Kym Whitley

Kym Whitley
Whitley at the Comic Con in San Diego, 2011
Born	Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater	Fisk University
Occupation(s)	Comedian, actress, podcaster
Years active	1989–present
Television	Raising Whitley
Children	1
Website	http://www.kymwhitley.org

Kym Whitley is an American comedian, actress, and podcaster. She is known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as My Brother and Me , Sparks , Animal Practice , The Boondocks , Young & Hungry , The Parkers , The Cleveland Show , Black Dynamite , and Act Your Age. Whitley was nominated for a 2004 BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office Movie for her role as Ormandy in the 2003 comedy film Deliver Us From Eva . ^[1]

Early life and education

Whitley was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio to Kaysonia and William Whitley. ^[2] Her father was a founding partner of the black architectural firm of Whitley and Whitley. Whitley and Whitley was involved with work on Tower City Center, the Cleveland State University Convocation Center, Lincoln Junior High School, the Lee-Harvard Branch of Cleveland Public Library, the Central Area Multi-Service Center, and the Cleveland Clinic Guesthouse development. ^[3] They were also involved in a joint venture to design and build Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field), home to the Cleveland Guardians. ^[4] She attended Shaker Heights High School (graduating in 1979) ^[5] and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. ^[6] She was initiated into the Alpha Beta chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. ^[7]

Career

In 1989, Whitley got her big break starring in Shelly Garrett's popular play Beauty Shop , which started in Los Angeles then later traveled across the United States. Whitley's major acting roles include the short-lived sitcoms My Brother and Me and Sparks . She has made guest appearances on several television sitcoms, including The Parent 'Hood , Married... with Children , Moesha , That's So Raven , The Parkers , My Wife and Kids and Curb Your Enthusiasm . She also hosted the short-lived BET show Oh Drama (2000). Whitley had a small role in Next Friday as Craig's aunt Suga. She was part of a group called "The Adults", which featured actors who were adult cast members in the earlier seasons of All That . In the early spring of 2010, Whitley was a co-host with R&B musician Brian McKnight on the short-lived talk show The Brian McKnight Show. From 2012 to 2013, Whitley had a recurring role on the BET comedy Let's Stay Together as Charmaine Wax.

On April 20, 2013, her reality docu-series titled Raising Whitley premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network, with a total of 1.2 million viewers, making it the fifth most-widely viewed premiere in the history of the network. ^[8] OWN ordered a second season, which premiered on January 4, 2014. Whitley then joined the cast of the television sitcom Young & Hungry which premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) in 2014, where she played Josh's housekeeper Yolanda. ^[9] The show ran for five seasons, ending in 2018. ^[10] In 2017, she guest starred in the web series The Bay where she played Big Candi. She received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series. ^[11] In 2018, she guest starred in the "Thanksgiving" episode of Master of None as Denise's aunt Joyce, and sister to Angela Bassett's character. ^[12] The episode won an Emmy for Best Writing for Master of None's actors Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe. ^[13] Whitley was later a recurring guest host on the E! shows Daily Pop and Nightly Pop. In 2023, she played the role of Aunt Nadine in the film You People .

Personal life

Whitley has two older brothers, Kyle and Scott. ^[3] In January 2011, she adopted her son, Joshua. ^{[2] [14] [15]} In 2013, Whitley and her friend Rodney Van Johnson launched a line of t-shirts titled "Don't Feed Me." The shirts alert caregivers about children who have specific food allergies. ^{[14] [8]}

Whitley is a cousin of actor and martial artist Michael Jai White. ^[16]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Seven Thirty-Five	Whitley	Short
1999	Beverly Hood	Nola Washington
2000	Next Friday	Auntie Suga
	Nutty Professor II: The Klumps	Party Guest
2001	Baby Boy	Host
	House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute	Judy Harris/Jon Jon's Mom	Video
2003	Deliver Us from Eva	Ormandy
	Love Chronicles	Renee
	Malibooty!	Donna	Video
2004	Along Came Polly	Gladys
	Up Against the 8 Ball	Mrs. Thompson
2005	The Salon	Lashaunna
	The Golden Blaze	Mother Johnson (voice)	Video
	The Perfect Man	Dolores
	L.A. Dicks	Madame Opal
	Fun with Dick and Jane	Kostmart Training Leader
2006	Robin Harris: Live from the Comedy Act Theater	Herself	Video
2008	College Road Trip	Michelle Porter
	The Hustle	Miss Tanya
	Cuttin' da Mustard	-
2009	Black Dynamite	Honeybee (voice)
	I Love You, Man	Female Co-Worker
	Donation	Cashier Keisha	Short
	Straight from the Horses Mouth	Herself	Video
2010	Heaven Ain't Hard to Find	Sis. Hattie May
	Group Sex	Tiffany	Video
	The Woman in the Red Dress	The Detective's Wife	Short
	Something Like a Business	Sasha
2011	Rango	Melonee (voice)	[17]
	Taking Liberties (?)	Sarah	Short
	35 and Ticking	Shavelle	[18]
	Sebastian	Roxanne
	We Bought a Zoo	Cashier
2012	Silent No More	Ms. Carolyn
	Sistaah Friend	Publicist	Video
	C'mon Man	Herself
2013	Ticket to Vegas	Monik
	Anything is Possible	Ms. Kim
2014	A Haunted House 2	Church Lady
2015	The Biz	Casting Director	Short
2017	Fist Fight	911 Operator
2018	She Get it from Her Mama	Lena	Short
	The Weekend	Karen Barber
2019	Love Dot Com: The Social Experiment	Aunty Kathy
2020	Pandemically Single	Rose Carter
	Hubie Halloween	Farmer Louise
2023	You People	Aunt Nadine
	Outlaw Johnny Black	Sister Betty
	Urkel Saves Santa: the Movie	Mrs. Paxson (voice)	Direct-to-Video

