How Whitney Cummings Became One Of The Biggest Comedians In The World
Hailing from Washington DC, Whitney Cummings has stated that she came from a chaotic household that has been her inspiration while writing comedy. While Cummings modeled in the early years of her career post-college, she developed a love for comedy before working at various clubs. Her breakout role occurred through MTV, and she worked in minor roles on television shows while continuing her career as a steady stand-up comedian. She was inspired to become a show creator by appearing in comedy roasts and doing hour-long television specials. She produced various shows under her name, the most popular being 2 Broke Girls, establishing her as one of the most successful female comedians.
As a co-creator and producer, Whitney Cummings makes millions every year from syndication fees and royalties, which have amassed her a $30 million fortune. Along with the show, she is also a successful author and a podcaster with a series that invites various artists from Hollywood to join her for a chat. From working at local comedy clubs to becoming a successful showrunner, let’s look at how Whitney Cummings became one of the biggest female comedians in the world.
Whitney Cummings was only five years old when her parents divorced, and she lived with her aunt in Virginia until turning twelve. While in high school, Cummings worked at a news station owned by NBC in Washington DC and later studied acting at a Studio Theater. She entered the entertainment industry by pursuing a career as a department store model and later moved to the West Coast to enroll at the University of Southern California. As mentioned by IMDB, Cummings graduated Magna Cum Laude in Communications to pursue journalism. However, she fell in love with comedy soon after.
Working as a struggling comedian, Cummings had a start as any other artist, performing at local clubs around LA. After getting discovered by MTV producers, Cummings starred in Punk’d in 2004 alongside Ashton Kutcher. While working in small-budget movies, she slowly continued her career as a stand-up comedian. In 2007, she was named Variety’s 10 Comics To Watch due to her dedication to working hard every day and her observational comedy, as noted by Variety. Along with taking on minor roles in romantic comedies, Cummings also appeared in various Roasts hosted by Comedy Central. She was a part of the panel for David Hasselhoff, Donald Trump, and Joan Rivers.
The early 2010s was a new decade for Whitney Cummings as she had creative ideas to build her budding career. In 2010, she had her first one-hour television special, Whitney Cummings: Moneyshot, and even went on the Rescue Me Comedy Tour with Denis Leary. The following year, she produced and co-created her TV show Whitney based on a semi-fictional version of herself which ran for two seasons until 2013. The show aired thirty-eight episodes during its run before ending.
The same year that Whitney was released, Cummings was also on her way to releasing her second show, a comedy sitcom 2 Broke Girls on CBS. Amidst the male-centric lineup of shows on the network, 2 Broke Girls starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, was a new idea conceptualized from Cummings’ early days as a struggling comedian. The show revolved around two waitresses and their struggles of being broke. The show became a wild success and ran for six consecutive seasons with famous cameos from stars such as Kim Kardashian, RuPaul, Martha Stewart, and Lindsay Lohan.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cummings made her directorial debut with the comedy movie The Female Brain in 2017. Around the same time, 2 Broke Girls ended its six-season 138-episode run. It has become a steady income source for the co-creator as TBS won the rights for $1.7 million per episode, a then-record, and gave $235.6 million for its first syndication run. Cummings will make $50 million steadily over the years through the royalties.
With her comedy specials, television shows, and directorial debut, Whitney Cummings also became a published author when she released the book I'm Fine…And Other Lies in 2011, publishing short stories about her life. Then, after a few years of working as an Executive Producer on Rosanne, she returned to comedy with Netflix. In 2019, her fourth comedy special, Can I Touch It? released on Netflix, and she began her podcast Good For You, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth.
In 2021, Cummings released an audiobook of her first hour-long special, Whitney Cummings: Money Shot. In addition, the star is currently busy with her podcast, wherein she invites comedians and people from all walks of life to discuss life and relationships. She has had notable guests such as comedian Nikki Glaser, actress Emily Hampshire from Schitt’s Creek, and acclaimed chef Grant Achatz.
Whitney Cummings has established herself as a pioneer in bringing a new generation of female stand-up comedians who speak their minds. She is the first female comedian to perform stand-up comedy routines in Beirut and Dubai and has actively shared her opinions about politics. In addition, Cummings continues to work on her podcast and shares quirky stories from her life.
Sources: IMDB, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Celebrity Net Worth
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