10 great comedians who aren't transphobic

This week, I could write my take on two famous men either being transphobic or supporting transphobes, but I refuse to give either of them more of my bandwidth. To divert your support to more positive creators, here are ten great (probably underappreciated) comedians who can brighten your day without also being hateful pieces of shit.

Not included in this list is my obvious pick, Chris Gethard, who I previously interviewed for this newsletter. You can listen to that here!

Matteo Lane

He's gay, he's Italian, he's an opera singer, he's awesome.

Alex Edelman

You may have already seen his video about boomers thinking houses are affordable, but if not, here it is!

Naomi Ekperigin

I've watched her since she appeared on Union Hall basement editions of Two Dope Queens and loved her pandemic tales of going to Trader Joe's. Her Netflix episode of The Standups is out now!

Jackie Kashian

I'd like to think that her sense of humor is what I would be like if I were a cis woman living in the midwest. I saw her perform at Hot Tub in Los Angeles, one of the last things I went to in 2020, and I LOVE her new special. Watch the whole thing below, which I have fast-forwarded to one of my favorite spots for you.

Ashley Gavin

Super Lesbian comedy. Mostly crowd work and yelling, but very relatable to the dyke side of me. Her TikTok is the best place to follow.

River Butcher

Big fan. He's also a pro at ice-dying T-shirts and has a very cute dog! I also really enjoy his presence on Instagram.

Bob The Drag Queen

I may not have seen her season on Drag Race but I have watched the majority of her TikToks! 😅

Jo Firestone

Jo was a writer on The Chris Gethard Show and also appeared on Shrill, among other shows you've probably seen. She makes me cry-laugh and I think any show is ten times better with her on it.

Patti Harrison

You may know her dry and kinda awkward humor from Shrill or Together Together, but her standup comedy? Even weirder!

Neal Brennan

I saw him open for Tig Notaro a few years ago and really enjoyed his set! I'm always here for landlord jokes.


You may remember the guest post on here by Candace Hansen that blew up punkrock internet for a second. I'm proud to share that Candace just interviewed comedian Tig Notaro for the Los Angeles Times! How cool is that?