Aisha Tyler | |
|---|---|
 Tyler in 2014 | |
| Born | (1970-09-18)September 18, 1970 (age 54) |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (1992) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, talk show host |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | |
| Website | aishatyler |
Aisha Tyler (born September 18, 1970)[1] is an American actress and talk show host. She is known for playing Andrea Marino in the first season ofGhost Whisperer,Dr. Tara Lewis inCriminal Minds since 2015,Mother Nature in the final twoThe Santa Clause films, and voicingLana Kane inArcher. She also had recurring roles onCSI: Crime Scene Investigation,Talk Soup, andFriends.
She co-hosted seasons two through seven ofCBS'sThe Talk, for which she won aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. Since 2013, she has hostedWhose Line Is It Anyway?.[2] She also hostedUbisoft'sE3 press conferences and has lent her voice to the video gamesHalo: Reach,Gears of War 3, andWatch Dogs.
Tyler, who is ofAfrican American heritage, was born on September 18, 1970, inSan Francisco,California, the daughter of Robin Gregory, a teacher, and James Tyler, a photographer.[3][4] The family spent one year inEthiopia and later spent time living in anashram inOakland, California. Her parents separated when she was ten years old, after which her father raised her.[5] Her maternal great-grandfather wasThomas Montgomery Gregory, a dramatist and educator, and her great-great-grandfather was Howard University professorJames Monroe Gregory.[6]
She pursued an early interest in comedy atMcAteer High School in San Francisco, which had a special program called School of the Arts, now namedRuth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.[7] Tyler attended high school withSam Rockwell andMargaret Cho. She had a crush on Rockwell and followed him into acting class one day, leading to her interest in improv and sketch.[8]
Tyler graduated fromDartmouth College in 1992.[9][10] She was a member ofThe Tabard, a co-ed fraternity.[11] At Dartmouth, she co-founded and sang in theDartmouth Rockapellas, an all-femalea cappella group devoted to spreading social awareness through song.[11]
After briefly working for a San Francisco advertising firm, she toured the country pursuing a comedy career[12] then moved toLos Angeles in 1996.[13]
Tyler's career in television took off in 2001 with jobs as the host ofTalk Soup[14] and the reality-dating seriesThe 5th Wheel, althoughTalk Soup was canceled the following year and Tyler leftThe 5th Wheel in 2002 to pursue other interests. Tyler has devoted a significant amount of her time to independent projects, including a role in the playMoose Mating, for which she received anNAACP Image Award. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the independent short filmThe Whipper. Moving into acting, Tyler featured inFriends as Dr. Charlie Wheeler[15] where she wasJoey's and thenRoss's girlfriend in theninth andtenth seasons.[16] She followed this up with guest spots onCSI: Miami andNip/Tuck, as well as balancing season-long recurring roles on bothCSI: Crime Scene Investigation and24 during the 2004–2005 television season. She also filmed her own talk show pilot for ABC and a sitcom pilot for CBS, neither of which was picked up. She has guest-starred onMADtv.[17]
Following her regular role on the CBS seriesGhost Whisperer during its first season, Tyler appeared in several films, includingThe Santa Clause 2,The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,.45, the comedyBalls of Fury and the Lifetime drama filmFor One Night alongsideRaven-Symoné. In 2007, she filmed the thrillerDeath Sentence and the crime dramaBlack Water Transit. She also continues to appear on television, with appearances onBoston Legal,Reno 911!,The Boondocks, and as a guest film critic on several episodes ofAt the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, filling in for the absentRoger Ebert while he recuperated from surgery.
Tyler has moved into print media as a regular contributor toGlamour,Jane, andEntertainment Weekly magazines. Her first book,Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls, was released in January 2004.[18] Tyler plays on theWorld Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for theFutures Without Violence charity. She also made a guest appearance onKanye West's single "Slow Jamz", which featuredTwista andJamie Foxx. Philanthropy and charity work are very important to Tyler, and she regularly does volunteer work for theAmerican Red Cross,The Trust for Public Land,Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and theInternational Rescue Committee.
Tyler appeared in a nude pictorial, along with other celebrities, in the May 2006 issue ofAllure.[19] The annual Nude Issue raises money to combatskin cancer.
In May 2009, it was announced that ABC had given Tyler her own talk show pilot,The Aisha Tyler Show.[20] In early May 2010, she presented the "Welcome to the Beta" video forHalo: Reach. She also voiced a minor character in the game.[21]
In 2009, she began her starring role voicing Lana Kane in theFX seriesArcher, which premiered on January 14, 2010[22] and ran for a total of 14 seasons, ending in 2023.[23] In August 2010, Tyler began appearing in a recurring guest spot onThe Stephanie Miller Show. The segment is named "Tuesdays With Tyler".[24] Tyler appears either in-studio or via phone when she is not otherwise committed to one of her acting roles. WhileHal Sparks was out of the country, Tyler filled in as the third member of the Stephanie Miller Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour on three shows in August 2011.[25]
Also in 2009, Tyler performed her stand-up comedy routine live at theFillmore Theatre.[26]
On July 26, 2011, Tyler premiered her own weekly podcast,Girl on Guy, where she interviews her favorite celebrity friends and discusses topics guys love. The show launched as the No. 4 comedy podcast oniTunes. The first weekly installment ofGirl on Guy featured guestH. Jon Benjamin (her costar onArcher); the second featured the host ofCurrent TV's former showInfoMania,Brett Erlich, on August 1, 2011; and the third featuredArcher creatorAdam Reed on August 9, 2011. She hosted the show until 2017.
