Ziwe Fumudoh Biography
Ziwe Fumudoh is an American comedian and writer known for her satirical commentary on politics, race relations, and young adulthood. She gained widespread recognition with her show “Ziwe” on Showtime, which premiered in May 2021. Before the show, she created the YouTube comedy show “Baited with Ziwe” in 2017 and its 2020 Instagram Live iteration. She also wrote for “Desus & Mero” from 2018 to 2020 and co-hosted Crooked Media’s “Hysteria” podcast in 2018. In addition, she published a collection of essays called “Black Friend” in October 2023.
Ziwe Fumudoh Age
Fumudoh is 32 years old as of 2024. She was born on 27 February 1992, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA.
Ziwe Fumudoh Gender
Fumudoh is a female.
Ziwe Fumudoh Height
She stands at a height of 1.68 m.
Ziwe Fumudoh Teeth
Ziwe’s teeth are a distinctive feature of the comedian’s appearance. They are characterized by their large size and prominent gaps, which Ziwe has said she embraces as a symbol of her individuality and self-acceptance. Recently, her teeth have been the subject of much discussion and debate, with some people praising her for challenging traditional beauty standards and others criticizing her for promoting an “unprofessional” image. However, Ziwe has remained unapologetic about her teeth, saying that they are a part of who she is and that she will not change them for anyone.
Ziwe Fumudoh Nationality/Ethnicity
Fumudoh is of Nigerian descent and holds American nationality.
Ziwe Fumudoh Education
Fumudoh graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in 2010. She then joined Northwestern University where she graduated in 2014 with a double major in radio, television, and film and African American studies, with a minor in creative writing: poetry. In her first year at Northwestern University, Fumudoh lived in McCulloch Hall. She also wrote for many student publications including Purp Magazine, Northwestern Sketch Television, and Project SOARD.
Ziwe Fumudoh Parents
Ziwe’s parents emigrated from Nigeria. She is the second of three children and grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Ziwe Fumudoh Husband/Partner
Ziwe has managed to keep her marital status out of the limelight, so whether she is married, single, or in a relationship is unknown. Her partner is also undisclosed. However, she lives in New York City.
Ziwe Fumudoh Career
In 2013, Fumudoh worked as a summer intern at Comedy Central on shows including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. During her senior year of college, she interned as a writer for The Onion and took improv classes at the iO theater. From 2015 to 2020, she wrote for publications such as The Riveter Magazine, Reductress, The Daily Dot, and Into The Gloss, where she wrote a column called “Operation Goo Goo Gah Gah.” She also wrote television recaps for Vulture and contributed to 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. In 2017, Fumudoh created “Baited with Ziwe,” a show on YouTube that featured her “baiting” her white friends into making unwitting racial faux pas. In an interview, Fumudoh later said, “I love that Baited allows viewers to laugh about race while still acknowledging its complexity. Of all the projects I worked on, it’s one of my favorites.” In the same interview, she said that she got the inspiration for the show from asking her Caucasian coworkers what questions they would be uncomfortable to answer on camera.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Fumudoh moved her show from YouTube to Instagram Live, featuring new celebrity guests each week. She mentioned that the show aimed to initiate conversations about race while providing entertainment and critiquing the system. This move served as a successful template for her talk show “Ziwe”.
In 2018, Fumudoh frequently appeared in “Pop Show,” a live show she created at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, where she performed original pop songs. During the same year, she co-hosted “Hysteria,” a podcast from Crooked Media.
From 2018 to 2020, Fumudoh worked as a writer on the TV show “Desus and Mero.” A reviewer from Forbes praised her, stating that she had the “confidence of an old comedy pro.” During this time, Fumudoh also joined the cast of “Our Cartoon President” as the voice of Kamala Harris and wrote the season 3 episode “Senate Control.”
In October 2020, it was announced that Fumudoh would collaborate with Showtime on a new variety show, “Ziwe.” The first season consisted of six episodes, featuring sketches, musical numbers, and interviews with celebrity guests. Fumudoh served as the host, writer, and producer of the show. The second season, which expanded to 12 episodes, was heavily promoted by mainstream publications such as Variety, Forbes, and Deadline, building upon the successful format of Season 1.
In April 2023, Showtime decided not to renew the series for a third season, leading them to entirely exit the late-night talk show genre.
In 2021, Fumudoh wrote for the television series Dickinson and appeared in two episodes as Sojourner Truth. During the same year, she portrayed Sophie Iwobi, a comedic commentator on a late-night show similar to Ziwe, in one episode of the third season of Succession. The character was adapted to more closely resemble Fumudoh after she was cast.
In August 2020, it was announced that Fumudoh was writing a collection of humorous essays, initially titled The Book of Ziwe, for Abrams Books. The book was later renamed Black Friend and was released on October 24, 2023. To promote the book, Fumudoh embarked on a cross-country tour from October 23 to November 8, 2023, visiting 8 cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
Ziwe Fumudoh Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $1 million as of May 2024 according to FreshersLive.
