Zainab Johnson
Zainab Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 22 [1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, actress, podcaster |
| Years active | 2006, 2010–present |
| Known for | Upload, Last Comic Standing |
Zainab Johnson (born March 22) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and podcaster. She debuted her comedy album in 2016, her half-hour television special in 2018 and her hour-long streaming TV special in 2023. Johnson was the winner of ABFF's inaugural Comedy Wings competition in 2013 and was a contestant on NBC's competition TV show Last Comic Standing in 2014. Variety listed her in its '10 Comics to Watch for 2019'.[2] She is known for her role as Aleesha on the Prime Video series Upload (2020–25), as a voice actor on YouTube Original series Tab Time (2021–22), and as co-host of Netflix series 100 Humans (2020).
Early life and education
[edit]Zainab Johnson was born in Brooklyn, New York, before her family moved to the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan when she was five-years-old.[3] She was raised in a Muslim household. Her mother was a homemaker and her father worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) during her childhood.[4] She is the fifth-eldest child and the third-eldest daughter from among 13 siblings consisting of seven brothers and five sisters. She described her siblings and parents as each having different personalities and interests. Johnson has compared her mother to a hippie and described her father as strict. She wore a hijab during her childhood and faced bullying at school. In second and third grades, she experienced her khimar pulled off from her head. At age 10, Johnson visited Uptown Comedy Club when her mother brought her along.[5]
She was a gifted student who attended high school at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (MCSM). At age 15,[6] she stopped wearing her hijab and used playing basketball as her excuse to convince her father.[3] At age 17, during her senior year, Johnson was forced to quit basketball after visiting Atlanta, Georgia,[6] when she and a friend were hit by an Airborne Express truck by a drunk driver which resulted in her breaking both legs while her friend had to have her leg amputated.[3][7] Johnson spent one-and-a-half years in recovery and had to learn how to walk again.[8] After graduating,[when?] she began her career as a fifth grade math teacher,[9] before her father died in 2005.[3] The two tragedies made her reconsider her direction in life and she decided to join a friend to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, where she began performing in sketch comedy and improvisational theater.[10]
She moved back to New York City and attended the City College of New York (CCNY).[3][8] She did a semester studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London, England.[11] Johnson and her friends often visited The Comedy Cellar and the Boston Comedy Club where she became acquainted with many stand-up comedians but never considered becoming one.[12] She graduated[when?] with a bachelor's degree in mathematics education.[13][14]
Career
[edit]2006–2015
[edit]During her first stint in Los Angeles, Johnson performed improv and sketch comedy with the likes of The Groundlings, iO West and Upright Citizens Brigade LA, and appeared as an actor on the first season of prank TV show Hell Date which aired in 2007 on BET. After returning to Hollywood in 2010, she portrayed the role of Billy Tipton on 1000 Ways to Lie which aired on Spike on March 10. That month, Johnson got a job as a production assistant for Jeru Tillman who booked Tuesday night shows at The Comedy Store. Johnson had been eyeing a pair of Chloé boots worth $1,500 on Net-a-Porter when she received the phone call with the job offer.[10] In August 2010, she quit her job and entered an open mic at Amsterdam Cafe in North Hollywood near her home where she performed stand-up comedy for the first time.[12][15] She played the role of Mara on Private Practice on the 18th episode of the fifth season which aired on April 17, 2012 on ABC.
