Kym Whitley is probably your favorite funny black woman. You just may not know her name.

Behind just about every comedian in film or TV, there’s a funny black woman rolling her neck. And very often that woman is Kym Whitley, a bona-fide scene stealer.

Just take a look at her recurring role as Gertie opposite Mo’Nique in “The Parkers” or as Ormandy, the man-eating, straight-talking hairdresser opposite Gabrielle Union in “Deliver Us From Eva.”

Even her latest role, as the aunt of Lena Waithe’s Denise in the much-talked-about “Thanksgiving” episode of “Master of None’s” second season, is one of the best parts of an already impactful character arc.

As is often the case with black women in Hollywood, you undoubtedly know her face, just maybe not her name. But inspired by the likes of Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor and her good friend Caroline Rhea, Whitley has continued working since the early ’90s.

How did you get into comedy?

I was born into it! [laughs] My whole family is funny and my life was full of laughter — rarely did we have sad moments. But they all became architects. I’m the only one that took a chance.

I also saw people onstage [that inspired me]. I remember being around Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Reynaldo Rey and Richard Pryor. They were doing “Harlem Nights” and I was on set as the guardian of one of the boys in the movie. I was cracking jokes and they were just dying laughing. They told me I should be a stand-up.

Redd Foxx told me to get him 10 minutes of material and he’d help me. I was like, “10 minutes? Oh God!” But I’m a procrastinator and he died. “Oops, missed that opportunity!” [laughs] The night he died, I did my first stand-up show.

But it’s always been in me to make people laugh. My mother told me to always be a light in the world and to sparkle, especially where there’s darkness.

So, did comedy come first or acting?

I always wanted to be a funny actress. Stand-up was along the way. A lot of comics always say, “Kym Whitley went in the back door of comedy.” I’m like, “Does it matter how I got here?” [laughs] It’s all about the destination, not the journey.

I just didn’t believe that you had to sleep in your car, to struggle and do open mikes. I believe when you’re doing stand-up, you’re also acting, so I did it all at the same time.

Describe one of your first auditions.

Well, I did theater with Shelly Garrett’s “Beauty Shop,” but my first big TV show was “Sparks,” and Robi Reed was the casting director and I didn’t have an agent. That’s the one that sticks out because [the story] is all about networking. I met her and all these casting directors at parties. All I would do is be funny and Robi told me to come in for an audition. She didn’t know I didn’t have an agent. I went through like seven auditions and got the part. Now it’s time to negotiate the deal and I’m like, “Hunh?!” So I called an agent. That’s how I made it in.

Has auditioning changed for you since?

The audition process is still a scary situation, but I’ve learned now that it’s not all about you. You do the best you can and move on, because there’s so many variables [to whether …

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