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Moms Mabley

Comedy history · 16 facts, each from at least two of 7 independent sources · last reviewed 2026-10-17

Moms Mabley was an African-American comedian and entertainer from Brevard, North Carolina.1,2,3,4,5 In the late 1930s, she became the first woman comedian to take the stage at Harlem's Apollo Theater.2,4,6

Early Life

Mabley's birth name was Loretta Mary Aiken, and she was born in Brevard, North Carolina.2,4,5,6 Sources disagree on the year: one account gives her birth date as March 19, 1894, while others list 1897.2,3,4,5,6 One source spells her first name Lorretta.3,5

Stage Career

In 1931, she worked with the writer Zora Neale Hurston on the Broadway revue Fast and Furious.4,5 She drew audiences at the Cotton Club in Harlem and at Club Harlem in Atlantic City, where she shared the stage with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie.1,4,5 Her first Apollo appearance came in 1939, and she later performed at Carnegie Hall.1,2,4,5,6,7 On stage, she played an elderly woman whose jokes centered on her fondness for younger men.1,3

Film and Television

Mabley acted in The Big Timers in 1945, and in 1948 she appeared in both Boarding House Blues and Killer Diller.4,5 On television, she made guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show as well as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.5,6,7

Legacy

Whoopi Goldberg made her first film as a director with a documentary about Mabley.6,8 In the film, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Sidney Poitier and other performers talk about Mabley's influence.6,8

Sources

  1. THEATER; The Pain Behind The Laughter of Moms Mabley - New York Times (nytimes.com) · archived copy
  2. March by James Wright | The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor (publicradio.org) · archived copy
  3. Brevard-born comedy pioneer Moms Mabley back in spotlight - Carolina Public Press (carolinapublicpress.org)
  4. Moms Mabley - Quotes, Movie & Albums (biography.com)
  5. Moms Mabley | Encyclopedia.com (encyclopedia.com)
  6. 'Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley' review (sfgate.com)
  7. Meet the legendary queer comedian 'Moms' Mabley - LGBTQ Nation (lgbtqnation.com)
  8. Whoopi Goldberg’s Documentary on Moms Mabley - NYTimes.com (nytimes.com) · archived copy

Updated November 12, 2026.

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