Givens was the 1989 Grand Prize Winner of the Crown Royal Comedy Contest held at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The next year, Givens was a finalist in the Miller Lite Comedy Search, which was won by Bernie Mac. Her movie appearances include Beauty Shop and The Players Club. Givens and fellow African American female comedians Mo'Nique, Laura Hayes and Sommore were the stars of The Queens of Comedy tour, which was filmed and subsequently shown on Showtime and released on DVD. In 2001, she hosted The Source's Hip Hip Awards Preshow which was shown on UPN.
