Lisa Lampanelli (born Lisa Lampugnale, July 19, 1961, in Trumbull, Connecticut), often called the Queen of Mean, is an Grammy nominated American stand-up comedian and insult comic.

Journalism career

Lampanelli graduated from Syracuse University in 1983 with a degree in journalism and went through a graduate program at Harvard in 1986. She worked as a copy editor at Popular Mechanics and an assistant at Rolling Stone. She was also a fact checker and the first chief of research for Spy magazine; a book about Spy describes her then as "your average decked-out-heavy-metal-head-next-door." Speaking later to Maxim Magazine Online, Lampanelli remarked, "I was a real journalist for Rolling Stone, Spy, Hit Parader. I interviewed those fuckin' hair bands: Cinderella, Slaughter. They were dumb as a post."

Comedy career

Lampanelli began her stand-up career in New York in the early 1990s. She made her break at the 2002 New York Friars' Club roast of Chevy Chase, and went on to participate in the roasts of Pamela Anderson, Jeff Foxworthy, Flavor Flav, and William Shatner. Lampanelli released a comedy special on DVD entitled Take it Like A Man, appeared in the 2006 motion picture Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and had a cameo appearance in the VH1 sitcom So NoTORIous. She also landed a deal with Fox for a sitcom pilot with the tentative title Big Loud Lisa, which was considered a candidate for the network's 2006-07 television season.

Lampanelli is frequently on the dais for The Howard Stern Show roasts, including appearances at the roasts for Gary Dell'Abate, Artie Lange, Andy Dick, KKK member Daniel Carver, Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, and most recently in Comedy Central's Roast of Flavor Flav on August 12th, 2007.

Lampanelli taped her new stand-up special Dirty Girl in the fall of 2006, which aired on Comedy Central on January 28, 2007. Her "Dirty Girl" CD and "Dirty Girl .. No Protection" DVD were released by Warner Bros./Jack Records on January 30, 2007.

She was also featured in the movie Delta Farce starring Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, and D.J. Qualls, which was released early in 2007.

Racial humor is a large part of her comedy routine. In particular, she makes frequent references to her real-life relationships with black men. In an interview with AskMen.com, she explained:

"...my problem is, I can't get a good-looking white guy anymore, I just don't have the looks to get that. I can get hot blacks, but also blacks are now starting to get uppity and go for the skinny white ones and the Asians, which is very offensive to me that they don't stick with their roots — the chubby white girl!"

Awards and Nominations

Nominations

• Grammys 2008 Best Comedy Album - "Dirty Girl"