Leslie Jones | |
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.jpg) Jones atthe Stress Factory in 2018 | |
| Born | Annette Leslie Jones (1967-09-07)September 7, 1967 (age 58) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Notable work | FormerSaturday Night Live cast member and writer Ghostbusters (2016) Coming 2 America (2021) Good Burger 2 (2023) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1987–present |
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| Genres | |
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Annette Leslie Jones[1][2] (born September 7, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was a cast member and writer for theNBCsketch comedy seriesSaturday Night Live from 2014 to 2019, and hosted theABC game showSupermarket Sweep. She has also been a featured performer at theJust for Laughs festival inMontreal and theAspen Comedy Festival. In 2010, her one-hour comedy special,Problem Child, was broadcast onShowtime. Jones starred inGhostbusters (2016) as Patty Tolan. In 2017 and 2018, Jones was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work onSaturday Night Live.
Jones was born on September 7, 1967, inMemphis, Tennessee.[3] She had a younger brother, Rodney Keith Jones (1971–2009).[4] Her father, Willie Jones Jr., was in theUnited States Army, and her family relocated frequently.[5] Her family moved to Los Angeles, when her father took a job atStevie Wonder's radio station,KJLH, as an electronics engineer.[3] Jones attended high school inLynwood, California, where she also played basketball; her father suggested that she play the sport because of her height.[6]
Jones attendedChapman University on a basketball scholarship. Initially unsure of what she wanted to study, Jones worked as adisc jockey at the student radio station,KNAB,[7] and contemplated playing professional basketball overseas.[8] When her coach, Brian Berger, left Chapman in 1986 for the head-coaching job atColorado State University, Jones followed.[1][9][10] Once at Colorado State, Jones contemplated pursuing a pre-law degree,[8] but changed her major several times, including toaccounting andcomputer science, before settling on communications.[7] She left Colorado without a degree.[11]
Jones began doing stand-up comedy in college in 1987, when a friend signed her up for a "Funniest Person on Campus" contest.[5][8] After winning the contest, Jones left school forLos Angeles.[8] She performed at comedy clubs while working day jobs atRoscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles andUPS[12] to make ends meet. ComediansMother Love andDave Chappelle encouraged her to move toNew York City to hone her craft. She lived there for over two years, during which she appeared onBET'sComicView, before returning to Los Angeles.[7] She performed atThe Comedy Store inWest Hollywood, but her shows there received unfavorable reviews.[7] She then went on tour, opening forJamie Foxx where she was booed by his audience. Foxx advised her to "live life for a little while" to gain experiences for her comedy; Jones stopped performing for three years.[7] She then performed in smaller clubs until 2010, when she began asking for spots at The Comedy Store and secured prime-time slots for her act.[13] In 2012,Chris Rock saw her perform and gave her name to several of "the biggest managers in comedy" all of whom "didn't get it".[14] The following year, Rock helped Jones secure an audition forSaturday Night Live, which she landed.[14]
In 2008, Jones was part ofKatt Williams'sIt's Pimpin' Pimpin' tour.[5][15]
Netflix signed Jones for a stand-up special slated for 2020.[16]
In December 2013,Saturday Night Live held a casting call to add at least one African American woman to the show, and Jones auditioned. Prior to being asked to audition, Jones had criticized the show, saying that the show, and especially cast memberKenan Thompson, was "not funny".[17]Sasheer Zamata was added as a featured player, while Jones and LaKendra Tookes were hired as writers.[18] Jones appeared during the Weekend Update segment of the May 3, 2014 episode hosted byAndrew Garfield, where her jokes about her current dating problems and her potential effectiveness as abreeding slave sparked controversy.[9][19]
Jones appeared in the first and third episodes of the 40th season, hosted byChris Pratt andBill Hader, respectively. On October 20, 2014, Jones was promoted to the cast as a featured player, and made her official debut on the October 25, 2014 episode hosted byJim Carrey.[20] At age 47, Jones became the oldest person to join the show as a cast member (surpassingMichael McKean andGeorge Coe, who were 46 when they joined the show in 1994 and 1975, respectively).[21][22] Jones' addition marked the first time inSNL history that the show's cast included more than one African American woman;[23] moreover, the 40th season was the first to have five concurrent African American cast members, beating the previous record of three.[24][25] Jones subsequently returned forSeasons 41,42 (where she was promoted to Repertory Status),43, and44.
In 2017 and 2018, Jones was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work onSNL.
The 44th season was Jones's last onSNL.[26]
In 2006, Jones appeared inMaster P's filmRepos.
