Gina Yashere

EARLY LIFE

Gina Yashere was born Regina Obedapo Iyashere and raised in Bethnal Green, London to Nigerian parents. Before becoming a comedian, she worked as a lift maintenance technician and engineer, becoming the first woman to reach this position in her company. She uses the surname 'Yashere' due to common mispronunciation of her original surname.

CAREER

Yashere was a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition in 1996. She has appeared in numerous television programmes including The Lenny Henry Show and voiced Keisha on Bromwell High. In 2005, she participated in Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and co-hosted the MOBO Awards in 2006 and 2007. She made multiple appearances on Mock the Week and in 2007, was a finalist on Last Comic Standing. In 2008, she became the first Briton to perform on Def Comedy Jam. She has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where she had a sketch comedy series called Madame Yashere: The Surly Psychic. Her one-hour comedy specials include Skinny B*tch and Laughing To America. From 2017, she was a British correspondent for The Daily Show. In 2019, Yashere co-created the American sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, on which she also plays a supporting role as Kemi.