Elayne Boosler
Stand-up comedian

Elayne Boosler

Who Elayne Boosler is

American stand-up comedian, writer and animal-rescue activist from Brooklyn who began at The Improv in New York in 1973 and was one of the few women working in stand-up in the 1970s and '80s, known for frank observational and political material. Her self-financed special Party of One, shot in 1985 and aired on Showtime in 1986, was the first hour-long comedy special by a woman on a cable network, and Showtime followed with Broadway Baby, Top Tomata and Live Nude Girls. In 2001 she founded the animal-rescue nonprofit Tails of Joy.

At a glance

Born
1952
Style
Club independence, Political
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Comedy Store
Stand-up specials
Party of One, Broadway Baby, Top Tomata and 2 more
Albums
50/50 Club
On screen
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Shape of Things, Comic Relief and 5 more
Official site
elayneboosler.com ↗

On stage

No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: elayneboosler.com ↗.

Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Where they got their start

Came up the same way

Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Comedy Store:

The Launching Pads: the shows the comedians came through →

Comedians like Elayne Boosler

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1952Born
  2. 1977The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guest, first appearance 1977) On screen
  3. 1982The Shape of Things (cast, NBC, 1982) On screen
  4. 1986Party of One (1986, Showtime) Special
  5. 1986Comedy From Here (writer, director and actor, Cinemax, 1986) On screen
  6. 1987Broadway Baby (1987, Showtime) Special
  7. 1988CableACE Awards (co-host with John Larroquette, 1988) On screen
  8. 1989Top Tomata (1989, Showtime) Special
  9. 1989The Call (writer, director and actor, Cinemax, 1989) On screen
  10. 1991Live Nude Girls (1991, Showtime) Special
  11. 1992Elayne Boosler's Midnight Hour (1992, Showtime, live New Year's Eve special) Special
  12. 2004Balderdash (host, PAX, 2004) On screen
  13. 201850/50 Club (2018, Comedy Dynamics) Album

Questions about Elayne Boosler

Where is Elayne Boosler performing next?

No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: elayneboosler.com ↗.

What stand-up specials have they released?

Party of One, Broadway Baby, Top Tomata, Live Nude Girls and Elayne Boosler's Midnight Hour.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Shape of Things, Comic Relief, Hollywood Squares, Balderdash and Comedy From Here, among 8 credits.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (first appearance) and The Comedy Store (a regular performer there).

When were they born?

In 1952.

Who are some comedians like them?

Buddy Hackett (also in Hollywood Squares), Joan Rivers (also in Hollywood Squares), Totie Fields (also in Hollywood Squares), Whoopi Goldberg (also in Comic Relief) and George Carlin (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.

Their SUCDb record →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026