On June 22, 2013, Zainab Johnson became the winner of the American Black Film Festival's inaugural Comedy Wings competition.[16] ABFF announced the event on January 10, with stand-up and sketch comedy video submissions open until March 22.[17] Johnson was one of nine comedians selected to advance to the 'Semi-finals' held in Los Angeles on April 21, before becoming one of four comedians to advance to the 'Finals' in Miami Beach that she won.[18] In February 2014, she performed stand-up comedy on television for the first time on The Arsenio Hall Show, a revival of the 1990s syndicated variety talk show.[19]
She was a contestant on the eighth season of Last Comic Standing which premiered on May 22, 2014 on NBC.[10] Johnson was one of 100 comedians selected from invitees to be on the show where she advanced to the 'Semi-finals' stage but failed to advance to the 'Top Ten', making it to the eighth episode of the 14-episode season which aired on July 3.[20] Later that month, the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, Canada, announced her as part of its New Faces of Comedy: Unrepped showcase which featured comedians without talent agents or managers yet.[21][22]
That same year, Johnson performed on AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live which aired on August 14, and on BET's Comic View which aired on September 24, 2014. The next year, she performed as part of the closing ceremony of Black Enterprise's Women of Power summit on March 4, 2015. Johnson, Amberia Allen and Hadiyah Robinson were billed as the "Hey Ladies Comedy Tour" for the event by ABFF founder Jeff Friday.[23][24] She co-starred in the webseries Cocktail Confessions which premiered on October 13.[14]
2016–2019
[edit]
In 2016, Johnson independently released her debut comedy album Model Citizen on February 14,[25] and appeared on MTV's Acting Out which aired on October 27. She performed stand-up on the Russell Simmons Presents All Def Comedy television special which aired on HBO on November 12.[26]
On January 17, 2017, it was reported that ABC had bought the rights to develop a sitcom, executive produced by Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwist, starring Zainab Johnson.[27] She spent most of that year focusing on auditions. Johnson was a contestant on Idiotest on January 19 on GSN, and on syndicated game show Punchline on August 3.[28] She guest starred on Amanda Seales' webseries Get Your Life on the fifth episode of the second season which released on February 6; played the role of Tameeka on ABC webseries American Koko which released on June 19; and co-starred as Dr. Haniel in webseries Avant-Guardians which released on November 17.[29] Johnson and Alex Weber served as hosts of Discovery Go game show Cash Lift which released on December 17.[30]
In 2018, Johnson travelled to Australia where she made her debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival which opened on March 28,[31] and debuted her half-hour TV special through Epix series Unprotected Sets which aired on October 5.
In 2019, she performed on The Stand-Up Show with Katherine Ryan which aired on The Comedy Network on February 5, and hosted the New York Women in Film & Television's 2019 Designing Women Awards on June 11.[32][33] Variety included Johnson in its list of '10 Comics to Watch for 2019' on June 13.[2]
2020–present
[edit]In 2020, Johnson, Sammy Obeid and Alie Ward served as hosts of Netflix series 100 Humans which released on March 13.[34] She also has a recurring role in the Prime Video series Upload.[35][36] She performed on Keep Your Distance on the sixth episode of the first season which released on October 6, and appeared on Struggle Gourmet on the second episode of the first season which aired on October 20.
In 2021, she appeared on the first three episodes of History of Swear Words which released on Netflix on January 5, and played the role of Nurse Sherri on "Growing Fangs", the third episode of anthology series Launchpad which released on Disney+ on May 28. Johnson was a voice actor on both seasons of YouTube Original children's show Tab Time which premiered on December 1.[37]
In 2022, she was a panelist on the first season of We Need to Talk About America which premiered on Fuse on April 20, and played the role of Amira on Ramy on the seventh episode of the third season which released on Hulu on September 30.
In 2023, she debuted her hour-long special Hijabs Off as an Amazon Original which released on October 20. Vulture ranked it 7th in its list of 'The Best Comedy Specials of 2023' on December 6.[38]
In 2025, she hosted the ABFF Honors in February 17.[39] Vulture included Johnson in its list of 'The Comedians You Should and Will Know of 2025' on September 15.[40]
Influences
