Zainab Johnson

Zainab Johnson (born March 22) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and internet personality. 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 selected her for its '10 Comics to Watch' showcase in 2019. 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. 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.

She was a gifted student who attended high school at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (MCSM). At age 15, she stopped wearing her hijab and used playing basketball as her excuse to convince her father. Johnson spent one-and-a-half years in recovery and had to learn how to walk again. After graduating, she began her career as a fifth grade math teacher, before her father died in 2005.

She moved back to New York City and attended the City College of New York (CCNY). 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. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics education.

Career 2006–2014 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. She guest-starred as 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. ABFF announced the event on January 10, with stand-up and sketch comedy video submissions open until March 22. 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.

In February 2014, she performed stand-up on television for the first time on The Arsenio Hall Show, a revival of the 1990s syndicated variety talk show, and next appeared in a remote location segment which aired in May. Johnson was a contestant on the eighth season of Last Comic Standing which premiered on May 22, 2014 on NBC.

Just for Laughs (JFL) selected her for its 'New Faces of Comedy: Unrepped' showcase at their festival in Montreal, Canada, in June 2014. Johnson would go on her first tour as an opener for veteran comedian Jimmy Shubert who she met while competing on Last Comic Standing. She performed on Gotham Comedy Live which aired on AXS TV on August 14, and on Comic View which aired on BET on September 24.

2015–2019 In 2015, she performed as part of the closing ceremony of Black Enterprise's Women of Power summit on March 4. Accompanied by Comedy Wings 2014 winner Amberia Allen and finalist Hadiyah Robinson, the trio were billed as the 'Hey Ladies Comedy Tour' by ABFF founder Jeff Friday. Johnson co-starred in the six-episode webseries Cocktail Confessions which premiered on October 13,

In 2016, Johnson independently self-released her debut comedy album Model Citizen on February 14. She performed stand-up on Acting Out in its third episode which aired on MTV on October 27, and on the Russell Simmons Presents All Def Comedy television special which aired on HBO on November 12.

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. She was a contestant on Idiotest on GSN on January 19, and on syndicated game show Punchline on August 3. 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 three episodes of ABC webseries American Koko which released on June 19; and co-starred as Dr. Haniel in webseries Avant-Guardians which released on November 17. Johnson and Alex Weber served as hosts of Discovery Go game show Cash Lift which released on December 17.

In 2018, Johnson made her debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Victoria, Australia, which opened on March 28. She performed her debut half-hour special on Epix series Unprotected Sets on the premiere episode 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 2019 Designing Women Awards held by the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) on June 11. Variety selected Johnson for its '10 Comics to Watch' showcase in Montreal in June.

2020–present In 2020, Johnson, Sammy Obeid and Alie Ward served as hosts of Netflix series 100 Humans which released on March 13. She also has a recurring role in the Prime Video series Upload. 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 was a panelist 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 Disney+ anthology series Launchpad which released on May 28. Johnson was a voice actor on both seasons of YouTube Original children's show Tab Time which premiered on December 1.

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 guest-starred as Amira on Ramy on the seventh episode of the third season which released on Hulu on September 30.

In 2023, Johnson debuted her hour-long streaming TV special Hijabs Off as an Amazon Original which released on October 20. It was filmed at the late-19th-century Croton Aqueduct Gate House in Upper Manhattan. Vulture ranked it 7th in its list of 'The Best Comedy Specials of 2023' on December 6. Uproxx included it in its list of 'The Best Stand-Up Comedy of 2023'.

In 2025, she hosted the ABFF Honors in February 17, and made her debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, United Kingdom, which opened on August 1. Vulture included Johnson in its list of 'The Comedians You Should and Will Know of 2025' on September 15.

Influences 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. In a September 2022 interview, she described Wanda Sykes, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as comedians she enjoys. 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. 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.

Personal life She sported a shaved head for seven years between 2009 and 2016. She is in height.

Filmography and discography Stand-up comedy releases + Solo albums and TV specials 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) + Collaborative albums and TV specials Title Release date Debut medium Russell Simmons Presents 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

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 2 episodes 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; 8 episodes 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 Various 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 and YouTubing Title Episodes First released Last released Note Just Friends 66 1 July 9, 2015 Audio podcast co-hosted with Sydney Castillo. 52 October 20, 2015 January 30, 2017 14 June 18, 2020 October 1, 2020 Video podcast co-hosted with Sydney Castillo.HonesTEA with Z 154 153 January 24, 2018 March 2, 2022 Audio podcast; Live-audience finale recorded and co-hosted with Yamaneika Saunders at Just for Laughs in Montreal, Quebec. 1 August 10, 2022 I'm Reasonable February 22, 2024 YouTube show, occasionally live-streamed.