Scene-Stealers: 14 Comedic Actresses Who Outshined Their Leads

You’ll definitely remember these movie and TV moments. Let’s reminisce, release our giggles and give a round of applause to 14 scene-stealing comedic actresses.

Published December 17, 2024

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Who is your favorite scene-stealing actress, and what do you think was her best role? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Laughter is good medicine, and is clinically shown to relieve stress, reduce pain and boost your immune system. That’s good news, since we love to laugh out loud, especially when the punchline is delivered by a spirited, sardonic or sarcastic sister.

In more recent years, Issa Rae and Quinta Brunson, have done us proud in front of the camera and behind the scenes with their comedic shows, Insecure and Abbott Elementary, respectively (read about more funny and fearless sisters). But oftentimes our humor heroines have been relegated to supporting or ensemble roles, even when they’re just as funny or funnier than the actors first on the call sheet.

For example, when it comes to several of our beloved 70s sitcoms, we can’t imagine Sanford and Son without the verbal sparring between LaWanda Page’s ornery Aunt Esther and Red Foxx’s grumpy Fred G. Sanford, or What’s Happening!! without sassy little sister Dee, played by Danielle Spencer, tattling on her brother Raj and his friends. Similarly, we doubt The Jeffersons would have been as amusing without Marla Gibbs’s meddling housekeeper Florence Johnston keeping Sherman Hemsley’s obstinate George Jefferson in check.

These queens of comedy bested their leads with eye rolls, biting wit, and impeccable comic timing, and that’s why we want to give Page, Spencer and Gibbs, plus eleven more scenes stealing funny ladies from TV and film their flowers.

Sheryl Lee Ralph in Abbott Elementary

Sheryl Lee Ralph in Abbott Elementary

Whenever she enters the chat with the rest of the hilarious Abbott Elementary cast, we can’t take our eyes off of Ralph, who plays the delightfully deadpan kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard. The restrained role earned the Broadway diva who was the original Deena in Dreamgirls, her first Emmy.

Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost

Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost

Talk about Black girl magic. Goldberg stole the unexpected box office blockbuster from Ghost stars Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze with her conflicted and comical portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown. The native New Yorker’s performance was so outstanding that she won the 1991 Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Tiffany Haddish in Girls Trip

Tiffani Haddish in Girls Trip

As the wildest member of the “Flossy Posse” the stand-up comedian was a standout in Girls Trip, the raucous comedy about four lifelong friends who reunite in New Orleans for the Essence Festival. And dare we say, Haddish, a newcomer from South Central LA, outshone the stellar cast’s more seasoned leading ladies Queen Latifah, Regina Hall and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Tichina Arnold in Martin

On the 90s sitcom favorite, Martin, no one traded comical barbs and jabs with Martin Lawrence’s hotheaded radio personality Martin Payne better than Arnold, who played Tisha Campell’s brash bestie Pamela James.

Loretta Devine in Waiting to Exhale

We will never forget the Waiting to Exhale scene where Devine’s curvy character Gloria invites her handsome new neighbor Marvin (Gregory Hines) over for dinner and then coquettishly sashays away while he watches.

Regina Hall in Scary Movie

The versatile Hall showed off her physical comedy prowess opposite costars Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Anna Faris, as gutsy round the way girl Brenda in Scary Movie, a farcical spoof on slasher movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Leslie Uggams in Deadpool

Uggams is an award-winning singer, dancer and actress. But in the dark comedy Deadpool, she flexed her funny bone as gangsta granny Blind Al. As more proof of her range, the veteran of stage and screen wowed audiences with her performance as a complicated matriarch living with Alzheimers in 2023’s award-winning American Fiction.

Leslie Jones in Ghostbusters

If we need a ghostbuster, we would definitely call Jones, who played a no nonsense New York City transit worker turned poltergeist chaser in the all-female reboot of the sci-fi comedy classic. The Memphis native held her own alongside Melissa McCarthy and fellow SNL alum Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon.

Anna Maria Horsford in Amen

On this church-based 80s sitcom with a rousing gospel theme song, Horsford made her presence known as Thelma, the spoiled and determined only daughter of Sherman Hemsley’s devilish Deacon Ernest Frye. The Harlem native’s catchphrase was “Daddy!,” and Horsford also chewed up scenes with her reticent love interest Rev. Reuben Gregory, played by Clifton Davis.

Marsha Warfield in Night Court

The Chicago actress got her start as a member of Richard Pryor’s controversial sketch comedy show in 1977. But playing brash bailiff Rosalind “Roz” Russell on the long-running series Night Court made her a household name. The proud LGBTQ+ proponent even reprised the role of Roz on the 2023 NBC reboot.

Beyonce Knowles in Austin Powers in Goldmember

Everyone knows that Beyonce is fierce, but she also has a wicked sense of humor as the superstar flaunted as Mike Myers’ saucy, auburn Afro-ed sidekick, Foxxy Cleopatra, in the third Austin Powers film. Watching Bey be goofy in Goldmember is refreshing and we got another glimpse of her silly side in her iconic Verizon Super Bowl commercial.

Who is your favorite scene-stealing actress, and what do you think was her best role? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

A fan of music, dance and cats, Tracy E. Hopkins is a lifestyle and culture writer who has contributed to numerous print and digital publications, including Essence, Woman's Day, Prevention, Fodor's and Entertainment Weekly.