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Vinnie & Bobby	Glodine	Episode: "Spring Is in the Air"
1994	My Brother and Me	Mrs. Pinckney	Recurring cast
1995	The Parent Hood	Muriel	Episode: "Wendell and Muriel's Wedding"
	Martin	Louisa	Episode: "Uptown Friday Night"
1996	Married... with Children	Danielle	Episode: "The Hood, the Bud & the Kelly: Part 2"
1996–98	Sparks	Darice Mayberry	Main cast
1998	The Wayans Bros.	Phyllis	Episode: "Misery"
	Sports Theater with Shaquille O'Neal	Cheer Instructor	Episode: "Scrubs"
1999	Arli$$	Susan Caldwell	Episode: "Our Past, Our Present, Our Future"
	Silk Hope	Grace	TV movie
2000	Intimate Portrait	Herself	Episode: "Robin Givens"
	Grown Ups	Kim	Episode: "Valentine J"
	Moesha	Gertrude Lowe	Episode: "The Candidate"
	A Private Affair	Cheryl	TV movie
2001–02	Oh, Drama!	Herself/Host	Main Host
2001–04	The Parkers	Gertrude "Gertie" Lowe	Recurring cast
2002	My Wife and Kids	Wanda	Recurring cast (season 2)
	What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway	Ms. Wells	TV movie
2003	The Proud Family	Caramel Jones/Mamma (voice)	Episode: "Hooray for Iesha" & "Adventures in BeBe-Sitting"
	The Real Roseanne Show	Herself	Episode: "Domestic Goddess"
2004	Wanda Does It	Herself	Episode: "Wanda Does Photos"
	Discovery Health Celebrity Body Challenge	Herself	Episode: "Spa Day"
	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Monena	Episode: "The Car Pool Lane"
	Significant Others	Nurse	Episode: "Intercourse, an Official Gathering & a Big Fat Lie"
	1-800-Missing	DEA Agent Dominique Shaw	Episode: "Domestic Bliss"
	One on One	Liza	Episode: "Who Brought the Jive Turkey?"
2005	That's So Raven	Cousin Vicky	Episode: "Country Cousins: Part 1 & 2"
	Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law	Waitress/Norlisa (voice)	Episode: "Booty Noir" & "Harvey's Civvy"
	Grey's Anatomy	Yvonne	Episode: "Into You Like a Train"
	The Catch	Honey Commons	TV movie
2005–10	The Boondocks	Various Characters (voice)	Recurring cast
2006	Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness	Ms. Attitude (voice)	TV movie
	Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street	Ms. Attitude (voice)	TV movie
	Love, Inc	Arsenetta	Episode: "Arrested Development"
	Reno 911!	Kay Kay	Episode: "The Junior Brothers"
	Class of 3000	Drama Student (voice)	Episode: "Peanuts! Get Yer Peanuts!"
	Standoff	Angela Worthington	Episode: "Accidental Negotiator"
2007	Comics Unleashed	Herself	Recurring Guest
2008	1st Amendment Stand Up	Herself	Episode: "Kym Whitley/Ray Lipowski/Steve Brown"
	Baisden After Dark	Herself	Episode: "Shacking Up"
2008–09	'Til Death	Tina	Recurring cast (season 3)
2009–13	The Cleveland Show	Auntie Momma (voice)	Recurring cast
2010	The Brian McKnight Show	Herself/Co-Host	Main co-host
	Curb: The Discussion	Herself	Episode: "The Lefty Call"
	School Pride	Herself	Main cast
	Jonas	Officer Evie	Episode: "And... Action!"
2010–11	Meet the Browns	Yvonne	Episode: "Meet the Neighbor" & "Meet the Knock-Off"
2011	A Series of Unfortunate People	Dr. Kent	Episode: "She's in a Better Place"
	Childrens Hospital	Black Administrator	Episode: "The Black Doctor"
	Nick Swardson's Pretend Time	Baneequwa	Episode: "Show Me on the Doll"
	Hot in Cleveland	Jada	Episode: "Elka's Choice"
2011–12	The Life & Times of Tim	Tanya Miller (voice)	Recurring cast (season 3)
2011–14	Let's Stay Together	Charmaine Wax	Recurring cast (season 1-2), guest (season 4)
2011–15	Black Dynamite	Honeybee (voice)	Main cast
2012–13	Animal Practice	Juanita	Main cast
2013	Mommy in Chief	Herself	Episode: "Actress Kym Whitley Talks New Baby & Food Allergies for Kids"
	Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious	Herself	Episode: "Kym Whitley"
	Exhale	Herself	Episode: "Entertainment"
	2 Broke Girls	Shirley	Episode: "And the Big Hole" & "And the Worst Selfie Ever"
2013–14	Baby Daddy	Margaret Jenson	Episode: "Whatever Lola Wants" & "An Affair Not to Remember"
2013–16	Raising Whitley	Herself	Main cast
