Loved for her cutthroat humor, working-class roots, and barrier-breaking as one of the few Black women to rise to the top in both STEM and stand-up, Loni Love is a woman who stands in a league of her own.

That said, to truly understand Loni, you have to start with her Detroit upbringing—not just because that’s the place where she was born, but because that’s where she was molded into the icon she is today.

Born and raised in the infamous Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, Loni learned young that in order to get far in life she’d have to be fast, resourceful, and loud enough to get her point across.

Her punchlines might get her gigs in Hollywood, but the hustle behind them is as quintessentially “Pure Michigan” as you can get.

Growing up wasn’t easy for Loni.

Brought up on Detroit’s east side by a single mother who was forced to work multiple jobs to keep the lights on, while other kids dreamed of fame and fortune, Loni manifested stability—and a way out.

Like many Detroit legends, she attended the infamous Cass Technical High School, but unlike many of her classmates, she did not chase the stage…at least, not right away anyway.

Instead, Loni chose engineering, a solid path she knew would go a long way in supporting her and her family.

Loni earned a degree in electrical engineering from Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

From there, she headed back home and took a job on the factory floor at General Motors, where she busied herself building cars by day and chasing laughs by night.

However, that wouldn’t last for long.

A natural comedian whose coworkers were always telling her that she was destined for bigger things than factory life, everything changed for Loni when she won a stand-up contest, packed her bags, and abruptly left the plant for Los Angeles.

There, Loni would begin paying her dues: open mics, temp jobs, stand-up performances at little hole-in-the-wall clubs. It didn’t matter what stage she was working on: her voice stood out, primarily because she never tried to sound like anyone else.

It was clear she was well acquainted with humor and heartbreak in equal measure, and by the early 2000s, that honesty had landed her multiple TV spots from BET’s Comic View to Premium Blend to The Tonight Show.

Producers were infatuated with her.

Audiences found her both hilarious and relatable.

And just like that, the calls started flooding in.

Loni Love’ big Hollywood breakthrough came in 2013 when she signed on as a cast member of The Real, a network TV daytime talk show focused on women of color.

For nearly a decade, she was the anchor of the program—mixing comedy with honesty and talking openly about everything from growing up in low-income circumstances to dating outside the box to the difficulties associated with refusing to shrink herself in order to be liked.

She didn’t just make people laugh.

She made them listen.

Even after finding fame, Loni has remained deeply connected to the heart and soul of Detroit, speaking often about the projects, those cold winter mornings she spent waiting for the bus, and the educators at Cass Tech who forever altered the course of her life.

She also does her part in giving back, mentoring young women in STEM, helping establish scholarships, and regularly advocating for the importance of representation in both comedy and tech.

As far as accomplishments go, she won a Daytime Emmy, published a chart-topping memoir (“I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To”), and still works the stage as a touring comedian.

In short, Loni Love is a woman who has found a deep sense of purpose in laughter.

She didn’t take the traditional route.

Instead, she crafted her own, all while refusing to ever stop being herself.

She’s not just funny. She’s Detroit funny—real, bold, brilliant, and always one step ahead of the punchline.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 17, 2025