Kemah Bob

Last updated

Kemah Bob
Occupation Stand-up comedian
Years active2018–present
Known for It's a Sin: After Hours
Guessable
Relatives Camille Bob (grandfather)
Website https://www.kemahbob.com

Kemah Bob is an American comedian. She [lower-alpha 1] achieved fame in the United Kingdom, and is best known for hosting It's a Sin: After Hours .

Contents

Early and personal life

Bob grew up in Houston, Texas, [3] and went to school in Waco, Texas. She has lived in California and London. [4] Bob's grandfather was musician Camille Bob. [5]

Bob uses she/they pronouns. [1] [2] In an interview with Metro , Bob said "I do identify as a woman, I use she/they pronouns, but there are so many unanswered questions that I don't feel the need to answer around my own gender identity". [1] Bob is pansexual and queer, [6] [7] and mentioned in a 2022 interview that she was simultaneously dating two people. [8] She has been outspoken about her experiences of racism, telling Dave's Just Jokes in 2022 that "there are a lot of places where I don't want to go, won't go, am fortunate to not have to go, [...] and I feel like back to Texas is one of them". [9]

Bob has bipolar disorder, which she was diagnosed with the week of her twentieth birthday after a friend called her mother to complain that the speed of her speech had increased to the point of incomprehensibility. Her mother responded to this by driving four hours from Houston to Waco to perform a wellness check, only for Bob to swear and shout at her, which prompted her to take Bob to the emergency room. [4]

Career

Bob started her comedy career in Los Angeles. [10] She told Dave's Just Jokes in 2022 that she got into comedy after a theatre professor pulled her aside after a class and pointed out how talkative she was in class, but that he enjoyed some of her comments, and suggested that she audition for an improv team. [9] She has cited The Inbetweeners and Skins as her inspiration to move to the UK. [10]

Bob hosts a comedy night and podcast [11] called FOC It Up, featuring comedians of colour who are not cisgender men. [12] In 2019 she was a finalist in the Funny Women awards. [13] She maintains a drag king persona, Lil' Test Ease, who is a conservative men's rights activist. [6]

In 2021, she presented It's a Sin: After Hours . [14] Later that year, she worked on the Comedy Central panel show Yesterday, Today and The Day Before, but quit after the first episode "in solidarity" with fellow comedian Sophie Duker over cuts to Duker's monologue about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. [15] [16] [17] She co-hosted The Island with Tom Allen and Jason Forbes the following year. [18] She also appeared on two weeks of Richard Osman's House of Games , both times attracting attention for her voice; [19] [20] she has also appeared on Don't Hate the Playaz, [21] [22] BBC Radio 4's Elephant in the Room, [23] Guessable , [24] [25] CelebAbility , [26] Apocalypse Wow, [27] Sorry, I Didn't Know , [28] and Question Team , the latter with a cameo from Lil' Test Ease, [29] as whom she appeared on Celebrity Karaoke Club: Drag Edition . [6]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2019 Funny Women Funny Women 2019 Finalist [13]
2019 BBC New Comedy Award BBC New Comedy Award 2019Semi-Finalist [30]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bob uses she/they pronouns. [1] [2] This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Herring</span> English comedian and writer (born 1967)

Richard Keith Herring is an English stand-up comedian and writer whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring. He is described by The British Theatre Guide as "one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Long</span> English comedian (born 1982)

Josie Isabel Long is an English comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isy Suttie</span> English comedian and actress (born 1978)

Isobel Jane Suttie is a British musical comedian, actress and writer. She played Dobby in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show Pearl And Dave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Millican</span> English comedian

Sarah Jane Millican is an English comedian, writer and presenter. Millican won the comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and in the same year she married fellow comedian Gary Delaney. Her first book, How to Be Champion, was published in 2017. Millican has performed on various tours, mainly across the United Kingdom, over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jess Robinson</span>

Jess Robinson is an English comedy actress, singer, impressionist, voice artist and comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethany Black</span> English comedian, actress and writer

Bethany Black is an English stand up comedian, actress and writer. As a comedian, Black is described as "managing to balance dark-tinged comedy with being warm and chatty". As an actress, she is the first trans person to play a trans character in a British TV series and also the first openly trans actor in Doctor Who.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Whitehall</span> English comedian, actor, presenter and writer (born 1988)

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education also co-writing the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Taylor</span> British television presenter (born 1983)

Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing as a contestant on Show Me the Funny in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats (2011–2017), Fake Reaction (2013–2014), Mock the Week (2015–2019), The Lodge (2016), Stand-Up Central (2017), The Mash Report (2017–2022), Plebs (2018–2019), Strictly Come Dancing (2022), and Knuckles (2024). She has also presented the television shows Snog Marry Avoid? (2012–2013), Live at the Apollo (2016–2018), and The Great Pottery Throw Down (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Barnes</span> English comedian

Angela Barnes is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on Mock the Week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Ryan</span> Canadian comedian, writer, and actor

Katherine Louisa Ryan is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, actress and singer. She has appeared on British TV and radio panel shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A League of Their Own, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, QI, Just a Minute, Safeword, and Have I Got News for You. In 2015 she replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. As an actress, Ryan has appeared on several television sitcoms in the UK, including Campus, Episodes, and her Netflix show The Duchess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cariad Lloyd</span> British comedian, actress, writer and podcaster

Katie Cariad Lloyd is a British comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster. She is a member of the improvisational comedy group Austentatious, the host and creator of Griefcast, and an improv teacher.

