Ziwe Fumudoh

Ziwe Fumudoh is an American comedian and comic writer based in Brooklyn who is notable for her commentary on politics and race and young adulthood.[1][2] She is the creator of the comedy show Baited With Ziwe, a writer for Desus and Mero, and a co-host on the Hysteria podcast on Crooked Media.[3][4]

Ziwe Fumudoh
Born1991/1992 (age 28–29)[1]
Lawrence, Massachusetts[1]
NationalityAmerican[1]
EducationPhillips Academy
Alma materNorthwestern University[1]
Known forDesus and Mero
Websitehttps://ziwefumudoh.com/

Career

Her comedy career began as an intern for Comedy Central, where she worked on shows including the The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.[5] A year later, she worked as a writer for The Onion, the iO improv theater, and The Rundown with Robin Thede.[1][5] She has written jokes for Stephen Colbert.[1][5] Currently, she is a writer on the show Desus and Mero and has been since 2019.[6][7] A reviewer in Forbes wrote that she has the "confidence of an old comedy pro".[5]

In addition to her writing, she co-hosts a podcast entitled Hysteria on the Crooked Media channel.[4] She also appears monthly in a show that she created at Brooklyn's Union Hall entitled Pop Show in which she performs original pop songs.[5][8][9]

You have to be able to write bad things to be able to write good things ... You have to write a lot in order to finally find your voice and finally find what is funny to you and what could be funny to others.

— Ziwe Fumudoh, March 2019[6]

In 2019, Ziwe joined the cast of Our Cartoon President as the voice of Kamala Harris.[10]

In October 2020, it was announced that she would be working with Showtime (TV network) for a new variety show.[11]

Baited With Ziwe

In 2017, Fumudoh created a show on YouTube entitled Baited With Ziwe. The show originally featured some of her non-Black friends and she baits them into making unwitting racial faux pas.[1] It was an edited show including effects that highlighted when someone was "baited." During the pandemic in 2020, she pivoted the show from YouTube to Instagram Live with new guests each week. This new version has no effects and the featured guests are increasingly more notable, including Caroline Calloway, Alison Roman, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan.[12] She asks direct questions of her guests like "What do you qualitatively like about Black people?" and famously asked Roman to name five Asian people and she was unable to in the moment. Fumudoh was quoted in a Vanity Fair interview that she isn't trying to get anyone canceled, but that the goal of her show is to have a good discussion about race while entertaining people, and to critique the system, not individuals.[3] Ziwe typically starts each show by reminding viewers that "this is a comedy show."[13]

Personal life

As a child, she began writing fan fiction based on her watching of the show Sailor Moon.[6] She was also a big fan of X-Men growing up.[14] She attended Phillips Academy in Andover. It was during her Freshman year, when a teacher played for her class The Colbert Report, that she discovered satire.[15] Fumudoh attended Northwestern University, where she studied poetry, film, and African-American studies.[1][5] She identifies as Nigerian.[15]

References
  1. Alex Hawgood (March 15, 2019). "Ziwe Fumudoh Uses Humor to Push Racial Buttons: The young sarcastic comedian is a writer on "Desus and Mero," the new Showtime late-night show". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  2. Jackie Jennings (December 14, 2018). "WATCH: HOW ARIANA GRANDE'S 'THANK U, NEXT' IS LIKE THE MCU". SYFY Wire. Retrieved March 22, 2019. ...SYFY WIRE’s Jackie Jennings had a really enlightening conversation on that with special guest Ziwe Fumudoh, who firmly believes that "Thank U, Next" is now the poster song for the MCU...
  3. Desta, Yohana. "Ziwe Fumudoh Has Mastered the Art of Putting White People on the Spot". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  4. "Ziwe Fumudoh". Elle magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2019. ...Ziwe Fumudoh is a comedy writer and performer based in Brooklyn. She co-hosts a podcast for Crooked Media called "Hysteria" and hosts her web series "Baited with Ziwe". She has written for The Onion, Above Average, Reductress, and The Rundown with Robin Thede. Additionally, she has a monthly show at Union Hall called "Pop Show" where she performs her hit single "Ponderosa with Omarosa."...
  5. Rosa Escandon (October 31, 2018). "26-Year-Old Ziwe Fumudoh Has The Confidence Of An Old Comedy Pro". Forbes magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. Joi-Marie McKenzie (March 14, 2019). "'Desus & Mero's' Secret Weapons Are Two Black Women Writers:Writers Heben Nigatu and Ziwe Fumudoh are helping the two late-night guys develop fresh content meant to make you gasp and even blush". Essence magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. "Desus and Mero Writer Ziwe Fumudoh Plays the Race Card for Laughs". W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  8. Jason Zinoman (January 31, 2019). "Instead of Killer Punchlines, Killer Choruses". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2019. ...Frequent programs like “Pop Show,” with the charismatic host Ziwe Fumudoh, dedicated to original comic songs, regularly draw crowds....
  9. Kasia Pilat (August 9, 2018). "5 Comedy Shows to Catch in N.Y.C. This Weekend". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2019. ...‘POP SHOW’ at Union Hall ... The comedian Ziwe Fumudoh may not be the princess of pop, but she does love it enough to create an entire comedy show around it ... Think pop song performances, presentations and more....
  10. "Trump and the D.C. Gang Return for 'Our Cartoon President' Season 3". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  11. "Ziwe Fumudoh Getting Her Own Variety Show at Showtime". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  12. Berkowitz, Joe (2020-07-02). "The best show on TV is Ziwe Fumudoh's hilariously uncomfortable Instagram Live show". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  13. Murphy, Chris (2020-08-28). "Ziwe's Instagram Live Show: 'An Incredible Leader'". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  14. Staff, SYFY WIRE (2019-05-30). "Boarding Party: Talkin' X-Men, cartoons and comedy with Ziwe". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  15. "Ziwe And The Skincare You Buy After The Derm Reads You 'For Filth'". Into The Gloss. 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
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