Janelle James is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known for her role as Ava Coleman in the ABC television series Abbott Elementary, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an NAACP Image Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
Janelle James | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | Fashion Institute of Technology |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Children | 2 |
Her writing credits include Black Monday, and she acted on the programs Crashing, Corporate, and Central Park. Her debut comedy album Black and Mild was released in 2017. She was named one of Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2020.[1]
Career
Stand-up and television
While in high school, James stood in line for 12 hours to audition for one of the three annual renditions of MTV's Wanna Be a VJ, which ran from 1998 to 2000.[2] James began her career in 2009 at an open mic she attended while living in Champaign, Illinois.[3][4] She described her style of comedy as "just talking shit"[3] and her stand-up includes a range of topics such as the Trump administration, motherhood, being a woman over 35, and dating.[5] James named Bill Burr, Hadiyah Robinson, John Early, Wanda Sykes, Richard Pryor, and Kareem Green as favorite comedians.[6][7]
In 2016, James' work was recognized by Just for Laughs and Brooklyn magazine.[6] She gained wider prominence as the opening act for Chris Rock's 2017 Total Blackout tour.[3] That year, she released her debut comedy album, Black and Mild.[3] The show was recorded at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis.[4]
She performed on Netflix's 2018 comedy series The Comedy Lineup.[3] She was also slated to perform at the network's inaugural Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival based in Los Angeles in 2020.[8]
James was a staff writer for The Rundown with Robin Thede (2017) and the Showtime comedy Black Monday, and also acted in a recurring role on the show.[9][10] She has also appeared on the shows Crashing, Corporate, and is both a writer and voice actor for Central Park.[10] She was a featured comic on Netflix's The Standups in 2021.[11]
She gained wide prominence in her role as a main cast member on the ABC comedy Abbott Elementary.[5][12] Her performance as the self-involved principal Ava Coleman has been hailed by critics.[13][14][15] James garnered award nominations including a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, a Golden Globe Award, and a Critics' Choice Award.[16][17][18][19]
In 2022, James hosted the ABC game show The Final Straw.[20] She hosted the 2023 Writers Guild of America Awards.[21]
Podcasts
In 2019, she hosted Strong Black Laughs, an interview podcast featuring a variety of established Black comedians, including Luenell and Sherri Shepherd.[22] She hosted You In Danger, Gurl, a comedy podcast about relationship red flags and bizarre dating experiences, in 2020.[23]
Personal life
James was raised in St. Thomas and moved to the United States mainland when she was 16.[24] She resides in Brooklyn, New York and has two sons.[3][6]
Discography
- 2017: Black and Mild[25]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Rundown with Robin Thede[9] | N/A | Writer |
| Crashing[10] | Julie | 1 episode | |
| 2018 | The Comedy Line-Up[5] | Herself | Stand-up special |
| 2019 | Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks[26] | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2020–2021 | Black Monday[10] | Joyce | Recurring role, 4 episodes; also writer |
| 2020 | Corporate[10] | Maggie | 1 episode |
| 2020–2022 | Central Park[10] | Investor #2, Fran, Martha | Voice, recurring role, 11 episodes; also writer |
| 2021–present | Abbott Elementary[11] | Ava Coleman | Main role |
| 2021 | The Standups[11] | Herself | Stand-up special |
| 2022 | Life & Beth[11] | Aminata | 1 episode |
| Tuca & Bertie | Partridgina | Voice, 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | Katrot | Voice, 1 episode |
| 2024 | Kite Man: Hell Yeah![27] | Queen of Fables | Voice |
| Monsters at Work | Joy | Voice, 1 episode |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tom of Your Life[28] | Agent Parker | |
| 2024 | The Garfield Movie | Olivia | Voice Role |
Awards and nominations
- 2016 – Brooklyn's 50 Funniest People[6]
- 2016 – Just for Laughs New Faces[29]
- 2020 – Variety's 10 Comics to Watch[1]
