Look, I know Pride Month was nearly a month ago at this point, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still take a moment to celebrate some of DC’s amazing, hilarious, talented LGBT comedians.
To do that, we asked the DC comedy community to nominate their favorite LGBT comedians. Then we asked the nominees to fill out a short survey about themselves. Here’s what we came up with.
12 hilarious LGBT+ comedians in DC you gave a shout-out to
We’re well aware that the list of comedians below is by no means a complete list of all the very talented LGBT comedians in the DMV, but we worked with the survey responses we received to compile this list. Check out some of your favorite DC LGBT comedians, listed in alphabetical order below.
Mark Chalfant
Mark Chalfant is a DC improviser and the artistic and executive director of Washington Improv Theater (WIT).
Identify as: Gay
Pronouns: He/him/his
How long have you been doing comedy? Over 20 years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Performing in Washington Improv Theater’s iMusical ensemble for over a decade.
Comedian you admire or look up to: Catherine O’Hara for her complete commitment and her ability to satirize with still an undercurrent of compassion.
Fun fact: I like tragedy as much as comedy and have often been known to confuse the two.
Geoff Corey
Geoff Corey is a DC improviser.
Identify as: Gay, bisexual
Pronouns: He/him/his
How long have you been doing comedy? Five years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: My first improv team, [WIT Harold team] Not Great With Kids, was a group of hysterical weirdos I loved seeing twice a week. I was devastated when our team disbanded. But we all went our separate ways and gained invaluable comedy experience with other groups and with different coaches and formats.
I think I’m most proud of the fact that four of us were able to reunite for a comedy competition years later and reignite so much of the magic we had always had, but in addition to all our new experience. We went all the way to the final three in a competition with more than 75 teams!
Comedian you admire or look up to: Mark Chalfant because he is so good at knowing when he’s needed and when he’s not. So many of us funny people just want to be the center of every scene. The result is, we’re only helping the scene half the time. Mark is helping the scene 100% of the time. He’s always an essential part of every show because he picks the right time to go in and does it marvelously.
Fun fact: I’m truly afraid that I will grow up to be that man who hands out raisins on Halloween.
Something extra: I’m incredibly proud to not only be performing comedy at Washington Improv Theater, but to be giving back as a member of the Board of Directors. We can’t just take the things the world gives us and not work hard to give it to others. I encourage everyone to donate to WIT or whatever institution gives them the life they always imagined.
Ceci De Robertis
Ceci De Robertis is a DC improviser.
Identify as: Bisexual
Pronouns: She/her/hers
How long have you been doing comedy? Six years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Bringing Spanish-language improv into the community! It started with the all-Spanish telenovela team, Sábado Picante and has gone on from there!
Comedian you admire or look up to: Michael Schur. He brings mainstream and diverse shows that punch up instead of punching down.
Fun fact: Although I identify as a Uruguayan-American, I was born in England.
Something extra: I am grateful to the improv community for its openness and generosity.
Oona MacDougall
Oona MacDougall is a DC improviser, stand-up comedian, and musician.
Identify as: Queer
Pronouns: They/them/their
How long have you been doing comedy? One year
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Getting regularly featured in showcases in conscious spaces!
Comedian you admire or look up to: Tig Notaro. She was one of the first comedians I found that really used silence and serious subject matter to heighten the impact of her humor, which was so tasty to me as a younger person trying to find comedy I could justify loving completely. And she is also just one of the comedians that can make me laugh the hardest by just being herself in the world.
Fun fact: One time, I threw a biscuit my friend’s mom made 25–30 feet into the air and caught it with my mouth, so.
Something extra: I’m also a multi-instrumentalist musician under the name Bjorge that performs full music sets with a looper.
Nick Martinez
Nick Martinez is a DC improviser and creator and producer of monthly show Improv Pop-Up.
Identify as: Mostly gay
Pronouns: He/him/his
How long have you been doing comedy? Five years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Creating Melanin. It’s a monthly mashup featuring some of the best improvisers of color in the DMV. I present it as one of the two monthly shows of Improv Pop-Up—a show I’ve been producing for over two years now.
