The category was introduced in 1998, at the 5th Star Awards ceremony; Mark Lee received the award for his role in Comedy Nite and it was given in honour of a MediaCorp comedian who has delivered an outstanding performance in a comedy.
The nominees were determined by a team of judges employed by MediaCorp; winners were selected by a majority vote from the entire judging panel.
Bryan Wong is the most recent and final winner in this category, for his role in KP Club.
In addition, Lee has been nominated on seven occasions, more than any other comedian.
Jack Neo holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with three.