Ziwe Fumudoh

Ziwerekoru "Ziwe" Fumudoh is an American comedian, writer, and actress known for her satirical commentary addressing race relations, politics, and young adulthood. Raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, by Nigerian immigrant parents alongside two siblings, she completed her high school education at Phillips Academy in 2010. She subsequently attended Northwestern University, where she contributed to various campus publications and media groups. In 2014, she graduated with a double major in radio, television, & film and African American studies, along with a creative writing minor focused on poetry.

Fumudoh launched her comedy career with a 2013 summer internship at Comedy Central working on shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. During her final year of college, she interned as a writer for The Onion while taking improv classes at iO Theater. Following graduation, she worked at Lorne Michaels's Above Average Productions and secured her first television writing position on The Rundown with Robin Thede. Between 2015 and 2020, she contributed articles, recaps, and columns to publications including The New Yorker, Vulture, Reductress, and Into The Gloss.

In 2017, Fumudoh created the satirical YouTube series Baited with Ziwe, which involved asking provocative questions about race. She also performed original pop music at Brooklyn's Union Hall in her live series Pop Show and co-hosted the podcast Hysteria in 2018. From 2018 to 2020, she wrote for the television show Desus & Mero while providing the voice of Kamala Harris on Our Cartoon President. In 2020, she adapted Baited into an Instagram Live format featuring weekly celebrity guests to facilitate discussions about race through interactive segments.

Her web success led to the Showtime variety series Ziwe, which premiered in May 2021. Fumudoh served as the host, writer, and executive producer of the program, which featured interviews, musical numbers, and sketches. After running for two seasons, the network canceled the series in April 2023 following a change in leadership. In October 2023, she released a collection of comedic essays titled Black Friend, supporting the book release with an eight-city comedy tour across the United States.

Beyond her primary shows, Fumudoh wrote for and acted in the series Dickinson in 2021, portraying Sojourner Truth. She also appeared as a late-night commentator in a season three episode of Succession. Following the cancellation of her Showtime series, she returned to hosting interviews on YouTube, launching Ziwe News Network (ZNN) and featuring high-profile guests such as George Santos and Eric Adams. Outside of television and digital media, she participated in a Victoria's Secret promotional campaign in September 2023 and resides in New York City.