It is absolutely inspiring to watch these improvisers who may never have met or played with each other before absolutely kill their sets. And I’m grateful that over time we’ve been able to create more community among the steadily growing population of POC in the DC improv scene. I love making these connections, and at least one troupe (Soy Duck Club) has been born out of Melanin so far!
Comedian you admire or look up to: I admire so many improvisers in DC and am constantly dumbstruck by the awe-inspiring work they do. One of the ones I admire the most is Kristina Martinez. She is smart and quick, and getting to play with her on Martinez during FIST and with Latinx has been an absolute privilege. Everything she does seems effortless.
Fun fact: I met Bradley Whitford—the actor who plays Josh Lyman on The West Wing—while I was working on the No on Proposition 8 campaign in California in 2008. It was one of the most awkward fanboy moments of my life. He gave me that Josh smile as if to say, “You’re weird. I’m going to back away now.”
Ryan McClure
Ryan McClure is a DC improviser and the creator and director of LGBTQ AF, a show that features an all-LGBT lineup. He is also co-director of the District Queer Comedy Festival.
Identify as: Gay
Pronouns: He/him/his
How long have you been doing comedy? Two-and-a-half years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Starting LGBTQ AF, a live variety comedy show featuring LGBTQ+ performers in the DMV area.
Comedian you admire or look up to: Seth Payne, who recently moved from DC to Chicago. When he was here, he was super involved in the DC comedy scene (performing, producing and hosting shows, and podcasting). He inspired me to start LGBTQ AF after I saw Schtick, the stand-up show that he produced and hosted.
Fun fact: I played the bassoon from grade school through college and was in several youth orchestras.
Dan Miller
Dan Miller is a DC improviser and the external relations director of Washington Improv Theater.
Identify as: Gay
Pronouns: He/him/his
How long have you been doing comedy? Nearly 10 years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: The longevity of my indie team, Sistine Robot. We started out of my [WIT] Level One class in January 2010, and we’re approaching ten years together with nearly the same lineup. We started at a time when the indie scene was still very DIY, and we took a lot of initiative to stage shows of our own and help cultivate the growing indie scene (there just wasn’t the stage time for indie acts as there was back then).
Also, you know, winning FIST [with team Beverly Crusher].
Comedian you admire or look up to: I think John Mulaney is just a master at joke-writing. He’s not the most versatile performer, but he’s a craftsman at work, and the precision in his writing is remarkable.
Fun fact: Before improv, I channeled all of my creative energy into writing, including a TV blog and writing music reviews and theater features for The Washington Post, The Washington Blade, and Express. Improv has wildly changed the way I think about writing.
Something extra: DC’s improv community has always seemed very LGBT-inclusive.
Kristin O’Brien
Kristin O’Brien is a DC improviser, comedy writer, and stand-up comedian. She produces, directs, and performs in shows as part of her duo with Zach Mason, Zach and Kristin.
Identify as: Queer
Pronouns: She/her/hers
How long have you been doing comedy? Six years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Producing the first Zach and Kristin Will Make You Cry stage show, even though it was a mess, is still something that brings me pride. Learning about contracts, theater tech, and marketing helped me gain professional confidence.
Comedian you admire or look up to: I have a huge comedy crush on Amber Ruffin. Her joyful presentation of serious topics (and sometimes plain silly ones) on Late Night with Seth Meyers is inspired. I aspire to the joy she brings to her roles and writing. A great example of her unique style of comedy writing shows in the episodes she wrote for Detroiters. ALSO she is the first black woman to write for a network late-night show. So cool. So funny. End of.
Also, seven years ago I saw Hannah Gadsby in this video. It was the first time I felt, “She looks like me,” when watching a stand-up. A butch, pear-shaped person talking about how the shape of her body fucks with her identity and life was so damn affirming. It also made me think, “Oh, does this mean people would listen to me if I do comedy?” I genuinely, sadly thought that no one would want to listen to me because I’m fat and masculine of center. Seeing her at the Kennedy Center last month made me straight-up cry out of gratitude for how far my life and self-esteem have come.