[edit]Johnson has described watching Comic View, The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) and The Queens of Comedy (2001) growing up, with Eddie Murphy's Raw (1987) being her favorite stand-up comedy release and Coming to America (1988) her favorite film. She would go on to become acquainted with Murphy and describes having attended parties at his home in Los Angeles.[12][41] In a September 2022 interview, she described Wanda Sykes, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as comedians she enjoys.[42] Johnson has named Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Lawrence, Adele Givens, Sommore, Sheryl Underwood, Bill Burr and Mike Epps as comedians she's been a fan of growing up.[42][43] She has named B-Phlat, Marina Franklin, Pat Brown, Patrice O'Neal, Burr and Epps as comedians she watched live at comedy clubs during his college years.[12][43]
In a March 2023 interview, when asked to list her choice of top three films with female leads, she named Waiting To Exhale (1995), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) and Eve's Bayou (1997).[44]
Personal life
[edit]She sported a shaved head for seven years between 2009 and 2016.[45] She is 5 feet 11 inches in height.[46]
Filmography and discography
[edit]Albums and TV specials
[edit]| Title | Release date | Debut medium |
|---|---|---|
| Model Citizen | February 14, 2016 | Audio streaming |
| Unprotected Sets: Zainab Johnson | October 5, 2018 | Television (Epix) |
| Hijabs Off | October 20, 2023 | Streaming TV (Prime Video) |
| The Notebook | September 18, 2024 | Streaming TV (YouTube) |
| Title | Release date | Debut medium |
|---|---|---|
| All Def Comedy | November 12, 2016 | Television (HBO) |
| Just For Laughs: Premium – Volume 46 | February 13, 2019 | Audio streaming |
| Comedy in Color 2: Volume 3 | March 22, 2022 | Audio streaming |
| Just For Laughs: Select – Volume 29 | August 12, 2024 | Audio streaming |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Hell Date | Various | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | 1000 Ways to Lie | Billy Tipton | |
| 2012 | Private Practice | Mara | Episode: "It Was Inevitable" |
| 2014 | The Arsenio Hall Show | Herself | |
| Last Comic Standing | Contestant; 4 episodes | ||
| Gotham Comedy Live | |||
| Comic View | |||
| 2015 | Cocktail Confessions | Herself | Main cast; 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Acting Out | Herself | Episode 3 |
| 2017 | Idiotest | Herself | Contestant |
| Get Your Life | |||
| American Koko | Tameeka | 3 episodes | |
| Punchline | Herself | Contestant | |
| Avant-Guardians | Dr. Haniel | Main cast; 7 episodes | |
| Cash Lift | Herself | Co-host; 5 episodes | |
| 2018 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Herself | |
| 2019 | The Stand-Up Show with Katherine Ryan | Herself | |
| 2020 | Lights Out with David Spade | Herself | 3 episodes |
| 100 Humans | Co-host | ||
| Keep Your Distance | Episode 6 | ||
| Struggle Gourmet | Episode 2 | ||
| 2020, 2022 | The Drew Barrymore Show | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2020–2025 | Upload | Aleesha Morrison-Downey | Main cast; 29 episodes |
| 2021 | History of Swear Words | Herself | 3 episodes |
| Launchpad | Nurse Sherri | Episode: "Growing Fangs" | |
| 2021–2022 | Tab Time | Various | Main cast: 14 episodes |
| 2022 | Bust Down | Ito | Episode: "Beige Rage" |
| A Black Lady Sketch Show | Episode: "Save My Edges, I'm a Donor!" | ||
| We Need to Talk About America | Herself | Main cast; 10 episodes | |
| Ramy | Amira | Episode: "Second Opinion Doctor" | |
| 2023 | The Conor Moore Show | Boss | |
| 2024 | After Midnight | Herself | Contestant |
| The Art Of | Documentary; Episode: "Being Funny" |
Podcasting
[edit]| Title | Episodes | First released | Last released | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just Friends | 66 | ||||
| 1 | July 9, 2015 | Co-hosted with Sydney Castillo. | |||
| 52 | October 20, 2015 | January 30, 2017 | |||
| 14 | June 18, 2020 | October 1, 2020 | |||
| HonesTEA with Z | 154 | ||||
| 153 | January 24, 2018 | March 2, 2022 | Live audience finale recorded and co-hosted with Yamaneika Saunders at Just For Laughs in Montreal, Quebec.[47] | ||
| 1 | August 10, 2022 | ||||
| I'm Reasonable | TBD | February 22, 2024 | In progress | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "Zainab Johnson". Twitter. March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "Variety Announces 10 Comics to Watch for 2019". Variety. June 13, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Jordan, Meagan (February 27, 2024). "How Comedian Zainab Johnson Went From Basketball Star to 'Hijabs Off'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "With 12 siblings, comic Zainab Johnson has plenty to joke about in new special". NPR. October 24, 2023.
- ^ https://www.cbc.ca/arts/q/zainab-johnson-explains-how-some-big-plot-twists-in-her-life-led-to-a-career-in-comedy-1.7212370
- ^ a b "Episode 125: A Splinter in Your Mind". May 25, 2019.
- ^ "This Week in NYC Clubs, Louis CK, Trevor Noah, Jamie Lissow, Mike Vecchione and More". August 18, 2014.
- ^ a b "Episode #219: Zainab Johnson – the Comic's Comic". August 6, 2018.
- ^ E. Williams, Lauren (April 12, 2022). "'Upload' Comedienne Zainab Johnson Dishes On Her Personal Style & Pursuing Her Comedic Acting Career". HelloBeautiful.com.
