Cory Kahaney is an American stand-up comedienne, actress, writer, and public speaker. She was a grand finalist on NBC's ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

'' and a semi-finalist on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

''. Kahaney has performed comedy specials for Comedy Central and HBO. As a public speaker, Kahaney delivered a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

talk titled "The Joke That Saved My Life," which recounts her journey from surviving domestic abuse to building a career in comedy. Her other notable talks include "Don’t Tell Jerry Lewis Women Are Funny," a multimedia presentation featuring rare archival footage that celebrates pioneering women in comedy and their contributions to the standup genre. She has been featured several times at prominent events such as the Just for Laughs Festival in

Montreal, Canada Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, the Johnny Carson Festival, the

Halifax Comedy Festival The Halifax Comedy Festival (often spelled in promotional materials as ''Ha!ifax Comedy Festival'') is an annual comedy festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The festival is sponsored by the CBC which tapes and broadcasts the comedians' ...

, the New York Comedy Festival, and the Nantucket Comedy Festival. In addition to her standup work, Kahaney co-wrote the Zarna Garg comedy special '' One in a Billion'' on

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. Her humorous writing has been published in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and the ''

New York Observer New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

''.

Personal life

In A Shared Universe Podcast, Kahaney shared that the best comedy often originates from tragic experiences. She highlighted how a pivotal moment in her life as a domestic violence survivor revealed her "secret power"—using humor to interrupt dangerous situations and ultimately save herself.

Awards and honors

Kahaney has received several awards, including being named Best Comedian in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

by '' Backstage Magazine'' and Best Female Comedian by the

MAC Awards The MAC Awards, established in 1986, are presented annually to honor achievements in cabaret, comedy and jazz. They are administered by the non-profit Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC), founded in 1983, and voted on by the MAC member ...

(Manhattan Association Of Cabarets).

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahaney, Cory Living people American public speakers American film actresses American television actresses American people of Irish descent American stand-up comedians American television writers Year of birth missing (living people)