Michelle Buteau, London Hughes, Sam Jay to Participate in ‘Mentorship & Black Women in Comedy’ Messenger Conversation

Michelle Buteau, London Hughes and Sam Jay will participate in “Room for Discussion: Mentorship & Black Women in Comedy,” a conversation presented by Messenger, in honor of Black History Month. The comedians will interact with and answer questions from five up-and-coming Black female comics from the Facebook group Displaced Comedians, which was created during the pandemic for comedians to network and share opportunities. The conversation will stream in a Messenger Room on Variety’s Facebook page on Thursday at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

Actress, author and comedian Buteau published her debut book, “Survival of the Thickest,” in December 2020, and her first one-hour comedy special, “Welcome to Buteaupia,” is on Netflix. She is the host of Netflix’s “The Circle,” which will return for Season 2 this spring, and is in production on Season 2 of the BET Plus original series “The First Wives Club.” Her next film, “Marry Me,” will be released in 2022.

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Hughes is a British comedian and writer whose Netflix special “To Catch a D*ck” premiered last year to critical acclaim. The special was based on her Edinburgh Fringe Festival stand-up show of the same name. She became the first Black female nominated for best comedy show out of the festival. London can currently be seen on “The Netflix Afterparty” and “History of Swear Words.”

Stand-up comedian and writer Jay is currently in production on her upcoming late-night HBO series from executive producer Prentice Penny that will tackle race, politics and more. In 2017 she began her comedy career as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and last year premiered a Netflix special titled “3 in the Morning.”

“Black History is constantly shaped by people who are living their stories out loud. Black Women in comedy today are defining the industry and making waves around the world. From breakout roles in movies to award-winning comedy specials and podcasts, together these women are building a rich and diverse comedic legacy. Messenger is proud to partner with Variety to host ‘Room For Discussion: Mentorship & Black Women in Comedy’ on Messenger Rooms featuring Michelle Buteau, London Hughes, and Sam Jay. We can’t wait to tune in as these fearless funny ladies chat about creating change and uplifting future generations to come,” said Messenger Team.

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