Introduction
Zainab Johnson is a Yemeni-American comedian and actress. She is best known as a semi-finalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Johnson is a series regular on Amazon's Upload.
Life
Johnson was born and raised in Harlem, New York, one of thirteen children of a devout Muslim family. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics with the intention of becoming a teacher.
Johnson later moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She took a job as a production assistant for comedy shows and began to cultivate an interest in comedy. She gained wider visibility when she appeared on season 8 of Last Comic Standing. Johnson advanced as a semi-finalist.
Career
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.