Kym Whitley
Whitley at Congressional Black Caucus ALC54
Alma mater	Fisk University
Occupations	Comedian, actress, podcaster
Years active	1989–present
Television	Raising Whitley
Children	1
Relatives	Michael Jai White (cousin)
Website	www.kymwhitley.org

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

Whitley is the daughter of William Whitley.^[2] Her father was a founding partner of Whitley and Whitley,^[3] the black architectural firm involved in a joint venture to design and build Jacobs Field (nowProgressive Field), home to theCleveland Guardians.^[4] She attendedShaker Heights High School (graduating in 1979)^[5] andFisk University inNashville, Tennessee.^[6] She was initiated into the Alpha Beta chapter of theDelta Sigma Theta sorority.^[7]

In 1989, Whitley got her big break starring in Shelly Garrett's popular playBeauty Shop, which started in Los Angeles then later traveled across the United States. Whitley's major acting roles include the short-lived sitcomsMy Brother and Me andSparks. She has made guest appearances on several television sitcoms, includingThe Parent 'Hood,Married... with Children,Moesha,That's So Raven,The Parkers,My Wife and Kids andCurb Your Enthusiasm. She also hosted the short-lived BET showOh Drama (2000). Whitley had a small role inNext 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 ofAll That. In the early spring of 2010, Whitley was a co-host with R&B musicianBrian McKnight on the short-lived talk showThe Brian McKnight Show. From 2012 to 2013, Whitley had a recurring role on theBET comedyLet's Stay Together as Charmaine Wax.

On April 20, 2013, her realitydocu-series titledRaising Whitley premiered on theOprah 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 sitcomYoung & Hungry which premiered onABC Family (nowFreeform) 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 theweb seriesThe Bay where she played Big Candi. She received aDaytime 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 ofMaster of None as Denise's aunt Joyce, and sister toAngela Bassett's character.^[12] The episode won an Emmy for Best Writing forMaster of None's actorsAziz Ansari andLena Waithe.^[13] Whitley was later a recurring guest host on the E! showsDaily Pop andNightly Pop. In 2023, she played the role of Aunt Nadine in the filmYou People.

Whitley is a cousin of actor and martial artistMichael Jai White.^[14] She has an older brother Kyle and a younger brother Scott.^[3] In January 2011, she adopted her son, Joshua.^[2][15][16] In 2013, Whitley and her friendRodney Van Johnson launched a line of t-shirts titled "Don't Feed Me." The shirts alert caregivers about children who have specificfood allergies.^[15][8]

• Official website
• Kym Whitley atIMDb

• Living people
• Actresses from Shaker Heights, Ohio
• Actresses from Tennessee
• Fisk University alumni
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• African-American women comedians
• African-American comedians
• American women comedians
• American voice actresses
• American television actresses
• American film actresses
• Comedians from Ohio
• 20th-century American comedians
• 21st-century American comedians

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from October 2018
• Articles with hCards
• Official website not in Wikidata
• Year of birth missing (living people)