
Lena Waithe
Department: Acting
Biography
Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/; born May 17, 1984) 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). 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 was nominated 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 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lena Waithe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021

Being Mary Tyler Moore
2023

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2022

Ready Player One
2018

Bad Hair
2021

Onward
2020

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020
2020

The One and Only Dick Gregory
2021

House Party
2023

Place To Be
—

It's Dorothy!
2025

Reclaim the Flag
2025

Untitled Friendship Breakup Film
—

The Daily Show
1996

Twenties After-Show With B. Scott
2021

The Oscars
1953

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
2022

Transparent
2014

The Comeback
2005

This Is Us
2016

Sherri
2022

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009

A Black Lady Sketch Show
2019

RuPaul's Drag Race
2009

The Shop
2018

Dear White People
2017

#blackAF
2020

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
2019

Amend: The Fight for America
2021

You Ain't Got These
2020

Visible: Out on Television
2020

Westworld
2016

Big Mouth
2017

Master of None
2015

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
2020

The Chi
2018

Grey's Anatomy
2005

Big Mouth
2017

The Grammys
1959

Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television
2025

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003