In October 2011, it was announced that Tyler would join the cast ofThe Talk as a permanent co-host, replacingHolly Robinson Peete. Her first full week as a co-host was from October 24 through October 28, 2011.[2] Tyler is known for being expressive and outspoken on The Talk, especially aboutAfrican American culture and stereotypes,LGBT rights, andwomen's rights. Tyler presentedUbisoft's press conference atE32012 in June, which received some backlash from fans who didn't believe Tyler was a gamer.[27] This caused Tyler to respond with a poem about how she has been playing video games "since you were a twinge in the left side of your daddy's underoos."[28] She returned to host the publisher's press conferencethe following year. Tyler's second book,Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation, debuted in July 2013, later becoming aNew York Times bestseller; it was inspired by questions asked of guests onGirl on Guy.[29]
In March 2013, Tyler was confirmed to be the new host of the American version ofWhose Line Is It Anyway?.[30] She also appears briefly as herself in the video gameWatch Dogs and is featured in the music video for the"Weird Al" Yankovic song "Tacky". Tyler was also the original voice for the characterDaisy Fitzroy in the 2013 video gameBioShock Infinite, but her recordings were not used[31] and the role went toKimberly Brooks. She was nominated for Personality of 2014 inGolden Joystick Award 2014.
In June 2015, it was announced that Tyler landed a recurring role on the eleventh season ofCriminal Minds asDr. Tara Lewis.[15] Although she served as a temporary replacement forJennifer Love Hewitt, who was on maternity leave,[32] her status was elevated to a main cast member in season 12.[33]
In 2016, Tyler started aKickstarter campaign to fund her directorial feature film debut,Axis.[34] The film was shot over seven days in May 2016.[35][36]Axis premiered at the 2017 Sarasota Film Festival and was an official selection at seven other major US festivals, winning Outstanding Achievement at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[37]Axis was released viavideo-on-demand on April 10, 2018.[38]
On the June 15, 2017, episode ofThe Talk, Tyler announced that she would be leaving the show at the end of the seventh season due to her busy schedule with three other television shows and directing films. She said she would return as a guest host and promote her various projects.[39][40]
In 2023, she co-starred in the hitApple TV+ limited seriesThe Last Thing He Told Me, oppositeJennifer Garner.[41]
Tyler married attorney Jeff Tietjens in 1992[42][43] or 1994[44][45] (sources differ). The pair separated in January 2015 and Tietjens filed for divorce in April 2016.[44] The divorce was finalized in May 2017.[43]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dancing in September | Woman with Weave | |
| 2001 | Moose Mating | Josie | |
| 2002 | The Santa Clause 2 | Mother Nature | Cameo |
| 2003 | One Flight Stand | Alexis | |
| 2004 | Never Die Alone | Nancy | |
| 2006 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | Mother Nature | |
| 2006 | .45 | Liz | |
| 2007 | Death Sentence | Detective Wallis | |
| 2007 | Balls of Fury | Mahogany | |
| 2007 | The Trap! | Angela | |
| 2008 | Meet Market | Jane | |
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Donna Hynde | |
| 2009 | Black Water Transit | Casey Spandau | |
| 2010 | The Babymakers | Karen | |
| 2017 | Axis | Louise (voice) | Also director and producer Newport Beach Film Festival for Feature Film Newport Beach Film Festival for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Feature Nominated –Nashville Film Festival for New Directors Competition Nominated –Portland Film Festival for Best Feature Film Nominated –Sarasota Film Festival for Best Film |
| 2020 | Bad Therapy | Roxy | |
| 2020 | Friendsgiving | Lauren | |
| 2021 | Untitled Horror Movie | Bobbie Brower |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Nash Bridges | Reporter | Episode: "High Impact" |
| 1996 | Grand Avenue | Girl #1 | Television film |
| 1999 | The Pretender | Angela Somerset | Episode: "PTB" |
| 2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Shaq's Girlfriend | Episode: "Shaq" |
| 2001 | The Weakest Link | Herself | Episode: "Comedians Special" |
| 2001 | Talk Soup | Herself (host) | 19 episodes |
| 2001 | Off Limits | Cast | |
| 2001–02 | The 5th Wheel | Herself (host) | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | The Sausage Factory | Jamie | Episode: "Purity" |
| 2003 | Friends | Dr. Charlie Wheeler | 9 episodes Nominated –Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star, Female |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Janet Medrano | Episode: "Body Count" |
| 2004 | My Life, Inc. | Melanie Haywood | Television film |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | Manya Mabika | Episode: "Manya Mabika" |
| 2004–05 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mia Dickerson | 13 episodes |
| 2005 | 24 | Marianne Taylor | 7 episodes Nominated –NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2006) |
| 2005–06 | Ghost Whisperer | Andrea Marino | 23 episodes |
| 2006 | For One Night | Desiree Howard | Television film Nominated –NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | A.D.A. Taryn Campbell | Episode: "Trial of the Century" |
| 2007 | The Boondocks | Luna (voice) | Episode: "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch" |