Fun fact: I was a competitive bowler as a child. My team was even ranked in Michigan’s top 10 at one point. Around that time I had the nickname “Little Turkey,” but it was unrelated to bowling.
Maddox Pennington
Maddox Pennington is a DC stand-up comedian.
Identify as: Queer, nonbinary
Pronouns: They/them/their
How long have you been doing comedy? A year and a half
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Visiting Charity Sade’s Comedic Relief: Coping through Comedy workshop for cancer survivors and helping them punch up their jokes!
Comedian you admire or look up to: Locally, Sandi Benton for her sense of precarious, chaotic fun onstage and Curt Mariah for her precise timing. Nationally, Cameron Esposito and Mindy Kaling for making their own way and conquering
Fun fact: I once wrote for a spin-off of Pop Up Video about sporting events at Madison Square Garden, called TXT MSG
Heather Marie Vitale
Heather Marie Vitale is a DC improviser and sketch comedian.
Identify as: Bisexual, queer
Pronouns: She/her/hers
How long have you been doing comedy? Five years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Starting female power improv groups Rancy Neagan and the Bechdelprov Project.
Comedian you admire or look up to: Gilda Radner for her physicality and total commitment to character.
Fun fact: I made Madeleine Albright laugh once at a book signing.
Something extra: It’s fun being queer, it’s fun being queer, it’s fun being queer, you should try it.
Samantha Watson
Samantha Watson is a DC improviser.
Identify as: Lesbian, queer
Pronouns: She/her/hers
How long have you been doing comedy? Three years
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: I’m really excited to be teaching and coaching. Its teaching me a ton about my own work on stage, but I also love seeing the epiphanies, fun, and improvement in my students and the teams I coach. I’m honored that WIT and the teams I coach trust me to help others with their comedy.
Comedian you admire or look up to: I’m a huge fan of Tig Notaro and Hannah Gadsby. I love comedy rooted in vulnerability and reality that tells real stories with the hard and the funny parts of life. Tig’s set about having cancer and her work on One Mississippi that dealt with sexual violence and misogyny were groundbreaking and healing. Gadsby’s Nannette brought all the things of comedy that I love to the stage and really opened the dialogue on the problematic parts of comedy.
Both of these women represented parts of my story on stage with a reality and vulnerability I hadn’t seen before. They made a statement without being low-hanging political comedy. I try to have my own comedy come from a place of realness and vulnerability.
Fun fact: At the age of six, a baby ostrich bit me on the nose.
Something extra: I’m so thrilled that the District Queer Comedy Festival is taking place. I think queer women in particular don’t have a strong community within the improv community, and I’m so excited to see the ways the community can grow with the efforts of the festival and Comedic Pursuits.
Jane White
Identify as: Bisexual
Pronouns: She/her/hers
How long have you been doing comedy? Seven years
What type(s) of comedy do you do? Improv
Comedy accomplishment you’re most proud of: Working with DC Diversity Forum folks to produce the Diversity in Improv: Individual Agency Toolkit! It was a labor of love to help grow a more inclusive and welcoming scene.
Comedian you admire or look up to: Ellen DeGeneres because DAMN. I mean, right? No “‘why” needed.
Fun fact: I didn’t see the original Star Wars movies until I was 23, and once I did I was like, “Meh.”
Ellen would be so proud of all the LGBT comedians in DC
And in the words of our lord and savior Megan Rapinoe, “You can’t make funny stuff without the gays. It’s just science.”
Check out your favorite DC LGBT comedians in their upcoming shows around the city. Some might even be performing at the first ever District Queer Comedy Festival, happening in November 2019.
Want more info on DC comedians?
- Read about some thoughts DC’s LGBT comedians have about the inclusiveness of DC’s comedy scene.
- Listen to some Comedic Pursuits Podcast episodes, which features some of the comedians mentioned in this post.
