Lisa Lampanelli

A kind of female crowd-heckling Don Rickles with a dash of the foul-mouthed Andrew Dice Clay, American stand-up and insult-slinger Lisa Lampanelli earned every letter of her nickname, "Queen of Mean." A late-bloomer on the comedy club circuit, Lampanelli nevertheless achieved comedic greatness in the 21st century with her blatant politically incorrect routines. She paid her dues working the New York City stand-up circuit, which served her well when she later became Comedy Central's golden girl, famous for scathing celebrities on the network's beloved roasts such stars as Pamela Anderson, William Shatner and David Hasselhoff. She also successfully aligned herself with the "King of all Media" Howard Stern, appearing as a regular on his successful radio show. Along with television and movie roles that played up her raunchy brand of comedy - often laden with quips and insults hurled at ethnic and social stereotypes - much of Lampanelli's appeal stemmed from her bawdy self-deprecation about either her weight or her so-called promiscuous nature. The complete opposite of her stage personal in her private life, Lampanelli created a scathing legacy of poking fun at celebrities who, despite their horror of being lambasted by the confrontational comic, considered her - as did the general public - a delightful breath of fresh air in the world of female stand-up comedy.