| 2008 | Million Dollar Password | Herself | Contestant |
| 2008 | Reno 911! | Befany Dangle | Episode: "Befany's Secret Family" |
| 2009 | Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore | Herself | Stand-up special |
| 2009 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Herself | Contestant |
| 2009–23 | Archer | Lana Kane (voice) | 101 episodes Nominated – Behind the Voice Actors Awards for Outstanding Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series, Comedy/Musical (2013, 2014) Nominated –NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2014) Nominated –NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Theatrical) (2016) Nominated – Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Voice-Over Performance in an Animated Program (2017) |
| 2010 | Chelsea Lately | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2010 | The Forgotten | Lydia Townsend | Episode: "Designer Jane" |
| 2011–12 | XIII: The Series | Major Jones | 15 episodes |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Season 3, Episode 6: "The Snatch Game" |
| 2011–17 | The Talk | Herself (co-host) | Won –Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host (2017) Nominated –Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host (2014) Nominated –Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host (2015, 2016, 2018) |
| 2011–17 | Talking Dead | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Glee | Jake Puckerman's Mother | Episode: "Glee, Actually" |
| 2013–present | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Herself (host) | Season 9–present |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Savannah Walker | Episode: "Imi Loko Ka 'Uhane" |
| 2013 | The Getaway | Herself | Episode: "Aisha Tyler in Paris" |
| 2014 | Modern Family | Wendy | Episode: "Spring-a-Ding-Fling" |
| 2014 | The Mind of a Chef | Herself | |
| 2014 | Two and a Half Men | Allison | Episode: "The Ol' Mexican Spinach" |
| 2014 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "Winner Chosen" |
| 2014–15 | BoJack Horseman | Sextina Aquafina (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2015–20; 2022–present | Criminal Minds | Dr. Tara Lewis | 92 episodes Recurring role (season 11) Main cast (season 12–present) |
| 2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Shaquille O'Neal vs. Aisha Tyler" |
| 2016 | Supergirl | Episode: "Falling" | |
| 2016–17 | @midnight | 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler | Herself (host) | 9 episodes |
| 2020 | Diary of a Future President | Alicia | Episode: "Hello World" |
| 2021–present | Monsters at Work | Millie Tuskmon (voice) | recurring role |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself (guest judge) | Season 6, Episode 5: "Pink Table Talk" |
| 2021 | Robot Chicken | Angela Abar,Carole Baskin (voice) | Episode: "May Cause Random Wolf Attacks" |
| 2021 | Fear the Walking Dead | Mickey | Episode: "Till Death" Nominated –Saturn Award for Best Guest-Starring Performance in a Network or Cable Television Series (2022) |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolical | Nubia (voice) | Episode: "Nubian vs Nubian"; also writer |
| 2022 | The Boys | Herself | Episode: "Herogasm"; cameo |
| 2022 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Herself | |
| 2023 | The Last Thing He Told Me | Jules | miniseries |
| 2025-present | Harley Quinn | Lena Luthor (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Halo: Reach | Female Trooper #2 | |
| 2011 | Gears of War 3 | Walker | RAAM's Shadow DLC |
| 2014 | Watch Dogs | Herself | Also likeness |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Girl on Guy – Podcast | Host |
| 2012 | E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo | Ubisoft Press Conference Host |
| 2013 | E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo | Ubisoft Press Conference Host |
| 2014 | E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo | Ubisoft Press Conference Host |
| The GameOverGreggy Show | Guest | |
| 2015 | Table Top:Cards Against Humanity | Guest |
| E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo | Ubisoft Press Conference Host | |
| 2016 | E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo | Ubisoft Press Conference Host |
| 2020 | Prime Rewind: Inside the Boys | Aftershow Host |
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Slow Jamz" | Twista featuringKanye West andJamie Foxx | |
| 2009 | "Nowassitall" | Herself | From her DVDAisha Tyler Is Lit |
| 2013 | "Simmer" | Silversun Pickups | Also director and editor[46][47] |
| "Crucial Velocity" | Clutch | Also director[48] | |
| 2014 | "Tacky" | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
| 2016 | "Gone Cold" | Clutch |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Committed | Short Also writer, editor and producer |
| 2015 | Ar Scath Le Chelie | Short |
| 2017 | Axis | Also producer |
| 2017–2024 | Criminal Minds | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Hipsterverse | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Roswell, New Mexico | Episode: "The Diner" |
| 2021 | Fear the Walking Dead | Episode: "J.D." |
| The Walking Dead: World Beyond | 2 episodes | |
| 2022 | Evil | Episode: "The Demon of Parenthood" |
| The Wonder Years | Episode: "Jobs and Hangouts" | |
| The Walking Dead | Episode: "What's Been Lost" |
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | The Talk co-host 2011–2017 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |