Leighann Lord

Leighann Lord is an American comedian, writer, and actress. She performs stand-up comedy and is the co-host (with Neil deGrasse Tyson) of the Star Talk Radio podcast.[1]

Early life and education

Leighann Lord was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City, and was raised by her West Indian parents. She attributes her interest in comedy to both her cultural heritage and to looking for a way to avoid being teased as a child. She reports "People started to laugh with me and not at me. I was an 11-year-old sixth-grader with a game plan that led me in the right direction."[2] She attended Baruch College at the City University of New York where she studied journalism, creative writing and theater with an interest in show business;[2] in 1989, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Journalism and Creative Writing.[3]

Career

After college, Lord worked for five years in corporate communications for Chemical Bank, but retained an interest in show business, and eventually started performing at stand-up comedy clubs.[2]

She has performed stand-up on Lifetime's "Girls Night Out," HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend", and she won the "Hilarious Housewives Contest" on ABC's "The View."[2][4] She cites as comedic influences including George Carlin, Marsha Warfield, Carol Burnette and Bertice Berry.[2]

In addition to performing her own material, Lord was a writer for The Chris Rock Show and writes the syndicated humor column "The Urban Emma".[4]

In 2014, Lord published Dict Jokes: Alternate Definitions for Words You've Probably Never Heard of But Will Definitely Never Forget.[5]

In February 2015, Lord featured on Star Talk Radio with Neil Degrasse Tyson in the episode "From Warp Drives to Cloaking Devices: Star Trek Cosmic Queries Sunday".[6]

Awards

Lord was voted "Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic" at the 4th annual Black Comedy Awards. She was also nominated for Best Play and Best Director for her one-woman show The Full Swanky at the Riant Theatre Women's Play Festival.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Cosmic Queries: Star Trek". Curved Light Productions. 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Barker, Cyril Josh (2011-02-10). "A 'Lord' of laughs". New York Amsterdam News. 102 (6): 5. ISSN 0028-7121.
  3. ↑ "Baruch College Alumni Events - Reunion". Baruch College. 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  4. 1 2 3 "Biography - Leighann Lord". Entertainers Resource Directory. Entertainers Resource Directory. 2012. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  5. ↑ "Leighann Lord". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  6. ↑ http://www.startalkradio.net/tag/leighann-lord/
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