In 2014, Jones appeared inChris Rock's directorial film,Top Five; Rock has said a follow-up is in the works,[27] tellingComplex Magazine, "Some people really shine inTop Five. You might want to see a little more Leslie Jones."[28]
In 2015, Jones appeared in theJudd Apatow andAmy Schumer project,Trainwreck; reportedly Apatow and Schumer wrote a part specifically for Jones after seeing her turn inTop Five.[29]
In 2016, she starred in therebootGhostbusters as Patty Tolan, alongsideMelissa McCarthy,Kristen Wiig, andKate McKinnon.[9][30]
Jones appeared inComing 2 America alongsideTracy Morgan,Rick Ross, andKiKi Layne. The film is a sequel toComing to America, starringEddie Murphy.[31]
She has been a member of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Actors Branch since 2017.[32]
During the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jones regularly live-tweeted events and posted videos of her reactions.[33][34] Enthusiasm for Jones's commentary grew, with articles appearing likeThe Huffington Post's "Watching Leslie Jones Watch The Olympics Is Better Than the Actual Olympics".[35] Television producer Mike Shoemaker, one of Jones' Twitter followers, posted on Twitter that his friend Jim Bell,NBC's executive producer of the network's Olympics coverage, should add Jones to NBC's team of commentators covering the Games; Bell responded on Twitter the next day asking Jones to join NBC in Rio de Janeiro. She accepted and flew to Rio de Janeiro, covering swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and beach volleyball for NBC.[36]
Jones reprised her duties at the2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea,[37] and live-tweeted again for the postponed2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo, Japan.[38] She live-tweeted for the final time for the2022 Winter Olympics inBeijing, China. She released a message on Twitter stating that this would be the last Olympics that she would live-tweet, claiming broadcasterNBC is pressuring her to stop.[39]
Jones and fellow comedianAdam DeVine appeared in a 2016 ad campaign forAllstate Insurance, created byLeo Burnett Worldwide.[40]
Jones hosted theBET Awards on June 25, 2017.[41] This marked her hosting debut.
In 2018, Jones appeared in two advertisements forAmazon'sEcho Spot.[42]
In 2020, Jones hosted aSupermarket Sweep reboot. In 2021, she returned for season 2.[43]
Jones was the host for the2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards.[44]
Jones has cited as her comedic influences:Eddie Murphy,[8]Richard Pryor,[5]Carol Burnett,[45]Lucille Ball,[45]John Ritter,[45] andWhoopi Goldberg.[5]
Jones is a fan of the soccer teamSeattle Sounders FC.[46] She is also an avid fan ofRuPaul's Drag Race.
After the release ofGhostbusters in July 2016, Jones became the subject of racist and misogynistic attacks overTwitter. The social media platform responded by taking action against several users, resulting in the permanentbanning of user andBreitbart editorMilo Yiannopoulos, who had described Jones as "barely literate".[47]
After continuing to receive racist comments, Jones temporarily left Twitter on July 18, 2016.[48] She appeared later in the week onLate Night with Seth Meyers, where she discussed the ordeal and her meeting with Twitter CEOJack Dorsey. In response to Yiannopoulos' claim that he was targeted for being a "gay conservative", she suggested in her personal opinion that "hate speech and freedom of speech are two different things".[49]
A month later, Jones was again subjected to online harassment. Her personal website was hacked, its contents replaced with photos of her passport and driver's license — an instance ofdoxxing.[50] The site was also changed to display alleged nude pictures of her, as well as a video tribute toHarambe, the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla killed in May 2016 (a reference to the racially charged gorilla remarks hurled at Jones in the earlier attack). Her team took the website down soon after it was hacked.[51]
Both incidents resulted in outpourings of support for Jones from fans and celebrities alike, via the hashtag #LoveForLeslieJ which trended on both Twitter andInstagram.[52] Those who voiced support includePaul Feig,[53]Gabourey Sidibe,Ellen DeGeneres,Sara Benincasa,Ava DuVernay,Hillary Clinton,Corey Taylor,[54]Katy Perry,Octavia Spencer,Anna Kendrick,Lena Dunham,[55] andLoni Love. Jones responded to the hacks on the October 22, 2016 episode ofSaturday Night Live.[56] When Jones appeared onLate Night with Seth Meyers on May 12, 2015, she was praised as an inspirational figure by a montage of fans showing support for her.[57]
