After graduating from Duke, Retta worked as a chemist. In her spare time, she performed stand-up at Charlie Goodnights Comedy Club in
Raleigh, North Carolina. Eventually, she moved to
Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. Retta said on ''
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' that when she started performing stand-up comedy, she decided to call herself Retta rather than explain her name. She started doing standup in 1996, although she said she did not start "earning money" until 1998, when she began touring on the college circuit. Retta said she used to get "really nauseated" before a performance, but that the feeling passed with experience. Retta has said her stand-up material tends to be slightly embellished stories from her regular everyday life, family, and friends. Retta has served as the opening act for such comedians as
Shirley Hemphill and Bobby Collins. and the "Comedy Divas Showcase" segment of
The Jenny Jones Show. Retta has also performed on
Premium Blend, a
Comedy Central show featuring up-and-coming comedians. She was upgraded to a full-time regular cast member in the third season. In late 2011, she received a "Best Supporting Actress (Comedy)" nomination at the
3rd Indie Soap Awards for the
indie web series Vampire Mob. Retta also hosted the
3rd Critics' Choice Television Awards in 2013. In 2014, she appeared on
Hollywood Game Night as a contestant along with the other celebrities
Paget Brewster,
Michael Chiklis,
Mario Lopez,
Thomas Lennon, and
Alyssa Milano. In 2015, Retta was one of the audiobook narrators for
Welcome to Night Vale, a novel tie-in to the
eponymous podcast series in which she is the voice of Old Woman Josie. Where she talks about her journey with weight loss with "bestie" and the joys and adventures of being in the "Hollywood Scene!" In 2022, Retta signed a
talent holding deal with
NBCUniversal. Beginning in 2022, Retta hosted seasons 1-5 of ''HGTV's Ugliest House in America''. ==Personal life==