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Making us laugh for over 20 years, the legendary Diana Shulman aka D'yan Forest (USA) proves that age is just a number when you’ve got this much talent.
The world of comedy is full of funny people, but there is one special comedian who stands out from the rest.
D’yan, 88, is officially recognized as the oldest comedian (female) in the world. Born on 31 July 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts, she has been entertaining audiences for 20 years and was 87 years 201 days old when her achievement was officially recognized.
D’yan is a multi-talented comedian, singer, and musician. She performs stand-up comedy in both English and French, and she can play several musical instruments.
Over the years, she has been interviewed by famous personalities like Joan Rivers, Howard Stern, and Judy Gold, and has fans from all around the world.
Recently, D’yan appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she spoke about how she started her comedy career. She shared that she started out playing piano and singing in lounges pretending to be French!
“Well I was playing piano and singing in lounges for years, and in cabaret, and pretended I was French," she said.
"Then 9/11 happened and us musicians were out of work for a year. People were very sad.
“And so, I finally asked a friend of mine, ‘how do you get into comedy?’ and she put me right in the show and after three weeks people laughed at me. I was amazed and I’ve been doing it ever since for 20 years.”
The comedian cheekily joked that she’d finally got her hands on the record because her fellow comic friend, Ruth Miller, who was six months older than her, had passed away.
She quipped: “I mean what a tragedy? But what a lucky break for me!”
D’yan’s achievement of being the oldest comedian (female) was presented to her by Ross Mathews from reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, who was beaming as he handed her a Guinness World Records certificate.
D’yan is as tough as she is funny and she’s battled cancer twice, joking she “didn’t beat cancer twice not to become the oldest at something”.
On her 88th birthday, D’yan performed a one-hour, one-woman show telling her life story at Joe's Pub in New York City.
It was her first long, one-woman show since the pandemic hit and celebrated her return to the stage after Covid.
D’yan is a true inspiration and an outstanding talent in the world of comedy.
Her journey and achievements are a testament to the power of determination, courage, and humour.
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