Comediennes: Phyllis Diller

Published: Dec. 6, 2023, 8 a.m.

Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) was a pioneering female comic in the U.S. Her invented onstage persona \u2013 a hapless housewife with a dawdling husband named Fang \u2013 was iconic on late-night TV and in theaters across the country. Her abrasive humor left no stone unturned and paved the way for female comics to embrace a more unconventional style of comedy.