Throughout Melissa McCarthy’s childhood, there were female comedians who defined their time and inspired McCarthy to become one herself.
But when McCarthy entered the game, the genre was saturated by male comedians such as Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell.
Carol Burnett gained prominence in the late ’60s with her hilarious sketch comedy show The Carol Burnett Show, Gilda Radner became an iconic part of Saturday Night Live’s early days and Madeline Kahn starred in Mel Brooks classics such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, among other endeavors.