ashley ray
is a Los Angeles-based comedian, writer and pop culture critic by way of Rockford, IL (and Chicago). She explores the intersection between culture and the intimacies of race, gender, queerness, and sexuality. Ray studied media at Williams College, is a leading pop culture voice and the creator of the Badass Black Women's History Month Project. A frequent Tweeter (before she was suspended) and podcast guest, Ray's unique brand of off-puttingly black Black comedy has been covered in The Chicago Tribune, Vulture, and VoyageLA.
She worked at The Onion and performed with Clickhole Live from 2016-2018. Her newsletter about TV, pop culture and life as a solo poly bisexual dream babe was named "One of the Best 2020 Newsletters to Subscribe to That Will Keep You Informed and Entertained" by Marie Claire. She is the host of TV, I Say, a podcast that has featured guests like Seth Rogen, Roxane Gay, and Nicco Annan. Ray also perform stand-up comedy at festivals, clubs, showcases, venues and Zoom shows across the country.
In 2020, she co-edited Maria Bamford's audiobook, You Are (A Comedy) Special. You’ve also heard her on podcasts like: Doug Loves Movies, How Cum, The Bechdel Cast, Scam Goddess (based on her viral Shaun King presentation), Dyking Out, and Thrillist Explorers.
A freelance writer since 2016, her pop culture opinions, editorials, interviews and reviews have been published on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Variety, Bitch Media, Vice, Jezebel, The Chicago Reader and Vulture.
Notable Reads:
A Moment For Michaela Coel’s Mind - Elle, July 2020
Dear White People Creator Justin Simien on Netflix, Hollywood, and Black Art - Vulture, July 2020
In the NXIVM docuseries showdown, Seduced is the clear winner - The A.V. Club, October 2020
A Look Inside the Costumes of I May Destroy You - Cosmopolitan, Nov. 2020 Issue
She was in the 2017-2018 Open Television Writers Program. She developed the pilot, Dating the Zodiac and wrote Articulate, a semi-finalist in ColorCreative’s 2019 Teen Movie Contest.
Oh, and she has a day job.