Ria Lina is a British comedian, actress and writer. She has appeared on Yesterday, Today & The Day Before, Mock the Week, Steph's Packed Lunch, The Now Show, The News Quiz, and Have I Got News for You. In 2003, she won an Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy award for Best Comedian.

Lucy Ann Beaumont is a British comedian from Hull. Her early performances were based largely on anecdotes about Hull and the wider Northern England region. She was a finalist on So You Think You're Funny in 2011 and won the BBC Radio New Comedy Awards in 2012. Her 2014 debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe, We Can Twerk It Out, was nominated for that year's Best Newcomer Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofie Hagen</span> Danish comedian

Sofie Hagen is a London-based Danish comedian, author, podcaster, fashion designer, and fat acceptance campaigner. She has toured with comedy shows, released a book and hosted and co-hosted a number of podcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Goldstein</span> British actor and writer

Brett Goldstein is a British actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. Known for his role as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso, he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the first two seasons. He is also the co-creator of the comedy series Shrinking (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Parris</span> English comedian (born 1984)

Rachel Sarah Parris is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosts the satirical news show Late Night Mash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desiree Burch</span> American comedian

Desiree Lea Burch is an American comedian, actress, television presenter, and voice actress. Originally from Diamond Bar, California, Burch has also lived in New York, Streatham, Croydon and Peckham, having moved to London to live with her boyfriend Samy Ouarkoub in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie Jones (comedian)</span> British comedian and actress (born 1990)

Rosie Luisa Jones is a British comedian, writer and actress. After starting her career as a writer on panel shows, she went on to appear as a guest on The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, QI and Hypothetical. She attended the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo as a roving reporter for The Last Leg.

Darren Harriott is a British stand-up comedian from Oldbury, West Midlands. He was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award and Best Show Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Duker</span> British stand-up comedian

Sophie Duker is a British stand-up comedian and writer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Griffin, Louise (13 July 2022). "Kemah Bob on why it's essential to create safe spaces for trans people in comedy". Metro. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Kemah Bob". Backyard Comedy Club. 7 October 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  3. ↑ Bob, Kemah. "Kemah Bob". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 "W.W.K.D. (What Would Kanye Do) - Kemah Bob @ TEDxUAL". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Kemah Bob and her brilliantly diverse FOC IT UP! podcast are blowing the doors of comedy wide open". Evening Standard. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Celebrity Karaoke Club - Series other-episodes - Episode 4 - ITVX". ITV. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Bob, Kemah (11 March 2021). "@kemahbob - Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023. [...] Very much a Black queer mild girl
  8. ↑ Crosara, Nic (21 July 2022). ""It's an unapologetic celebration of comedians of colour": DIVA meets Kemah Bob". Diva . Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  9. 1 2 Just Jokes. Dave. 2 October 2022.
  10. 1 2 Pape, Liam (10 October 2022). "Kemah Bob: 'I get so much bad advice from men who've never done comedy before'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Femmes of Color launches a comedy podcast : News 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Kemah Bob: Toxic masculinity and talk therapy have never been sillier". The Guardian . 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  13. 1 2 Bennett, Steve. "Laura Smyth wins Funny Women Award : News 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  14. ↑ "It's A Sin: After Hours". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Comedians Sophie Duker and Kemah Bob quit all-female panel show Yesterday, Today And The Day Before over 'unacceptable interference'". Future Tech Trends. 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Guide, British Comedy (27 May 2021). "Comedians quit Yesterday, Today & The Day Before in Palestine protest". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Farber, Alex (27 May 2021). "Comedy Central hosts step down amid censorship row". Broadcast. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Island is deserted". Chortle. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Social Media Goes Mad About Comedian's Voice". Beyondthejoke.co.uk. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "BBC House of Games star defended by fans as some threaten to 'switch off'". Birmingham Mail. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Don't Hate the Playaz - Series 3 - Episode 7 - ITVX". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "Don't Hate the Playaz - Series 4 - Episode 2 - ITVX". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Elephant in the Room, Series 2, Episode 5". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  24. ↑ British Comedy Guide. "Guessable? Series 2, Episode 2 - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  25. ↑ British Comedy Guide. "Guessable? Christmas Special - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Iain Stirling's CelebAbility - Series 5 - Episode 2 - ITVX". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Apocalypse Wow - Series 1 - Episode 6 - ITVX". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  28. ↑ "Sorry, I Didn't Know - Series 2 - Episode 4 - ITVX". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Watch Question Team Series 1 Episode 4 Online". Uktvplay.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  30. ↑ "BBC Three - BBC New Comedy Awards, 2019, Semi-Final 2". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.