Ziwe Fumudoh facts for kids

Ziwerekoru "Ziwe" Fumudoh is an American comedian and writer known for her satirical commentary on politics, race relations, and young adulthood.

In 2017, she created the YouTube comedy show Baited with Ziwe and its 2020 Instagram Live iteration. She wrote for Desus & Mero from 2018 to 2020, and she co-hosted Crooked Media's Hysteria podcast in 2018.

Fumudoh starred in and executive produced the Showtime variety series Ziwe (2021–2022). She published a collection of essays called Black Friend in October 2023.

Early life and education

Fumudoh grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the second of three children to parents who emigrated from Nigeria to the United States.

In 2010, Fumudoh graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In 2014, she graduated from Northwestern University with a double major in radio, television, and film and African American studies, with a minor in creative writing: poetry.

Career

2013–2017: Early years

After realizing she could not imagine a career as a poet, Fumudoh applied for a summer internship at Comedy Central during her junior year of college, working on shows including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. During her senior year, she interned as a writer for The Onion and took improv classes at the iO theater. At The Onion she worked in video, research, and contributing features. From 2015 to 2020, she wrote for publications including The Riveter Magazine; Reductress; The Daily Dot; Into The Gloss, where she wrote a column called "Operation Goo Goo Gah Gah"; Vulture, where she wrote television recaps; and The New Yorker.

After graduation, she worked at Lorne Michaels's Above Average Productions. Her first television job was as a screenwriter on The Rundown with Robin Thede.

2017–2020: Baited with Ziwe and Desus & Mero

In 2017, Fumudoh created Baited with Ziwe, a show on YouTube that featured her "baiting" her white friends into making unwitting racial faux pas. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Fumudoh moved the show from YouTube to Instagram Live with new celebrity guests each week. Guests included Caroline Calloway, Alison Roman, Alyssa Milano, and Rose McGowan. She stated that her show's goals were to facilitate discussions about race while entertaining people and critiquing the system.

In 2018, Fumudoh appeared frequently in Pop Show, a live show she created at Brooklyn's Union Hall in which she performs original pop songs. That same year, Fumudoh co-hosted Hysteria, a podcast from Crooked Media.

From 2018 to 2020, Fumudoh was a writer on the TV show Desus and Mero. A Forbes reviewer wrote that she had the "confidence of an old comedy pro". During that time, Fumudoh joined the cast of Our Cartoon President as the voice of Kamala Harris. She also wrote the season 3 episode "Senate Control".

2020–2021: Ziwe

In October 2020, it was announced that Fumudoh would work with Showtime on a new variety show, Ziwe. The first season featured sketches, musical numbers, and interviews with guests. Fumudoh hosted, wrote for, and produced the show. Fumudoh collaborated with costume designer Pamela Shepard-Hill on her costumes for the show. In April 2023, Showtime cancelled the series after two seasons.

In 2021, Fumudoh wrote for the television series Dickinson and appeared in two episodes as Sojourner Truth. That same year, she played Sophie Iwobi, a comedic commentator on a late-night show resembling Ziwe, in one episode of the third season of Succession. The character was tailored to more closely resemble Fumudoh after she was cast.

2022–present

In September 2023, Fumudoh was part of the "My Wings, My Way" campaign for Victoria's Secret.

In August 2020, it was announced that Fumudoh was writing a collection of humorous essays, The Book of Ziwe, for Abrams Books. The book was later retitled Black Friend and was released on October 24, 2023. To promote the book, Fumudoh went on a cross country tour between October 23 and November 8, 2023, visiting 8 cities, including: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.

On December 18, 2023, Fumudoh interviewed the scandal-plagued former U.S. House representative George Santos on her YouTube channel. The interview, laden with Fumudoh's trademark gotcha! style, was widely covered in political news outlets and Hollywood Entertainment columns alike, including: New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, The Hill, Mother Jones, LA Times, Axios, Variety, The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Business Insider, The Advocate, among others.

Influences

Fumudoh has cited Jonathan Swift and Stephen Colbert as influences, having been introduced to them by a teacher during her freshman year of high school. Naming the latter as a foundational reference, she has said of his appearance at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, "It was so unbelievable that he’d speak to authority or even around authority like that... I was really compelled by his satire." She has also taken inspiration from Oprah, the works of Zach Galifanakis, and Nathan Fielder, as well as from shows like Arrested Development, The Office, and 30 Rock.

Personal life

Fumudoh lives in New York City.

Filmography

Discography

• 2020: Generation Ziwe (EP)

See also

In Spanish: Ziwe Fumudoh para niños