Zainab Johnson

Zainab Johnson (born March 22) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and podcaster. 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'' listed her in its '10 Comics to Watch for 2019'. She is known for her roles as Aleesha on ''Upload'' (2020–25), as a voice actor on '' Tab Time'' (2021–22), and co-host of ''100 Humans'' (2020).

Early life and education

Zainab Johnson was born in Brooklyn, New York, and her family moved to the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan when she was five-years-old. 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 attended high school at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (MCSM). At age 15,https://www.wpr.org/shows/beta/episode-125-splinter-your-mind she stopped wearing her hijab and used playing basketball as her excuse to convince her father. At age 17, during her senior year, Johnson was forced to quit basketball after visiting Atlanta, Georgia, when she and another woman were hit by an Airborne Express truck by a drunk driver which resulted in her breaking both legs while the other woman had to have her leg amputated. Johnson spent one-and-a-half years in recovery and had to learn how to walk again.https://thecomicscomic.com/2018/08/06/episode-219-zainab-johnson/ After graduating, she began her career as a fifth grade math teacher, before her father died in 2005. The two tragedies made her reconsider her direction in life, and she decided to join a friend to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, where she began performing in sketch comedy and improvisational theater.

She moved back to New York City and attended the City College of New York (CCNY), and did a semester studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London, England. Johnson and her friends often visited The Comedy Cellar and the Boston Comedy Club where she became acquianted 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 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 played the role of Billy Tipton on '' 1000 Ways to Lie'' which aired on March 10 on Spike. 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. In August 2010, she quit her job and entered an open mic at Amsterdam Cafe in North Hollywood near her home where she performed stand-up comedy for the first time.

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 on April 21 in Los Angeles, before becoming one of four comedians to advance to the 'Finals' held in Miami Beach. In February 2014, she performed stand-up comedy on television for the first time on ''The Arsenio Hall Show'', a revival of the 1990s syndicated variety talk show, which increased her recognition.

Johnson was a contestant on the eighth season of ''Last Comic Standing'' which premiered on May 22, 2014. She was one of 100 comedians selected from invitees to be on the show where she advanced to the 'Semi-finals' stage but failed to advance to the 'Top Ten', making it to the eighth episode of the 14-episode season. In July 2014, Just For Laughs announced her as part of its ''New Faces of Comedy: Unrepped'' showcase which featured comedians without talent agents or managers yet. Johnson performed on AXS TV's '' Gotham Comedy Live'' which aired on August 14, and on BET's ''ComicView'' which aired 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. Johnson, Amberia Allen and Hadiyah Robinson were billed as the "Hey Ladies Comedy Tour" for the event by ABFF founder Jeff Friday. She starred in the webseries ''Cocktail Confessions'' which premiered on October 13.

In 2016, Johnson independently released her debut comedy album ''Model Citizen'' on February 14, and performed on HBO's '' All Def Comedy'' television special which aired 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 spent most of that year focusing on auditions. Johnson was a contestant on ''Idiotest'' on January 19 on GSN, and on syndicated game show ''Punchline'' on August 3. She guest starred on the fifth episode of the second season of webseries ''Get Your Life'' which aired on February 6; played the role of Tameeka on 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 2019, Johnson performed on ''The Stand-Up Show with Katherine Ryan'' which aired on February 5 on CBC. On June 13, ''Variety'' listed her in its '10 Comics to Watch for 2019'.

2020–present

In 2020, Johnson co-hosted ''100 Humans'' which released on March 13 on Netflix. She also has a recurring role in the 2020 Amazon series, ''Upload''.

In 2021, she was a voice actor on both seasons of children's show '' Tab Time'' which premiered on Dec 1.

In 2022, she was a panelist on the first season of ''We Need to Talk About America'' which premiered on April 20 on Fuse, and played the role of Amira on '' Ramy'' on the seventh episode of the third season on September 30 on Hulu.

In 2023, she released her first hour-long special ''Hijabs Off'' as an Amazon Original program on October 20.

In 2025, she hosted the ABFF Honors in February 17.

Influences

Johnson has described watching ''ComicView'', '' The Original Kings of Comedy'' and '' The Queens of Comedy'' growing up, with Eddie Murphy's '' Raw'' being her favorite stand-up comedy release and ''Coming to America'' 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 also named Martin Lawrence, Adele Givens, Sommore, Sheryl Underwood, Bill Burr and Mike Epps as comedians she's been a fan of growing up.

Personal life

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

Filmography and discography

Albums and TV specials

Television

Podcasting

References

External links

Official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Zainab

Living people
American stand-up comedians
American women comedians
African-American female comedians
African-American comedians
African-American actresses
African-American Muslims
Actresses from Manhattan
Comedians from Manhattan
People from Harlem
Muslim women comedians
Muslims from New York (state)
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people