Tag Archives: American comedienne

Joan Rivers: Can She Talk!

Joan Alexandra Molinsky, the “Queen of the Barbed One-Liners,” was born to a Jewish family on June 8, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. A doctor’s daughter, she was raised in Westchester County. After briefly attending Connecticut College for Women, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College where she earned a BA in Anthropology in 1954. She worked in the shoe department of Lord and Taylor before turning to a career in stand-up comedy where she used the stage name “Pepper January.” She made many television appearances in the 1960s on “Candid Camera,” “The Tonight Show” and “The Ed Sullivan … Continue reading →

Ellen De Generis: Stand-up Comedy’s Queen

Ellen Lee DeGeneris was born on January 26, 1958, in Metaire, Louisiana. She is of French, Irish, English and German descent. Known for her trademark blue sneakers, she was voted the “Funniest Person in America” in 1982 and the “Best Female Stand-up” in 1991. For a woman who sold vacuum cleaners before she was discovered, Ellen has come a very long way in the world of comedy and has garnered much respect from both the public and her peers in the industry. She was the very first stand-up guest to be called to the “hot seat” on her first appearance … Continue reading →