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Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/;[1] born May 17, 1984)[2][3] is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).

Lena Waithe
Waithe at the 2018 WonderCon
Born (1984-05-17) May 17, 1984 (age 40)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationColumbia College Chicago (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active2007–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2019; div. 2021)​

Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021), and became the first African-American woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for writing the show's "Thanksgiving" episode, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld. In 2023, she received a nomination for Best Play at the 76th Tony Awards, her production work on the sketch-comedy play Ain't No Mo'.

Waithe was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018;[4] and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022.[5][6]

Early life and education

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Waithe was born in Chicago, Illinois.[7][8] Her father, Lawrence David Waithe, died when she was 15.[9] Her paternal great-grandfather, Winston Waithe, emigrated from Barbados to Boston in 1921; his family, descended from sugar plantation slaves, was from Christ Church, Barbados.[9] Though acting was not originally among her ambitions,[10][11] she knew from the age of seven that she wanted to be a television writer and received strong family support for her writing from her single mother and grandmother.[12] Her parents had divorced when she was 3.[13] Waithe and her sister grew up on the South Side of Chicago until Waithe was 12; she attended a local, mostly African-American elementary magnet school, Turner-Drew,[14] but moved to Evanston and finished middle school at Chute Middle School.[15] She graduated from Evanston Township High School and earned a degree in cinema and television arts[16] from Columbia College Chicago in 2006,[17][11][18] praising faculty playwright Michael Fry for his teaching and encouragement.[18][19] Seeking more ways to involve herself in the television and film industry, she also worked at a movie theater, at a Best Buy, and at a Blockbuster.[20]

Career

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Having arrived in Los Angeles, Waithe secured a job as an assistant to the executive producer of Girlfriends, a long-running sitcom.[20] Soon after, she landed a minor role in Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback.[20] She later became a writer for the Fox television series Bones,[10] a writer for the 2012 Nickelodeon sitcom How to Rock, and a producer on the 2014 satirical comedy film Dear White People.[21] Waithe wrote and appeared in the YouTube series "Twenties", produced by Flavor Unit Entertainment and optioned in 2014 by BET.[22][23] In addition to writing and directing the short film "Save Me", which was shown at several independent film festivals,[24] Waithe wrote the 2013 web series "Hello Cupid" and the 2011 viral video Shit Black Girls Say.[21]

In 2014, Variety named Waithe one of its "10 Comedians to Watch".[22] In August 2015, Showtime commissioned a pilot for an upcoming series, The Chi, written by Waithe and produced by Common, which tells a young urban Black-American man's coming-of-age story.[25] As the show's creator, Waithe wanted to mine her experience growing up on the South Side and experiencing its diversity to craft a story that paints a more nuanced portrait of her hometown than is typically shown.[26] Similarly, she extended her influence to support the Black-American community in the entertainment industry through her role as co-chair of the Committee of Black Writers at the Writers Guild.[15]

In 2015, Waithe was cast in the Netflix series Master of None after meeting creator and lead actor Aziz Ansari who, with Alan Yang, had originally written Denise as a straight, white woman with the potential, according to Waithe, to evolve into one of the main character's love interests: "For some reason, [casting director] Allison Jones thought about me for it, a Black gay woman."[12] Ansari and Yang rewrote the script to make the character more like Waithe: "All of us actors play heightened versions of ourselves."[12] She said, "I don't know if we've seen a sly, harem pants-wearing, cool Topshop sweatshirt-wearing, snapback hat-rocking lesbian on TV."[10] She also said, "I know how many women I see out in the world who are very much like myself. We exist. To me, the visibility of it was what was going to be so important and so exciting."[10]

In 2017, Waithe and Ansari won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the season 2 episode "Thanksgiving".[27] She became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy in that category.[27][28][29] Waithe described the episode as based on her coming out experience as a lesbian.[30] During her Emmy speech, she sent a special message to her LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual)[31] family discussing how "The things that make us different—those are our superpowers."[32] She ended her speech by recognizing her journey as a Black woman, saying, "Thank you for embracing a little Indian boy from South Carolina and a little queer Black girl from the South Side of Chicago."[33] Waithe also developed an autobiographical drama series, The Chi.[34][35] Out Magazine named Waithe the Out100: Artist of the Year on November 8, 2017.[36]

Since 2018, Waithe has provided the voiceover of the tagline of AT&T commercials.[37] The same year, she became the first Black queer woman since November 2003 to be feaured on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine.[38] Waithe also founded her production company, Hillman Grad Productions. This production company provides opportunities to aspiring filmmakers and establishes diverse and inclusive stories that celebrate the underrepresented.

