“I kind of knew inside that I wanted to try comedy, but it was a mystery. How do you start? So when I hit 30 and I had done everything I wanted to do in journalism, so I went to a comedy class. I figured I'd learn how to do five minutes and see how it feels.”

American former stand-up comedian, actress, and insult comic

Lisa Lampanelli is an American former stand-up comedian, actress, and insult comic. She built her career around sharp, confrontational comedy and became known for a style that relied on roasting and blunt audience rapport. As a performer, she worked in stand-up and acting, with much of her public identity tied to insult comedy. Her material is associated with direct, unsparing humor and the kind of performance that turns personal jabs into stagecraft.