| Year | Film title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | For Love of the Game | (uncredited) | [58] |
| 2003 | National Security | Britney | |
| 2006 | Repos | Lay La | Credited as Annette Jones |
| 2007 | Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary | Mamma Du Rag | Credited as Annette "Leslie" Jones |
| 2008 | Internet Dating | Too Sweett Jones | |
| 2010 | Something Like a Business | Vanity | |
| Lottery Ticket | Tasha | ||
| The Company We Keep | Beverly Blue | ||
| 2012 | House Arrest | Boss Lady | |
| Christmas in Compton (akaOne Bad Christmas) | Tiny | ||
| 2014 | Top Five | Lisa | |
| Kony Montana (akaMichael Blackson is Kony Montana) | Fufu | ||
| 2015 | We Are Family | Leslie (The Driver) | |
| Trainwreck | Angry Subway Patron | ||
| 2016 | Ghostbusters | Patricia "Patty" Tolan | |
| Sing | Meena's mother | Voice[59] | |
| Masterminds | FBI Special Agent Scanlon | ||
| 2019 | The Angry Birds Movie 2 | Zeta | Voice[59] |
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | Mary Junson | Winner –MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |
| 2023 | Good Burger 2 | Charlotte Reed | |
| 2024 | The Sloth Lane | Dotti Pace | Voice; leading role[60][61] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | In the House | Female Basketball Player (uncredited) | Episode: "Hoop Screams". |
| 1997 | Coach | (uncredited) | Episode: "It's A Swamp Thing". |
| 2001–02 | The Way We Do It | Various | |
| 2004 | Girlfriends | Mabel | Episode: "Love, Peace and Hair Grease". Credited as Leslie. |
| 2007 | Mind of Mencia | Nurse Brownsugar/Bodyguard | 2 episodes |
| American Body Shop | Roshanda Washington | Episode: "Fluids" | |
| 2010 | Chelsea Lately | Herself (roundtable panelist) | Episode: "Crispin Glover" |
| Problem Child: Leslie Jones (akaBig Les: Problem Child) | Herself | Showtime stand-up comedy special | |
| 2012 | Daddy Knows Best | Angry Woman | Episode: "Taser" |
| 2013 | Sullivan & Son | Bobbie | Episode: "Acceptance" |
| See Dad Run | Security Guard | Episode: "See Dad Be Normal...ish" | |
| The League | Stand Up Student | Episode: "The Bringer Show" | |
| 2014 | Workaholics | Lynette | Episode: "The One Where the Guys Play Basketball and Do the Friends Title Thing" |
| 2014–19 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Various | Cast member and writer Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (2019) Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2017, 2018) Nominated –Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series (2015) |
| 2015 | The Awesomes | Silent But Deadly | Voice, episode: "The Final Showdown" |
| 2016 | The Blacklist | Citizen | Episode: "Lady Ambrosia" |
| 2017–19 | The $100,000 Pyramid | Herself | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Kevin (Probably) Saves the World | Cindy | Episode: "The Right Thing"[62] |
| 2020 | Supermarket Sweep | Host | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Episode: "The Ball Ball" | |
| Death to 2020 | Dr. Maggie Gravel | Television special | |
| Leslie Jones: Time Machine | Herself | Netflix special | |
| 2021 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Episode: "Leslie Jones,Chandra Wilson andTony Hawk" | |
| 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards | Host | Television special | |
| Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Herself | Episode: "Hair" | |
| 2022 | Out of Office | Ally | Television film |
| 2022–23 | Our Flag Means Death | Spanish Jackie | Recurring role |
| 2023 | BMF | SAC Tracy Chambers | 2 episodes |
| Hit-Monkey | Eunice | Voice[63] | |
| 2023–2024 | The Daily Show | Herself | Guest host: 7 episodes (Jan. 17–19, Nov. 13–16)[64][65] Guest appearance: 1 episode (Mar. 28)[66] |
| 2025 | American Dad! | Coach (voice) | Episode: "The Mystery of the Missing Bazooka Shark Babe" |
| Phineas and Ferb | Alliance Commander (voice) | Episode: "Meap Me in St. Louis" | |
| DMV | Sally | Episode: "The Next Window" |
Jones (who went by Annette Jones at the time)...Additional July 31, 2017.
Bacardi Comedy Champion Annette 'Leslie' Jones...[permanent dead link]
...she left school to return to Los Angeles and pursue a career in comedy.
Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
| Preceded by David Ruprecht (1990–1995, 2000–2003) | Host ofSupermarket Sweep 2020–2022 (on hiatus) | Succeeded by incumbent |
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