Sydnee Washington is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised primarily in Oakland, California. She is a 2022 Primetime Emmy nominee for her lead role in Grindr’s series Bridesman, a 2023 Writers Guild of America Award winner for Inside Amy Schumer, and a Just for Laughs New Face (2021). Her Hulu/Hartbeat stand-up special LOL Live premiered August 2025. She co-hosts the podcasts The Unofficial Expert and Mess with Marie Faustin.
Sydnee Washington Quick Facts
- Full Name: Sydnee Washington
- Born: Brooklyn, New York
- Age in 2026: 40–41 (she was 37 in August 2022 per The Hollywood Reporter; exact birth year not publicly disclosed)
- Raised In: Primarily Oakland, California; moved back to Brooklyn at 13
- Nationality: American
- Identifies As: Black, gay (came out as an adult, describes herself as a femme lesbian)
- Education: Clark University
- Known For: Lead role in Bridesman (Grindr, 2021; Emmy-nominated 2022), WGA Award for Inside Amy Schumer (2023), LOL Live on Hulu/Hartbeat (2025), co-host of The Unofficial Expert and Mess podcasts
- Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
- Instagram: @justsydbw (92K+ followers)
Who Is Sydnee Washington?
Sydnee Washington is one of New York’s most distinctive comedic voices — a stand-up, actress, writer, and podcaster whose material works because she’s lived as many lives as her jokes suggest. She grew up between Brooklyn and Oakland, spent about a decade working as a bottle waitress at high-end New York City clubs, got sober, turned the waitressing years into a 2018 one-woman show (Death of a Bottle Girl), and has since built a career that spans stand-up, scripted television, streaming specials, and the podcast world.
Her highest-profile single credit is Bridesman (Grindr’s first scripted series, 2021), where she played Judith — a role that earned her a 2022 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. She also holds a 2023 Writers Guild of America Award for her writing on Inside Amy Schumer. In August 2025, her half-hour stand-up special premiered on Hulu as part of Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat LOL Live series.
She’s a Comedy Cellar regular and is featured in Mint Comedy’s Female Comedians of the Comedy Cellar roster.
Sydnee Washington’s Early Life and Path to Comedy
Sydnee Washington was born in Brooklyn, New York. She spent most of her childhood with elderly relatives in Oakland, California, and has described herself during that period as “a little Black Dennis the Menace” — a characterization she backed up by accidentally burning down the house at age 11. (“If playing with fire was not my first time having a bit, I don’t know what was,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022.) She moved back to Brooklyn at 13.
She graduated from Clark University. Rather than going directly into comedy, she spent roughly a decade working as a bottle waitress at high-end New York City clubs — a job that gave her both the financial grounding and the material that would eventually become her stand-up. A friend repeatedly filmed her bantering with customers, edited the clips into a reel, and used it to convince her to try stand-up. She performed her first stand-up set in 2013.
Sydnee Washington’s Career Highlights
- Stand-up debut: First stand-up set in 2013
- Death of a Bottle Girl (2018) — her one-woman show, called “hilarious” by Time Out
- Comedy Central’s Up Next Showcase (2018) — featured comedian at Clusterfest
- Knitting Factory showcase — co-hosted the Sunday night show (originally started by Hannibal Buress) with Marie Faustin and Aminah Imani
- Bridesman (Grindr, 2021) — played Judith, the lead. Nominated for Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series at the 74th Emmys (2022), giving Grindr its first-ever Emmy nomination
- Just for Laughs New Face (2021)
- Writers Guild of America Award (2023) — won for writing on Inside Amy Schumer Season 5
- LOL Live with Sydnee Washington (Hulu/Hartbeat, August 2025) — her half-hour stand-up special, filmed at Hartbeat Weekend at Resorts World Las Vegas
- Early TV credits: Search Party (TBS, 2016), Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016)
Sydnee Washington’s Podcasts
- The Unofficial Expert — co-hosted with Marie Faustin. Washington and Faustin discuss their “many fields of expertise,” including flirting, online dating, stalking, sex toys, cookouts, and Runaway Brides. One of the most consistently funny comedy podcasts in the NYC scene.