2014	Mind of a Man	Herself/Panelist	Recurring guest
	Apollo Night LA	Herself/Celebrity Host	Episode: "ANLA 024"
	Oprah's Lifeclass	Herself	Episode: "Oprah, Iyanla, Actress Nia Long & Tyler Perry: The Single Moms Club Part 2"
	London Garcia Entertainment Show	Herself	Episode: "Ernest Borgnine Tribute honoring Joe Mantegna"
	The King Assassin Show	Herself	Main cast
	Life with La Toya	Herself	Episode: "What Happens in Vegas..." & "The Big Announcement"
	One Love	Mrs. Frock	Episode: "Tea-Ball"
2014–18	Young & Hungry	Yolanda	Main cast
2015	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Aunt Cudi	Episode: "Judy Greer Wears a Navy Blouse and Strappy Sandals"
2015–16	The Bay	Big Candi	Recurring cast (season 4)
2016	Kocktails with Khloé	Herself	Episode: "The Happiest Hour"
	It's Not You, It's Men	Herself	Episode: "The Playbook Exposed"
	Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul	Herself	Episode: "Featuring the Cast of 227"
	Botched	Herself	Episode: "Pinched Perfect"
	Celebrity Food Fight	Herself	Episode: "Greg Grunberg Goes Gooey"
	Celebrity Name Game	Herself/Celebrity Player	Episode: "David Alan Grier & Kym Whitley #1-#3"
	Hollywood Game Night	Herself/Celebrity Player	Episode: "Back to the Game Night"
2017	Chopped Junior	Herself/Judge	Episode: "Let's Taco 'Bout It"
	Face Value	Herself/Team Captain	Episode: "Kym Whitley vs Donnell Rawlings"
	Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards	Herself/Host	Main host
	Master of None	Joyce	Episode: "Thanksgiving"
	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Monena	Episode: "Never Wait for Seconds!"
	Harvey Beaks	MC Queen	Episode: "Princess Wants a Mom"
2018	Marlon	Lovey	Episode: "Sisters"
	Forever	Sharon	Recurring cast
2019	My Big Fat Fabulous Life	Herself	Episode: "The Skinny - Game Night"
	Unsung	Herself	Episode: "Kenny Lattimore"
	Worst Cooks In America: Celebrity Edition	Herself/Contestant	Main cast (season 16)
	Hollywood Game Night	Herself/Celebrity Player	Episode: "Jane's New Diggs"
	Match Game	Herself/Celebrity Panelist	Episode: "Chris Parnell/Kym Whitley/Rob Riggle/Caitlyn Jenner/Jay Pharoah/Sarah Chalke"
	Uncensored	Herself	Episode: "LisaRaye McCoy"
	Fuller House	Mayor Boone	Episode: "The Mayor's Bird"
	The Neighborhood	LaTonya	Episode: "Welcome to Bowling"
2019–20	25 Words or Less	Herself	Recurring guest
2020	Iyanla: Fix My Life	Herself	Episode: "The Masks We Wear"
	blackAF	Aunt Nadine	Episode: "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery"
	Two Degrees	Kym	Episode: "DATING MYself"
	Mr. Iglesias	Mrs. Webber	Episode: "Playing Favorites"
2020–21	Twenties	Esther	Recurring cast
2020–22	Daily Pop	Herself/Co-Host	Recurring co-gost
2021	Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump	Herself	Episode: "A Trip to Japan: Jaleel White & Kym Whitley"
	Puppy Bowl Presents: The Summer Games	Herself/Host	Main host
	Uncensored	Herself	Episode: "Kym Whitley"
	The Big Holiday Food Fight	Herself/Host	Episode: "Battle of the Spices"
	Baby Shark's Big Show!	Toothfish Fairy (voice)	Episode: "Baby Tooth/Slobber Slug"
	Call Your Mother	Barbara	Episode: "One Bad Mother"
	The Neighborhood	LaTonya	Episode: "Welcome to the Invasion"
2021–22	Made For Love	Judiff	Recurring cast
2022	Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy	Herself	Episode: "Hood to Hollywood" & "Who Got Next?"
	I Love Us	Herself/Host	Main host
	Guy's Ultimate Game Night	Herself/Contestant	Episode: "Greetings from Flavortown"
	The Talk	Herself/Guest Co-Host	Recurring guest co-host (season 12)
	The Wheel	Herself/Dating Expert	Episode: "The Skater & the Dater"
	The Upshaws	Althea Turner	Episode: "Sista, Sista"
	Loot	Renee	Episode: "Spades Night"
2023	Act Your Age	Bernadette	Main cast
	History of the World, Part II	Florynce Kennedy	Recurring cast
	A Black Lady Sketch Show	Christine	Episode: "Pre-Ph.D, Based on a Novel by Sapphire"
	Raven's Home	Tricia	Episode: "Lizard Let Lie"
	Family Guy	Masseuse (voice)	Episode: "Old World Harm"

