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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Phoebe Robinson

Phoebe Robinson

Her comedy got better the moment she gave up on girlbossing.

Portrait credit:

Photo: Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham / CC-BY-3.0

1 special · 2025

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Robinson paces the stage with loose strides, holding the microphone low and treating the space like a crowded living room. She will set up an awkward romantic disaster or an inconvenient bodily truth, let her voice drop into a confidential murmur, and punctuate the punchline with an amused shoulder shimmy. When a joke lingers, she pauses, locks eyes with someone in the first two rows, and lets a dry look do the work of a second tag.

Stand-up specials

On stage

After breaking out through the podcast circuit and co-creating 2 Dope Queens, she spent years balancing television writing, book publishing, and running a production company. Her standup specials, including Sorry, Harriet Tubman and I Don’t Want to Work Anymore, show a performer who traded early hustle culture for exhaustion. The crowds she draws come for the pop-culture detours, but the real draw is the shared relief of watching someone admit that ambition is tiring.

Her sets are sharpest when ridiculing the corporate girlboss fantasy, dating older men, or the quiet misery of underwire bras. At times the pacing can drift, letting casual banter dilute the tension when an anecdote takes too many detours. But that looseness is also what keeps the room on her side.

Before running an imprint or touring theaters, Robinson spent years working open mics across New York after studying screenwriting at Pratt Institute. She learned how to build a scene before she ever had an audience, which is why her stage gossip rarely loses the plot.

Turning points

  1. Started Standup via Class at Carolines

    Took an eight-week standup comedy class at Carolines on Broadway in New York City in June or July 2008, launching her standup career.

  2. 2016–2019

    Launch of 2 Dope Queens Podcast and HBO Series

    Co-created the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens with Jessica Williams in 2016, which was adapted into eight hour-long HBO specials airing in 2018 and 2019.

  3. Debut of Solo Podcast Sooo Many White Guys

    Premiered her solo WNYC Studios interview podcast Sooo Many White Guys on July 12, 2016, executive produced by Ilana Glazer, centering women, people of color, and LGBTQ guests.

  4. 2019–2021

    Founded Tiny Reparations Company and Publishing Imprint

    Launched production company Tiny Reparations under ABC Signature in 2019 and publishing imprint Tiny Reparations Books in 2021 to champion writers of color.

  5. 2019–2021

    Edinburgh Fringe Debut and First Solo Special

    Made her UK standup debut at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe with Sorry, Harriet Tubman, which later premiered as her debut hour-long solo special on HBO Max in October 2021 after pandemic delays.

  6. Adaptation of Everything's Trash for Freeform

    Created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in the Freeform sitcom Everything's Trash, adapted from her second bestselling essay collection.

  7. First-Look Deal with Sony Pictures Television

    Signed a two-year first-look television deal with Sony Pictures Television in July 2024.

  8. YouTube Release of I Don't Wanna Work Anymore

    Released her standup comedy special I Don't Wanna Work Anymore on YouTube in October 2025, critiquing millennial girl-boss hustle culture.

  9. –

    Moderated Michelle Obama's Becoming Book Tour

    Served as a five-time moderator for former First Lady Michelle Obama's international Becoming book tour events in the U.S. and Europe.

At a glance

Born
, Bedford, Ohio
On stage
since 2008
Style
observational, storytelling, conversational, crowd work
Breakout
2 Dope Queens (podcast and HBO specials, 2016-2019); Sorry, Harriet Tubman (2021 HBO Max special); I Don't Wanna Work Anymore (2025 YouTube special).
Influences
Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Bill Burr
Topics
Elsewhere
Website, Wikipedia, Instagram

Fans also like

  • Ilana Glazer

    Executive produced Robinson's podcast Sooo Many White Guys and collaborated with her on Broad City and Everything's Trash, But It's Okay, sharing a millennial urban comedy audience.

    Photo: PhilipRomanoPhoto / CC-BY-SA-4.0

  • Wanda Sykes

    Cited by Robinson as a formative standup influence whose specials helped inspire her comedic approach.

    Photo: Greg Hernandez / CC-BY-2.0

  • Margaret Cho

    Explicitly named by Robinson as an early standup influence she emulated while developing her own onstage voice.

    Photo: Derek Nicoletto / CC-BY-SA-2.0

  • Kate Berlant

    Named by Robinson as a comic contemporary whose positive experience at the Edinburgh Fringe encouraged Robinson's own festival debut.

    Photo: MorningsCouldBeHuge / CC-BY-SA-4.0

Podcasts

  • 2 Dope Queens · co-host

    Podcast featuring diverse comedians and entertainers alongside candid conversations on race, politics, dating, and pop culture.

    Spotify · Apple Podcasts

  • Sooo Many White Guys · host

    Solo interview talk show spotlighting women, people of color, and LGBTQ guests in response to the predominance of white men in comedy.

    Apple Podcasts

  • Black Frasier · host

    Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube

Also on screen

Broad City Shenae (Episode: 'What a Wonderful World').
2016–2017
I Love Dick Suki (7 episodes).
Netflix Presents: The Characters Phoebe (Episode: 'Natasha Rothwell').
In Case of Emergency Charlene
Search Party Emily (2 episodes).