Waithe wrote and produced the road trip-crime film Queen & Slim, starring Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya, and directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was released on November 27, 2019, by Universal Pictures.[39] This film focuses on powerful social issues such as systemic racism, police brutality and oppression. It has been depicted as a “a meditation on a system of justice that treats innocent people as outlaws,” or “a bourgeois representation of the struggle against police oppression."[40] Queen & Slim won a BET Award for Best Movie (2020), Florida Film Critics Circle Award (2019) as well as other awards.[41]

In 2020, Waithe lent her voice to the Pixar animated film Onward, portraying the cyclops police officer Specter, the first queer animated character in Disney history.[42]

She focuses on recruiting more people of color and queer artists for her film and television projects.[43] In 2020 her production company, Hillman Grad Productions, opened a mentoring and training program[44] with financial support from the Froneri ice-cream company.[45] More recently, she signed a deal with the Warner Bros. TV Group in order to develop a TV version of Hoop Dreams.[46]

Personal life

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Waithe became engaged in 2017 to Alana Mayo,[47][48] a content executive. They married in 2019 in San Francisco.[49] On January 23, 2020, Waithe and Mayo announced that they had separated after two months of marriage.[50] In November 2020, Mayo filed for divorce from Waithe; the divorce was finalized by agreement on May 24, 2021.[51] Waithe's relationship with British actress Cynthia Erivo was confirmed in 2024.[52][53]

Waithe has described her family as "lazy Christians" and said in 2018, "I'm a huge believer in God, and Jesus Christ, and that God made me and all those things. And I try to just be a good person. I think that is the base of my religion, is to be good, is to be honest."[54]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 Save Me — Short film; Director, writer
2014 Dear White People — Producer
Ladylike — Co-producer
2018 Step Sisters — Producer
Ready Player One Aech / Helen
2019 Queen & Slim — Screenwriter, co-producer
2020 Bad Hair Brook-Lynne
The Forty-Year-Old Version — Producer
Onward Officer Specter (voice)
2021 The One and Only Dick Gregory Herself Also executive producer
2022 Beauty — Screenwriter, producer
2023 House Party Herself
A Thousand and One — Producer
Chang Can Dunk — Producer
Kokomo City — Executive producer

Television

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Actress

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 The Comeback Summer Episode: "Valerie Faces the Critics"
2015, 2017,
2021 		Master of None Denise Main Role
2016 Transparent Jane Episode: "Elizah"
2018 This Is Us Animal Shelter Clerk Episode: "That'll Be the Day"
Dear White People P. Ninny 3 episodes
2019 A Black Lady Sketch Show Office Employee Episode: "Your Boss Knows You Don't Have Eyebrows"
2020 The Healing Powers of Dude Lord Dingwall Episode: "I'll Be Right Here"
Westworld Ash 8 episodes
The Chi Camille Hallaway 2 episodes
Big Mouth Lena Foreman (voice) 2 episodes
2022 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Adult Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins (voice) Episode: "When You Wish Upon a Roker"

Writer

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 M.O Diaries Writer TV series
How to Rock Writer 2 episodes
2013 Hello Cupid Writer 7 episodes
2014–2015 Bones Staff writer 15 episodes
2015, 2017,
2021 		Master of None Writer 6 episodes
2018–present The Chi Creator; writer 8 episodes
2019–2020 Boomerang Creator; writer; executive producer 4 episodes
2020 Twenties Creator; executive producer 8 episodes

Producer

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Year Title Role Notes
2021 Them Executive producer TV series