Documentary

Year	Title
2007	Angels Can't Help But Laugh
2009	Standing-n-Truth: Breaking the Silence
	Secrets of Life
2011	Saggin' in the A-T-L...
2013	Why We Laugh: Funny Women

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2004	BET Comedy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office movie	Deliver Us From Eva	Nominated	[1] [19]
2016	7th Indie Series Awards	Best Guest Actress – Drama	The Bay	Won	[20]
2017	44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series	The Bay	Nominated	[21]
2022	53rd Annual NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast	Two Funny Mamas	Won
2023	54th Annual NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Arts & Entertainment Podcast	Two Funny Mamas	Won	[22]

References

1. "BET Honors Urban Comedy During Network's First-Ever Comedy Awards Telecast Hosted by Steve Harvey". BET Press Room. September 3, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
2. Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (June 8, 2019). "Actress-comedienne Kym Whitley pictures family in her den". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
3. "William Whitley: Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
4. Attanasio, Ed; Gouldsberry, Eric. "Progressive Field". This Great Game. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
5. Okura, Lynn (January 31, 2014). "Kym Whitley Visits Her Old High School Teacher In Cleveland (VIDEO)". HuffPost . Retrieved January 26, 2020.
6. Chumney, Richard (May 6, 2018). "Graduates counseled to pursue passions". The News & Advance . Retrieved January 26, 2020.
7. "Wildin' Out Wednesday With Actress/Comedian Kym Whitley". NewsOne Now. February 10, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
8. "Don't Feed Me T-Shirts Calm Parents of Allergic Kids". ABC News . March 19, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
9. Swift, Andy (June 25, 2014). "Young & Hungry Stars Preview 'Sexy,' 'Inspiring' New ABC Family Comedy". TVLine . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
10. Fishman, Scott (July 25, 2018). "Emily Osment Says Goodbye to 'Young & Hungry' With the Series Finale". TV Insider . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
11. "Kym Whitley Lands Daytime Emmy Nomination For 'The Bay'". Houston Style Magazine. March 24, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
12. Jacobs, Matthew (May 17, 2017). "Kym Whitley On Her Breakout 'Master Of None' Episode And Kanye West's Failed HBO Pilot". HuffPost . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
13. Kimble, Lindsay (September 17, 2017). "Lena Waithe's Emmy-Winning Master of None Episode Was Inspired by Her Real-Life Story". People . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
14. Murray, Rheana (March 21, 2013). "Actress launches line of 'Don't Feed Me' T-shirts for kids with allergies". New York Daily News . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
15. "Kym Whitley is a New Mom". Black Celebrity Kids. February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
16. "Hey Family, Michael Jai White and Kym Whitley are Cousins".
17. "APA Signs 'Raising Whitley's Kym Whitley". Deadline Hollywood . August 13, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
18. "Stars Sign On For Romantic Comedy, '35 and Ticking'". MadameNoire. June 2, 2010.
19. Holder, Frank; Littleton, Darryl (November 4, 2019). This Day In Comedy: The Ethnic Encyclopedia of Laughter. TrineDay. ISBN   9781634242639 . Retrieved January 26, 2020.
20. Newcomb, Roger (April 7, 2016). "WINNERS: 7th Annual Indie Series Awards". We Love Soaps. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
21. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Nominations For the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
22. "54th NAACP Image Awards winners". NAACP Image Awards. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.

External links

• Kym Whitley at IMDb