Gina Yashere | |
---|---|
Birth name | Regina Obedapo Iyashere |
Born | Bethnal Green, London, England |
Medium |
|
Years active | 1996–present |
Genres | |
Subject(s) |
|
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 2012, she was featured on the second season of the Comedy Central series Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution. 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 |
2019–2024 | 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] |
Donald Jay Rickles was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995). From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, having previously starred in two eponymous half-hour programs, an ABC variety show titled The Don Rickles Show (1968) and a CBS sitcom identically titled The Don Rickles Show (1972).
Jack Roy, better known by the pseudonym Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no respect!" and his monologues on that theme.
Dharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons.
Robert Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian, author, television presenter, writer and actor. He is best known for his work with Vic Reeves as part of their Vic and Bob double act, and more recently the Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing series with Paul Whitehouse. He has also appeared on panel shows such as Would I Lie to You? and Taskmaster.
Brett Butler is an American actress, writer, and stand-up comedian. She is best known for playing the title role in the ABC comedy series Grace Under Fire (1993–1998), for which she received two Golden Globe Awards nominations.
Sarah Doon Mackichan is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double-Emmy-award-winning Smack the Pony. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, having played multiple characters in The Day Today, Brass Eye and Alan Partridge, and has also appeared in Toast of London and Two Doors Down. Mackichan was nominated for Best Female Comedy Performance at the 2014 British Academy Television Awards for her performance in Plebs and won critical praise for her performance alongside John Malkovich in Bitter Wheat in 2019.
William Gardell Jr. is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on Mike & Molly. He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on Yes, Dear and appeared in a dozen episodes of My Name Is Earl as a police officer. Gardell voiced Santa in Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, as well as starring on Sullivan & Son in the recurring role of Lyle Winkler. From 2019 to 2024 Gardell played Bob Wheeler in the CBS sitcom series Bob Hearts Abishola.
Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke is an English actress, comedian and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in BBC sitcoms, including Hyperdrive (2006–2007) and Not Going Out (2006–2009).
Chiara Zanni is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is known for her roles as Amy Ryan on The N series About a Girl and Maggie Buckman on the CBC series Edgemont.
Charles Michael Lorre is an American television producer, writer, director, and composer. Called the "King of Sitcoms", Lorre has created/co-created and produced several sitcoms including Cybill (1995–1998), Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), Mom (2013–2021), and Young Sheldon (2017–2024). He also served as an executive producer of Roseanne. Lorre won three Golden Globe Awards for his work on Roseanne, Cybill, and The Kominsky Method.
Charles John Thomas McCann was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. His career spanned over 70 years. He was best known for his work in presenting children's television programming and animation, as well as his own program The Chuck McCann Show and he also recorded comedy parody style albums.
On June 13, 2007, competitive reality show Last Comic Standing began airing its fifth season on NBC with new host, Bill Bellamy. For the first time ever people could vote in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This season is also taped rather than filmed.
Matthew Lee Jones is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, rapper, and singer known for his portrayals of Brandon "Badger" Mayhew on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad, Baxter on the CBS sitcom Mom, and Ned Dorneget in NCIS. He stars as Douglas Wheeler on the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, and is also known for his voice roles as Gunther Magnuson in Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2010–2012), Hector Flanagan in Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016), Nuber in F Is for Family (2018–2020), Pig in Pig Goat Banana Cricket (2015–2018), and Wedge in the video game Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020).
Maribeth Monroe is an American actress, writer and comedian. She is known for portraying Alice Murphy on Comedy Central's sitcom Workaholics, Mindy St. Claire on NBC's sitcom The Good Place, and Christina Wheeler on CBS' sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola.
Jeffrey Mirza is a British stand-up comedian and actor.
The Kominsky Method is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Chuck Lorre, that premiered on November 16, 2018, on Netflix. It stars Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis, Paul Reiser and Kathleen Turner and follows an aging acting coach who many years earlier had a brief moment of success as an actor.
Bob Hearts Abishola is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, and Gina Yashere that ran on CBS from September 23, 2019, to May 6, 2024, lasting five seasons and 95 episodes. It stars Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku as the respective titular characters, with Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe Jr., Vernee Watson, Bayo Akinfemi, Anthony Okungbowa, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, and Yashere in supporting roles. In February 2021, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 20, 2021. In January 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on September 19, 2022.
Folake Olowofoyeku is a Nigerian actress and musician. She starred in the Chuck Lorre CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola.
Jacqueline J. Champagnie, known by the stage name Jackie Fabulous, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Her career has involved several performances on television, including two television series that she wrote, as well as appearing on America's Got Talent in 2019.
Chuck Lorre Productions is an American television production company founded in January 2000 by producer Chuck Lorre, best known for producing the television series Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), Mike & Molly (2010–2016), Mom (2013–2021), Young Sheldon (2017–2024), Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024), B Positive (2020–2022), and United States of Al (2021–2022).