It’s an “exciting time” for women in comedy right now, according to veteran comedian Anna Gasteyer, who was part of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit “Bring the Funny: Women in Comedy Roundtable” on Wednesday.
“It’s a very exciting time for comedy,” Gasteyer said. “When I started on ‘SNL,’ there were three women and they were definitely a minority, and now I feel like there’s so much more opportunity for so many different types of voices … It’s just that 20 White people aren’t.”
In addition to “American Auto” actress Gasteyer, featured panelists included Ashley Burch, actress and author of “Mythic Quest”; Lolo Spencer, actress of “The Sex Lives of College Girls”; Melissa Villaseñor, “SNL” alumna, actress and comedian; Skye Townsend, comedian and actress of “A Black Lady Sketch Show”; and Syreeta Singleton, “Rap sh!t.” The panel was moderated by TheWrap’s Andi Ortiz.
The panelists also discussed the increasing breadth of representation for women of all backgrounds who delve into comedy. Townsend said she appreciates being on the HBO series, which comes from executive producers such as Robin Thede and Issa Rae, and its dedication to portraying an array of “unique and weird” black women.
“Growing up, I have always had a passion for sketch comedy. I didn’t know that making noises was not normal because as a child [that’s] How I spoke,” she said. “And then I started watching ‘Austin Powers’ and saw Jim Carrey … and Eddie Murphy, and I was like, ‘Why aren’t there more black women who do this?’
With HBO Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” which was just renewed for a third season, Spencer said she’s grateful for the “freedom and excitement” of portraying a comedic character with a disability. Is able to do, whose dialogue is not in depth. In that, because it is “greater than that.”
The actress added, “We’ve had conversations about how we can expect Jocelyn to be more than anyone, breaking out of that stereotype of ‘a girl with a disability can only date or do so much’ ” “It’s like, ‘No, let’s raise it as high as we can go.’ And I encourage it.
power women summit (PWS) is the largest annual gathering of the most influential women in entertainment, media and technology. The objective of the event is to inspire and empower women in the landscape of their professional career and personal life. This year’s PWS provides two days of education, mentoring, workshops and networking around the world to promote this year’s theme “A Time to Unite”. Learn more here: thewrap.com/pws.
