| Gina Yashere | |
|---|---|
 Yashere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 | |
| Birth name | Regina Obedapo Iyashere |
| Born | Bethnal Green, London, England |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Genres | |
| Subject(s) |
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| Website | ginayashere |
Regina Obedapo Iyashere [1] is a British comedian, actress and writer who has made numerous appearances on British and American television. She co-created the sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola , on which she plays a supporting role.
Yashere was born and raised in Bethnal Green, London to Nigerian parents. [2] [3] Before becoming a comedian, she worked as a lift maintenance technician and engineer (the company's first female to do so, all of which she mentions in her stand-up routine). [4] [5]
She uses the surname "Yashere" due to encountering common mispronunciation of her original surname. [6] [7] [8]
Yashere was a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition in 1996. She has appeared in a number of television programmes, including in the comedy series The Lenny Henry Show , where she played Tanya and Mrs Omokorede, the pushy mum. She voiced Keisha on the animated series Bromwell High . In 2005, she appeared on the reality television series Comic Relief does Fame Academy , in aid of Comic Relief, and she co-hosted the 2006 and 2007 MOBO Awards alongside 2Baba and Coolio. She has made numerous appearances on Mock the Week , and appeared on the CBBC show Gina's Laughing Gear .
In 2007, Yashere was featured on the reality show Last Comic Standing , auditioning in Sydney. She was among the ten finalists, but on 1 August 2007, she and Dante were the first two finalists eliminated.
In 2008, she became the first Briton to perform on Def Comedy Jam . On 3 September 2009, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and performed a stand-up comedy routine. On 24 December, she appeared on Live at the Apollo . She appeared twice on the short-lived primetime show The Jay Leno Show : on 21 October 2009, a video of Yashere showed her giving free fortune-telling readings to passers-by, and on 25 November 2009, she operated a walk-in psychic booth. Starting in 2010, she appeared semi-regularly on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , in a sketch comedy series called Madame Yashere: The Surly Psychic.
In 2010, Yashere appeared as Flo in several episodes of the ITV drama Married Single Other . [9] In April 2010, her one-hour comedy special, Skinny B*tch, premiered on Showtime, a US cable channel. She appeared on Watch TV show Scream If You Know the Answer with contestant Emily Green from Portsmouth. She helped Green win the show with a prize fund of £2,000. In 2013, Yashere appeared in an advert for Tesco Mobile. In 2015, she was featured as a selected comic on Gotham Comedy Live, which airs on AXS TV (season 4-Judah Friedlander) where she referred to the City of Cleveland, Ohio as "shit." [10] On 8 January 2016, she appeared on The Nasty Show with Artie Lange, which aired on Showtime.
Starting on 16 March 2017, Yashere began a brief stint as the British correspondent for The Daily Show . [11]
In September 2019, Yashere began appearing in a supporting role on the 2019 Chuck Lorre CBS sitcom, Bob Hearts Abishola , which Lorre created with Yashere. Yashere writes for the show and plays Folake Olowofoyeku's character Abishola's best friend, Kemi. [12] Bob Hearts Abishola is the first American sitcom to feature a Nigerian family. [13] [14]
Yashere is lesbian. [15] She currently lives in Altadena, California, with her partner Nina Rose Fischer. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]
Below is an incomplete filmography:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) | Polythene Pam | |
| Mr In-Between | Dancing Woman | ||
| 2008 | The Time of the End | The Messiah | Short film |
| 2016 | The Comedian's Guide to Survival | Herself | |
| 2018 | Early Man | Gravelle | Voice |
| 2022 | Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–2000 | Blouse and Skirt | Herself | 21 episodes |
| 1999 | The Richard Blackwood Show | — | Writer |
| 2000 | Lenny Henry in Pieces | — | |
| 2005–15 | The Wright Stuff | Herself / Guest Panelist | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | The Crouches | Mrs. Ubakema | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| Bromwell High | Keisha Marie (voice) | 13 episodes | |
| 2006–09 | Mock the Week | Herself | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Gina's Laughing Gear | Gina | 10 episodes |
| 2008 | Brits Abroad: Gina's Got the Ticket | Host | TV movie |
| Def Comedy Jam | Writer | Episode: "Episode #8.1" | |
| Gina Yashere: Skinny B*tch | Herself | Stand-up special, Showtime | |
| 2009 | Just for Laughs | Writer | Episode: "Martin Short" |
| Live at the Apollo | Herself | Episode: "Episode #5.5" | |
| 2010 | Married Single Other | Flo | 4 episodes |
| 1st Amendment Stand Up | Writer | Episode: "Darren Carter/Gina Yashere/Damon Williams" | |
| 2013–14 | Gotham Comedy Live | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Gina Yashere: Laughing To America | Herself | Stand-up special, Starz |
| Comics Unleashed | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–17 | @midnight | Herself | 5 episodes; representing the United Kingdom |
| 2015 | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore | Herself / Panelist | 2 episodes |
| Just for Laughs: All-Access | Herself | Episode: "Episode #3.9" | |
| The Nasty Show Hosted by Artie Lange | Herself | ||
| 2016 | Sir Patrick Stewart: A Knight of Comedy | Herself | |
| Go 8 Bit | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.2" | |
| Debate Wars | Herself | Episode: "Babies Vs. Old People" | |
| Black Is the New Black | Herself | ||
| Live at the Apollo | Herself / Host | Episode: "Episode #12.3" | |
| 2017–18 | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Commentator | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Crashing | Gina | Episode: "Artie Lange" |
| Celebrity Chase | Contestant | Episode: "Episode #7.7" | |
| What's Your F@#King Deal?! | Herself | Episode: "Dante Nero, Gina Yashere and Eddie Pepitone" | |
| 2018 | The Standups with Gina Yashere | Herself | Stand-up special, Netflix |
| West:Word | Herself | Episode: "Vanishing Point" | |
| 2018–19 | Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2023 | The Rubbish World of Dave Spud | Gareth | 84 episodes |
| 2019–present | Bob Hearts Abishola | Kemi | 82 episodes (as of 2023); also co-creator, executive producer and writer |
| 2021 | The Barbarian and the Troll | Axe | 12 episodes |
| 2022 | The Neighborhood | Chika | Episode: "Welcome to the Ring" [22] |
| 2024 | Would I Lie to You? | Herself | Series 17, Episode 5 [23] |
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