Comedians to book for Pride and LGBTQ+ network events

Pride programming has a credibility problem when the entertainment gets booked separately from the message. A comedian who happens to be free in June is a different proposition to one whose material, career and audience already sit in this space.

These seven all work LGBTQ+ events properly. Between them they cover a headline set, a host for the whole evening, a keynote with business substance and a drag cabaret, so you can build a Pride event around this list rather than bolting an act onto it.

Who should you book for a Pride or LGBTQ+ network event?

Book someone whose connection to the event is real rather than scheduled. The strongest choices are comedians who are already out in their material, who have LGBTQ+ work in their credits, and who can speak to an employee network without turning the evening into a lecture. Recognition helps, because a Pride event still has to fill a room.

Think about format early, too. A network event that runs across an afternoon needs a host and a panel chair as much as a headliner, and several of the people below do both.

Stephen Bailey

The natural Pride-season booking, and the most format-flexible name here: stand-up, event host, after-dinner, facilitator, panellist, Q&A leader and virtual, all from one person. He hosts Celebs on the Farm for Channel 5, is an established LGBT+ advocate, and has worked with EY, Oracle, Capgemini, AstraZeneca, HSBC, BT, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz and Cisco. Book him to run the whole day.

Learn more and book Stephen Bailey →

Holly Stars

A drag performer with West End credentials: she created and starred in Death Drop across three West End runs and a sold-out UK tour, stars in and co-created Holly Stars: Inspirational for Amazon Prime and OUTtv, and produces a monthly Soho cabaret. Her debut novel Murder in the Dressing Room came out in paperback in February 2025. Host, headliner and author Q&A in one booking.

Learn more and book Holly Stars →

Mawaan Rizwan

A BAFTA winner who wrote, starred in and co-produced BBC Three's Juice, wrote for Netflix's Sex Education, and made the documentary How Gay Is Pakistan?. Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020. Surreal, high-energy and substantive on queer identity and the immigrant experience. The strongest pick for a creative-sector or younger audience.

Learn more and book Mawaan Rizwan →

Em Stroud

The one to book when the Pride event needs business substance alongside the comedy. She created and stars in Tales From a Little Laughing Lesbian, co-founded The Leadership Impact School, coaches executives and wrote Lessons From a Clown. She works as moderator, panellist, host and corporate speaker, so she can chair your network panel and then close it.

Learn more and book Em Stroud →

Alex Mitchell

A Britain's Got Talent finalist who's both an LGBTQ+ and a neurodiversity advocate, performing about his own experience of autism and Tourette's. He hosts the Queers On podcast and sells out solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. The right call when Pride and disability inclusion sit under the same network, or when you want a name the wider workforce recognises.

Learn more and book Alex Mitchell →

Josh Jones

A Manchester comedian who's openly gay and builds material out of it, plus the voice he was once mocked for and now trades on. Credits include 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The Jonathan Ross Show, Late Night Mash and hosting Fast Food Face-Off for BBC Three and V.I.Pees for Channel 4. Northern, fast and no-filter.

Learn more and book Josh Jones →

Jen Nolan

A Queerovision champion and East London observational comic with unfiltered cockney charm. A Pleasance Comedy Reserve performer, Best in Class 2023 and Leicester Circuit Breakers 2025, and co-host of the Pokes & Jokes podcast. The value pick for a smaller network event, or a support slot ahead of a bigger name.

Learn more and book Jen Nolan →

When should you book for Pride?

Book by February for a June date. Pride month compresses a year's worth of LGBTQ+ programming into four weeks, and the comedians who work this space get held early, often by the same organisations year after year. By April the strongest names are usually gone.

It also pays to programme outside June. LGBT History Month in February, National Coming Out Day in October and Trans Awareness Week in November all give a network something to build around, and availability is far better. An event in a quieter month often gets more attention internally than one competing with everything else in the Pride calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should a Pride event book a comedian or a speaker?

Several people here do both, which is usually the better answer. Em Stroud delivers leadership content with the comedy carrying it, and Stephen Bailey can facilitate a session and then perform. A comedian who only performs works best as the closing act rather than the whole programme.

Can these comedians host a panel as well as perform?

Stephen Bailey and Em Stroud are both positioned as moderators and panellists, and Holly Stars hosts a monthly cabaret, so holding a stop-start running order is her day job. Confirm the format at enquiry so the fee covers it.

Will the material work for a mixed audience who aren't all LGBTQ+?

Yes. Everyone here works mainstream corporate and television rooms, so the material's built to land with a general audience. Tell them the split between network members and allies in the room, since it changes how much context they build in.

Is a drag act appropriate for a corporate Pride event?

It depends on your organisation and your audience, and it's a conversation to have upfront rather than an assumption either way. Holly Stars works corporate rooms and adapts to the brief, with West End and Amazon Prime credits that make the booking easy to justify internally.

💡 Planning a Pride or LGBTQ+ network event? Tell us the month, the format and the size of the room, and we'll find the perfect PepTalk expert for your organisation. Send us a message and we'll set up a free strategy call. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!