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
2015 Independent Spirit Awards Best First Feature Dear White People Nominated
Gotham Awards Audience Award Nominated
Black Reel Outstanding Motion Picture Nominated
2017 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series "Thanksgiving", Master of None Won
2018 Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Trailblazer Award — Nominated
Writers Guild of America Comedy Series Master of None Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Writing - Comedy Series Nominated
MTV Movie Award Best on Screen Team Ready Player One Nominated
2019 St. Louis Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay Queen & Slim Nominated
Black Film Critics Circle Awards Best Original Screenplay Won
2023[55] Tony Awards Best Play Ain't No Mo' Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Lena Waithe & Writers Of 'Boomerang' Talk Importance Of Diversity In Black Millennials". BET Networks. January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Lena Waithe". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 8, 2020. Birthday: May 17; Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
  3. ^ Schedler, Carrie (January 4, 2018). "Lena Waithe Comes Home". Chicago. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020. ...the 33-year-old [as of Jan. 4, 2018]...
  4. ^ "Lena Waithe: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Announcing Fast Company's second annual Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Lena Waithe is No. 14 on the 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Swartz, Tracy (November 18, 2015). "Chicago-set pilot to be a mix of 'Fruitvale Station,' 'Crash'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  8. ^ Harris, Marquita (February 5, 2016). "Why We 'Should Be Embarrassed' About This Year's Oscars". Refinery29. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Stated on Finding Your Roots, February 15, 2022
  10. ^ a b c d Weidenfeld, Lisa (November 18, 2015). "'Master of None's' Lena Waithe Talks Accidental Stardom, 'Failure to Launch'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Mast, Audrey Michelle (July 11, 2014). "Lena Waithe (BA '06)". Columbia College Chicago: Alumni Spotlights. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Garcia, Patricia (November 17, 2015). "Meet Lena Waithe, Master of None's Wisest and Funniest BFF". Vogue. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  13. ^ Woodson, Jacqueline. "The Cover Story: Lena Waithe Is Changing the Game". HWD. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  14. ^ Hyman, Dan (2018). "With 'The Chi,' Lena Waithe Heads Home in Search of the Real Chicago". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Woodson, Jacqueline (April 2018). "The Cover Story: Lena Waithe Is Changing the Game". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "Lena Waithe '06". Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  17. ^ Zwecker, Bill (November 3, 2015). "Chicagoan Lena Waithe Plays Herself (Sort Of) In Aziz Ansari's Netflix Series". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Millennial Hustle". DEMO Magazine. April 25, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  19. ^ "Associate Professor Michael Fry". Columbia College Chicago. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Haithcoat, Rebecca (January 5, 2018). "Master of None's Lena Waithe: 'If you come from a poor background, TV becomes what you dream about'". the Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (August 11, 2015). "Showtime Orders Black Coming-of-Age Drama Produced by Common". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Holman, Jordyn (July 1, 2014). "Comedian Lena Waithe Inks Deal With BET to Write Pilot 'Twenties' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  23. ^ Hasin, Sarvat (August 28, 2013). "On Making Mirrors". The Toast. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. ^ Fox, Sarah (August 11, 2015). "Lena Waithe, Common to create coming of age drama series". The / Slanted. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  25. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (January 9, 2017). "Showtime Gives Series Order to Drama 'The Chi'". Variety. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  26. ^ Metz, Nina. "Writers and cast of Lena Waithe's 'The Chi' aim to show South Side in a different light". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  27. ^ a b Moniuszko, Sara M. (May 16, 2017). "Lena Waithe's powerful Emmys speech: Our differences 'are our superpowers'". USA Today. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  28. ^ "Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series - 2017". Television Academy. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  29. ^ Saraiya, Sonia (August 4, 2017). "Lena Waithe on Being the 1st Black Woman Nom'd for Comedy Writing Emmy". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  30. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne (August 10, 2017). "How Lena Waithe's coming-out story inspired the 'Master of None' Thanksgiving episode". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  31. ^ "About the LGBTQIA Resource Center | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Resource Center". lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu. May 5, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  32. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (September 18, 2017). "Lena Waithe Makes Emmy History as First Black Woman to Win for Comedy Writing". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  33. ^ "Read the Full Text of Master of None Writer Lena Waithe's Moving Emmys Speech". Time. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  34. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (September 17, 2017). "Lena Waithe Wins Emmy: First Black Woman to Get Comedy Writing Award". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  35. ^ Andreeva, Nellie, "Showtime Picks Up Drama ‘The Chi’ To Series; Jason Mitchell Joins Cast – TCA", Deadline Hollywood, January 9, 2017.
  36. ^ "OUT100: Lena Waithe, Artist of the Year". November 8, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  37. ^ Smiley, Minda (December 26, 2019). "AT&T Releases New Crop of 'Just OK Is not OK' Ads to Highlight Speed of 5G". AdWeek.
  38. ^ "50 Facts About Lena Waithe". Facts.net. August 19, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  39. ^ Jodie Smith-Turner to Star Opposite Daniel Kaluuya in ‘Queen & Slim’ (EXCLUSIVE)
  40. ^ "Two Views on Queen & Slim". Black Agenda Report. January 8, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  41. ^ Queen & Slim (2019) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved March 7, 2024
  42. ^ Thornton, Cedric (February 27, 2020). ""Onward" Will Feature Disney's First LGBTQ Animated Character Voiced By Lena Waithe". Black Enterprise. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  43. ^ Woodson, Jacqueline. "The Cover Story: Lena Waithe Is Changing the Game". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  44. ^ Donnelly, Matt (December 16, 2020). "Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Launches Mentorship Lab for Writers, Actors, Executives". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  45. ^ "Froneri News". www.froneri.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  46. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (November 15, 2021). "Lena Waithe Prepping 'Hoop Dreams' Series as Part of WBTV Overall Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  47. ^ Adams, Rebecca (February 4, 2016). "Lena Waithe Explains How She Got Into A Relationship With A Straight Woman". Refinery29. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  48. ^ Missing, Natalie (December 19, 2017). "Lena Waithe Got Engaged on Thanksgiving, Is Truly Committed To Queering Thanksgiving". Autostraddle. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  49. ^ Calvario, Liz (November 15, 2019). "Lena Waithe Reveals She Secretly Married Longtime Love Alana Mayo". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  50. ^ France, Lisa Respers (January 23, 2020). "Lena Waithe and wife Alana Mayo split two months after marriage announcement". CNN. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  51. ^ Drysdale, Jennifer (May 4, 2021). "Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo Come to an Agreement After Divorce Filing". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  52. ^ "Cynthia Erivo Supported by Partner Lena Waithe in Sweet Posts Celebrating Wicked". People. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  53. ^ "Cynthia Erivo's Same-Sex Partner Celebrates 'Wicked'". Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  54. ^ "'The Chi' Creator Lena Waithe Says Television 'Taught Me How To Dream'". NPR. January 11, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  55. ^ "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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