- Mess (launched 2024) — Washington’s reunion with Marie Faustin, launched on the Big Money Players Network (iHeart). A follow-up to The Unofficial Expert that covers NYC pop culture, politics, and gossip.
- Peak 2000s — prior podcast credit
- Syd Can Cook (COVID lockdown Instagram Live series) — weekly cooking show where she invited fellow comedians like Julio Torres, Nicole Byer, and Ayo Edebiri to fumble through culinary misadventures with her
Sydnee Washington’s Comedy Style
Washington’s comedy is transparent in the best sense. She’s lived through working-class NYC nightlife, depression, coming out as a femme lesbian in adulthood, family roots in the civil rights movement, getting sober, and the strange middle space of being a Black woman at the center of Grindr’s first Emmy-nominated scripted project — and she uses all of it on stage. Her sets range across relationships, race, sobriety, modern dating, and the daily absurdities of being 40 and figuring things out.
Her delivery is conversational rather than performative. She reads like someone thinking out loud in a way that happens to be perfectly timed, which is why her podcast voice translates so well onto stage and back. She’s a specific kind of funny that’s difficult to fake — the kind that comes from having enough lived material that you don’t need to invent any.
Where to Watch Sydnee Washington
Watch LOL Live with Sydnee Washington on Hulu (premiered August 15, 2025). Bridesman is available on Grindr’s YouTube channel. Listen to The Unofficial Expert and Mess on all major podcast platforms. Catch her live stand-up sets on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.
For related Mint editorial, see Female Comedians of the Comedy Cellar, Where Are Mint Comedy’s Comedians From?, and the complete guide to the Mint Comedy comedian roster.
Follow her on Instagram at @justsydbw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sydnee Washington?
Sydnee Washington is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster. She was Emmy-nominated in 2022 for her lead role in Grindr’s Bridesman, won a 2023 Writers Guild of America Award for Inside Amy Schumer, and her Hulu/Hartbeat stand-up special LOL Live with Sydnee Washington premiered in August 2025. She co-hosts the podcasts The Unofficial Expert and Mess with Marie Faustin.
How old is Sydnee Washington?
Sydnee Washington was 37 in August 2022 (per The Hollywood Reporter). That puts her at approximately 40–41 years old in 2026. Her exact birth year has not been publicly disclosed.
Where is Sydnee Washington from?
Sydnee Washington was born in Brooklyn, New York. She spent most of her childhood with family in Oakland, California, then moved back to Brooklyn at age 13. She currently lives in Brooklyn.
What TV shows has Sydnee Washington been in?
Sydnee Washington is best known as Judith, the lead in Bridesman (Grindr, 2021). She has also appeared on Search Party (TBS, 2016), Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016), and Broad City. She is a writer on Inside Amy Schumer, for which she won a Writers Guild of America Award in 2023.
Is Sydnee Washington Emmy-nominated?
Yes. Sydnee Washington received a 2022 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her lead role in Bridesman. The nomination was part of the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards and gave Grindr its first-ever Emmy recognition.
Does Sydnee Washington have a Netflix special?
No. Sydnee Washington does not currently have a Netflix special. Her half-hour stand-up special LOL Live with Sydnee Washington premiered on Hulu in August 2025 as part of Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat series.
What podcasts does Sydnee Washington host?
Sydnee Washington co-hosts The Unofficial Expert and Mess (launched 2024 on the Big Money Players Network / iHeart) with fellow comedian Marie Faustin. She has also co-hosted Peak 2000s and the Instagram Live series Syd Can Cook.
Where did Sydnee Washington go to college?
Sydnee Washington graduated from Clark University.
What was Sydnee Washington’s job before comedy?
Sydnee Washington worked for roughly a decade as a bottle waitress at high-end New York City clubs before pursuing stand-up comedy full-time. Her 2018 one-woman show Death of a Bottle Girl is built on that experience.
Where can I watch Sydnee Washington live?
Sydnee Washington performs at the Comedy Cellar in New York City. Mint Comedy streams the Cellar live — subscribers can catch her sets when she’s in the rotation at watch.mintcomedy.com.
Watch Sydnee Washington Live from the Comedy Cellar
Stream live stand-up from the Comedy Cellar — including Sydnee Washington when she’s in the rotation. $5.99/month.
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