Ziwe: The Clever Comedian Taking the Entertainment World by Storm

Ziwe Fumudoh, also known as Ziwe, rose to prominence in 2018 with her YouTube show “Baited with Ziwe.” Throughout the series, the entrepreneur from Massachusetts expertly addressed racial issues and stereotypes through satirical humor while doing interviews with fellow comedians. Ziwe moved her show to Instagram Live a few years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with moving platforms, she raised the caliber of her guests, including important figures such as political strategist and journalist Symone Sanders-Townsend and actor-turned-social justice activist Rose McGowan.

“There’s an element of performance coming from both me, as a host, and my guests, as people who are answering for their racial biases,” Ziwe remarked of her approach to Variety. “I’m not here to assess their performance.” I’m only there to question why they feel the need to perform while having 4.5 Black friends.” In addition to her interviewing skills, Ziwe was a co-host of Crooked Media’s “Hysteria,” a political podcast, in 2018. She has written for a variety of publications, including The Daily Dot, Vulture, and Into the Gloss. In addition, the gifted comedian wrote for the Showtime late-night show “Desus and Mero,” where she captured everyone’s attention. Ziwe finally landed her own Showtime position in 2020, suitably named “Ziwe,” after seamlessly integrating a variety of career backgrounds with her own inimitable humorous flare.

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Ziwe’s childhood had a significant impact on her material.

Ziwe Fumudoh told Variety that her strong work ethic stems from the ideals instilled in her by her Nigerian immigrant parents, who immigrated to the US before she was born, making Ziwe a first-generation American. Furthermore, her high school experience (she attended the Andover-based preparatory school Phillips Academy) was unavoidably biased, causing her to constantly ruminate on racial issues. “They would literally treat [my name] like it’s foreign, although they could pronounce ‘Dostoyevsky,'” she said.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ziwe explained her reason for her work, saying, “That was something I was penalized for in school — like, I was annoying.” But it now has a purpose,” she says of her Showtime series. “Ziwe” blew up the network, with guests like Drew Barrymore, Julia Fox, Wayne Brady, and Fran Lebowitz. The popular comedy series tackled a variety of important social topics, including racism, beauty standards, and female empowerment, all while intertwining them with amusing sketches and musical performances.

“My show is super-hyper-feminine and very pink,” Ziwe said. Knowing how late-night is usually male, that was a deliberate decision.” Despite the fact that “Ziwe,” the show, and Ziwe, its creator, shattered the late-night glass ceiling and earned mostly excellent reviews, the series was discontinued in 2023 at the end of its second season. According to Deadline, changes in the network’s senior leadership were to blame for the show’s cancellation, but unexpectedly, it only served to propel Ziwe to even greater heights of celebrity.

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The comedian published a book of personal essays.

After the termination of “Ziwe,” the indomitable Ziwe Fumudoh dusted off her keyboard and began composing again. In 2023, she published “Black Friend: Essays,” a collection of essays in which the charming comedian frankly recounts experiences from her life and digs into serious real-world themes like racism and body image, all while integrating her distinctive sense of comedy. When speaking with Vanity Fair about the book, Ziwe stated that exploring such personal material was not initially her intention, but rather a natural growth as she wrote.

In an interview with ABC News, Ziwe stated that Black characters in her book are presented as key characters, pushing beyond stereotyped supporting roles for white characters. She intended to dispel the myth that unpleasant topics like racism are harmful, claiming, “I like to think that having these awkward conversations […] makes people feel more at ease with the fact that they’re not perfect, just like I’m not perfect.” Despite a hiatus in her broadcast career, Ziwe is unafraid to pursue her passions, most notably questioning controversial politician George Santos on her YouTube channel, which garnered millions of views and a slew of headlines. Ziwe informed Vanity Fair that she had no plans to stop and that additional interviews would be scheduled in the future. With a wry smile, she said, “Until God cancels me, i.e., when I die, anything is possible.”