It's impossible to ignore Whitney Cummings’s tenacity in making her way as a stand-up comedian and executive producer.  Her focus on issues such as sexuality, gender politics, and relationships, within her routines, have been known to polarize crowds dramatically.  Regardless of one’s opinions concerning her most recent projects, her drive and success deserve recognition.

Despite coming from a challenging background, Cummings enrolled at a competitive high school and thus, for college, she found herself at the University of Pennsylvania.  She graduated in just three years with a degree in Communications, and moved to Los Angeles post-grad.  Immediately after moving, Cummings became involved with small film and television projects.  She entered the world of stand-up in 2004, and by 2008, was considered a comedian on the rise.  Cummings would continue to ascend within the world of stand-up comedy, appearing on various TV programs in addition to Comedy Central.

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In 2011, Cummings made her first notable foray into producing.  She met director Michael Patrick King, known for his production of Sex and the City, and the two worked to co-produce the show 2 Broke Girls.  The show stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs as down-on-their-luck waitresses struggling to improve their lives in New York City.  2 Broke Girls has been largely successful, and was recently renewed for a fifth season.

Yet, as she gained success, Cummings also faced heavy criticism.  In 2013, negative reviews of her self-titled show Whitney, which she created, starred in, and produced, forced the cancellation of the show after a single season. Cummings also had a talk show on E! in 2012 titled Love You, Mean It, with Whitney Cummings which met a similar fate.

After her experience with Whitney, Cummings rejoined the world of stand-up comedy.  Her second hour-long Comedy Central special, I Love You, received mostly positive reviews.  Most recently, in January 2016, Cummings performed in the special I’m Your Girlfriend on HBO, which received mixed reviews.  Though Cummings boasts a diverse background in entertainment as well as a fierce work ethic, it appears as though her niche lies in stand-up comedy.

Whitney's road to fame was paved by overcoming tremendous adversity through sheer effort, making her way through a field traditionally hostile to women. 

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While Whitney Cummings' rise to success was hard-fought and impressive, it’s impossible to ignore the criticism that she has faced in response to much of her work along the way.  Her story is one of overcoming tremendous adversity through sheer effort; from coming from an extremely disadvantaged background to making her way through a field traditionally hostile to women.  Her story should serve as a source of inspiration for women, not only in the field of comedy, but to all women pursuing their passion and dreams.  

 

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