Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sofia Vergara to be honoured in Power of Women special

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sofia Vergara, and Mindy Kaling will be among the comedy stars saluted in a U.S. TV special for Variety's Power of Women celebration.

I May Destroy You creator and star Michaela Coel, and former Saturday Night Live regulars Maya Rudolph and Kate McKinnon will also be honoured during the event on 10 May, which will coincide with the release of the publication's annual Power of Women issue.

In a statement, Michelle Sobrino-Stearns, Variety President and Group Publisher, explained: "Variety's Power of Women 2021 honours creative leaders in comedy who inspire us with their courage and originality and challenge us to transform a world desperately in need of positive change.

"In six wonderfully personal, dynamic ways, Mindy Kaling, Maya Rudolph, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sofia Vergara, Michaela Coel, and Kate McKinnon use laughter to make serious points. All of them create art that works both as entertainment and as engagement with the issues we're all facing with these difficult times."

Meanwhile, 30 Rock star Tina Fey will make an appearance to pay tribute to late comedy pioneer Gilda Radner and her cancer charity Gilda's Club Metro Detroit as part of the Lifetime Presents Variety's Power of Women The Comedians special.

Radner, who was married to actor Gene Wilder, died from ovarian cancer in 1989.