Gina Yashere
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.
| 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 |
Early life edit
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]
Career edit
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]
Personal life edit
Yashere is lesbian.[15] She currently lives in Altadena, California, with her partner Nina Rose Fischer.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
Filmography edit
Below is an incomplete filmography:
Film edit
| 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 |
Television edit
| 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 | |
| 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–present | Bob Hearts Abishola | Kemi | 38 episodes; 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] |
References edit
- ^ Hattenstone, Simon (12 July 2021). "Gina Yashere on riches, racism, and US success: 'I Don't Like to Boast, but I'm Doing Very Well'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Gina Yashere - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk.
- ^ "Gina Yashere – BIOGRAPHY". ginayashere.com. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ "Comedy lovers – you'll want to pull over for Gina Yashere". Q. 4 December 2015.
- ^ Williams, Ben (11 July 2017). "Heard the one about the standup who built lift shafts? Comedians on their previous careers". The Guardian.
- ^ Maxwell, Dominic (27 May 2008). "Gina Yashere at Fairfield Halls, Croydon". The Times. London. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ at The New York Times
- ^ Arthur, Tim. Interview 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine at Time Out London, 28 May 2008.
- ^ Married Single Other 23 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine at ITV.com
- ^ Bobby Lee | Gotham Comedy Live, retrieved 14 August 2022
- ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (11 June 2017). "The Daily Show's Gina Yashere: 'In England, I'd still be the token black face on Mock the Week'". The Guardian.
- ^ Framke, Caroline (23 September 2019). "TV Review: 'Bob Hearts Abishola' From Chuck Lorre". Variety.
- ^ Udodiong, Inemesit (17 May 2019). "Folake Olowofoyeku: Nigerian actress plays lead role in new CBS show – here's why this is such a big deal". Pulse Nigeria.
- ^ Lorre, Chuck; Higgins, Al; Yashere, Gina; Gardell, Billy; Olowofoyeku, Folake; Frazier, Kevin (12 September 2019). "Bob Hearts Abishola – Creating a Sitcom About Immigrants" (Video interview). Paley Center for Media. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
- ^ Artavia, David (24 July 2019). "Gina Yashere Is Black, British, Gay and Very Funny". The Advocate (LGBT magazine).
- ^ "Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer: Lesbianity (w/ Gina Yashere) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts.
- ^ Leijon, Erik. "Colon comedy", Montreal Mirror, Vol. 25 No. 5, 16–22 July 2009.
- ^ Pool, Hannah. "Question time", The Guardian, 15 May 2008.
- ^ Freak, Dave (17 September 2010). . Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015.
- ^ "Loose Ends", BBC Radio 4, October 2013.
- ^ Lester, Charly (21 May 2014). . The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ Watch The Neighborhood: Welcome to the Ring (Sneak Peak 3) (Television production). 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Would I Lie To You" (Television production). Retrieved 28 January 2024.