# Zainab Johnson

Zainab Johnson (born March 22) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and podcaster. She is known for her role as Aleesha on Upload (2020–25) and as a co-host on 100 Humans (2020). She was on NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2014, and Variety listed her in its '10 Comics to Watch for 2019'. She debuted her comedy album in February 2016, her half-hour television special in October 2018 and her hour-long television special in October 2023.

## Early life

Zainab Johnson was born in Brooklyn and grew up in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, in a Muslim household. Her mother was a homemaker and her father worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) during her childhood. She is the fifth-eldest child and the third-eldest daughter from among 13 siblings consisting of seven brothers and five sisters. She described her siblings and parents as each having different personalities and interests. Johnson has compared her mother to a hippie and described her father as strict. She wore a hijab during her childhood and faced bullying at school. In second and third grades, she experienced her khimar pulled off from her head. At age 10, Johnson visited a comedy club for the first time when her mother brought her along.
She attended high school at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (MCSM). At age 15, she stopped wearing her hijab and used playing basketball as her excuse to convince her father. At age 17, during her senior year, Johnson was forced to quit basketball after visiting Atlanta, Georgia, when she and another woman were hit by an Airborne Express truck by a drunk driver which resulted in her breaking both legs while the other woman had to have her leg amputated. Johnson spent one-and-a-half years in recovery and had to learn how to walk again. After graduating, she began her career as a fifth grade math teacher, before her father died in 2005. The two tragedies made her reconsider her direction in life, and she decided to join a friend to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, where she began performing in sketch comedy and improvisational theater.
She moved back and attended university at City College of New York (CCNY), and did a semester studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London, England. Johnson and her friends in New York often visited the likes of the Boston Comedy Club and The Comedy Cellar where she became acquianted with many stand-up comedians but she never considered becoming one. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics.

## Career

During her first stint in Los Angeles, Zainab Johnson appeared as an actor on the prank show Hell Date which aired in 2007 on BET. After returning to LA in 2010, she went on to get a job as a production assistant for Jeru Tillman who ran Tuesday night shows at The Comedy Store.
In 2014, she was a contestant on the eighth season of Last Comic Standing which premiered on May 22. She was one of 100 comedians selected to be on the show and would advance to the semi-finals stage but failed to advance to the Top Ten. In July, Just For Laughs announced her as part of its 'New Faces of Comedy: Unrepped' showcase which featured comedians without agents or managers yet.
In 2016, Johnson appeared on the HBO special All Def Comedy. In 2017, it was announced that a project created and starring Johnson was in development via Wanda Sykes' production company at ABC. That year, she co-starred in the web series Avant-Guardians, opposite series creator Alesia Etinoff.
She was named to Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2019.
Johnson co-hosts the Netflix series 100 Humans. She also has a recurring role in the 2020 Amazon series, Upload.
Johnson's comedy special entitled Hijabs Off was released as an Amazon Original program on October 20, 2023.
In 2025, she hosted the ABFF Honors in February 17.

## Influences

Johnson has described watching ComicView on BET, The Original Kings of Comedy and The Queens of Comedy growing up, with Eddie Murphy's Raw being her favorite stand-up comedy special and Coming to America her favorite film. She would go on to become acquainted with Murphy and describes having attended parties at his home in Los Angeles. In a September 2022 interview, she described Wanda Sykes, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Chris Rock as comedians she enjoys. Johnson also named Martin Lawrence, Adele Givens, Sommore, Sheryl Underwood, Bill Burr and Mike Epps as comedians she's been a fan of growing up.

## Personal life

She sported a shaved head for seven years between 2009 and 2016.

## Filmography and discography
### Albums and TV specials

Solo albums and TV specials :
| Title | Release date | Debut medium |
| Model Citizen | February 14, 2016 | Audio streaming |
| Unprotected Sets | October 5, 2018 | Television (Epix) |
| Hijabs Off | October 20, 2023 | Streaming TV (Prime Video) |
| The Notebook | September 18, 2024 | Streaming TV (YouTube) |
Collaborative albums and TV specials :
| Title | Release date | Debut medium |
| All Def Comedy | November 12, 2016 | Television (HBO) |
| Just For Laughs: Premium – Volume 46 | February 13, 2019 | Audio streaming |
| Comedy in Color 2: Volume 3 | March 22, 2022 | Audio streaming |
| Keep Your Distance: Volume 6 | November 23, 2023 | Audio streaming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Note |
| 2007 | Hell Date | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | 1000 Ways to Lie | |
| 2012 | Private Practice | |
| 2014 | The Arsenio Hall Show | |
| 2014 | Last Comic Standing | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Gotham Comedy Live | |
| 2014 | ComicView | |
| 2015 | Cocktail Confessions | Main cast; 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Acting Out | |
| 2017 | Idiotest | |
| 2017 | Get Your Life | |
| 2017 | American Koko | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Punchline | |
| 2017 | Avant-Guardians | Main cast; 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Cash Lift | 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | |
| 2019 | The Stand-Up Show with Katherine Ryan | |
| 2020 | Lights Out with David Spade | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | 100 Humans | |
| 2020 | Struggle Gourmet | |
| 2020, 2022 | The Drew Barrymore Show | 2 episodes |
| 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025 | Upload | Main cast; 25 episodes |
| 2021 | History of Swear Words | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Launchpad | "Growing Fangs" |
| 2022 | We Need to Talk About America | Main cast; 10 episodes |
| 2022 | Ramy | |
| 2023 | The Conor Moore Show | |
| 2024 | After Midnight | |
| 2024 | The Art Of | |

### Podcasts

| Title | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Note |
| Just Friends | 66 | 52 | October 2015 | January 30, 2017 | Co-hosted with Sydney Castillo. |
| Just Friends | 66 | 14 | June 18, 2020 | October 1, 2020 | Co-hosted with Sydney Castillo. |
| HonesTEA with Z | 154 | 153 | January 24, 2018 | March 2, 2022 | Live audience finale recorded and co-hosted with Yamaneika Saunders at Just For Laughs in Montreal, Canada. |
| HonesTEA with Z | 154 | 1 | August 10, 2022 | August 10, 2022 | | Live audience finale recorded and co-hosted with Yamaneika Saunders at Just For Laughs in Montreal, Canada. |
| I'm Reasonable | TBD | TBD | February 22, 2024 | In progress | |