- ^ a b c "For Zainab Johnson, convincing people she's Peter Pan, not Rufio, is taking time". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-hhda6-bfc48dd?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share
- ^ a b c d Evans, Marissa (October 24, 2023). "Zainab Johnson's "Hijabs Off" comedy special aims for authenticity and laughs". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ Friedrich, Adam (February 26, 2019). "Getting Honest With Comedian Zainab Johnson". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Zainab Johnson on Women in Comedy and Her Upcoming Sitcom". That's Online. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Interview: Comedian Zainab Johnson On Who Makes Her Laugh, Moms Mabley and More". BrownGirlGumbo.com. September 9, 2024.
- ^ "17th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Culminates with the Announcement of the 2013 Award Winners". American Black Film Festival. June 24, 2013.
- ^ "The 17th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Launches The Comedy Wings Competition and Seeks to Discover the Next Great Comedian". American Black Film Festival. January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Four Emerging Comedians Will Compete for Top Spot at ABFF in June". American Black Film Festival. April 22, 2013.
- ^ https://thecomicscomic.com/2014/02/20/zainab-johnsons-debut-on-the-arsenio-hall-show/
- ^ "Last Comic Standing, Season 8, "Semi-Final Day 2" Recap". TheComicsComic.com. June 20, 2014.
- ^ "First impressions, New Faces Unrepped at Montreal's Just for Laughs 2014 – the Comic's Comic". August 4, 2014.
- ^ "And Here's JFL's Unrepped New Faces for 2014 – the Comedy Bureau". July 23, 2014.
- ^ Brett Stringer, Jasmine (March 12, 2015). "2015 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit".
- ^ Mays, Raqiyah (February 12, 2015). "Women of Power Summit: 'Hey Ladies' Comedy Show Set To Wow Attendees". Black Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ "Zainab Johnson - Model Citizen". YouTube. April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 14, 2016). "Russell Simmons' 'All Def Comedy' Stand-Up Special Set On HBO". Deadline. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2017). "ABC Buys Muslim Model Comedy From Zainab Johnson, Wanda Sykes, Tom Straw". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Punchline: Episode 019 (August 3, 2017)". YouTube. August 3, 2017.
- ^ "'Avant-Guardian' Is The Woke Web Series You Need To Watch". bust.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "Discovery spins off Cash Cab into an elevator with webseries game show, Cash Lift". December 17, 2017.
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20250918045412/https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/comedian-zainab-johnson-gives-us-the-low-down-on-her-act-ahead-of-the-melbourne-international-comedy-festival/video/a1023422ebe841b5130eafea69dded83
- ^ "Dispatches from NYWIFT 20th Annual Designing Women Awards". June 2019. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023.
- ^ "On the Scene: 20th Annual Designing Women Awards". June 15, 2019. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020.
- ^ Gibbs, Lynn (March 24, 2020). "10 Shocking Things We Learned From 100 Humans: Life's Questions Answered". Screen Rant.
- ^ Sippell, Margeaux (October 11, 2018). "TV Roundup: Sanaa Lathan Joins 'Twilight Zone' Reboot at CBS All Access". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (February 20, 2020). "'Upload': Kevin Bigley, Allegra Edwards & Zainab Johnson To Star In Amazon Series; Three More Cast". Deadline. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 18, 2021). "Trailer: Tabitha Brown Invites YouTubers to 'Tab Time' in Hybrid Pre-K Series". Animation Magazine.
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20240328223141/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-stand-up-comedy-specials-2023.html
- ^ Abraham, Mya (February 18, 2025). "2025 ABFF Honors Took Black Hollywood To Church". Vibe.
- ^ >https://www.vulture.com/article/best-new-comedians-2025-stand-up-sketch-improv.html
- ^ "Coming to America with Zainab Johnson". ClaireTonti.com. July 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Kelley, Collin (September 9, 2022). "In the Mix with comedian and actor Zainab Johnson". roughdraftatlanta.com.
- ^ a b "Zainab Johnson on the US: 'Mediocre Straight White Guys Are Running Everything'". The List. July 30, 2025.
- ^ "9 stars give iconic women their flowers at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards". Revolt TV. March 13, 2013.
- ^ "With 12 siblings, comic Zainab Johnson has plenty to joke about in new special". NPR. October 24, 2003.
- ^ Maxwell, Dominic (November 20, 2024). "Zainab Johnson review — a comedian on the verge of world-class". The Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Just for Laughs Montréal Cranks Up the Heat This Summer, Adding Even More of Comedy's Hottest Stars to the 40th Anniversary Celebration". BellMedia.ca. C2C Communications. June 29, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.