has proven his range on the "SNL," masterfully portraying characters from a Chinese trade representative coined as "Trade Daddy" to former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. 

He flexed his stand-up skills during an appearance on HBO's "2 Dope Queens," jokingly referring to himself as a "Shanghai mule" since he's Chinese and "will not reproduce."

Where to watch: Yang's stand-up routine on "2 Dope Queens" can be streamed on YouTube and HBO. 

Tig Notaro turned adversity into success.

Notaro was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, the same day she performed a raw, vulnerable stand-up set that caught the attention of established comedians like Louis C.K.

(from whom she's since distanced) and Ed Helms.

Her career took off after that performance, proving her ability to shape hardship into comedic gold.