Janelle James (born September 23, 1979) is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known for her role as

Ava Coleman ''Abbott Elementary'' is an American television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second grade teacher at Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. The ensemble cast includes Tyler J ...

in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television series ''

Abbott Elementary ''Abbott Elementary'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as Janine Teagues, a perpetually optimistic second-grade teacher at the underfunded Abbott Elementary, a fictional p ...

'', for which she won a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

and an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

, in addition to nominations for three

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

, and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

. Her writing credits include ''

The Rundown with Robin Thede ''The Rundown with Robin Thede'' is an American late-night talk show and variety television program that aired on BET from October 12, 2017, to April 19, 2018. The show was hosted by comedian and writer Robin Thede, the former head writer and cor ...

'' and ''

Black Monday Black Monday refers to specific Mondays when undesirable or turbulent events have occurred. It has been used to designate massacres, military battles, and stock market crashes. Historic events *1209, Dublin – when a group of 500 recently arriv ...

'', and she acted on the programs '' Crashing'', ''

Corporate A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of s ...

'', and ''

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

''. Her debut comedy album ''Black and Mild'' was released in 2017. She was named one of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''s 10 Comics to Watch for 2020.

Early life and education

James was born and raised on St. Thomas in the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...

. Her father had a food truck, and starting at age 7, she helped out by selling beers on the beach to tourists. At age 16, she and her mother moved to New York. While in high school, she once stood in line for 12 hours to audition for

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's '' Wanna Be a VJ''. After high school, she enrolled at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

, but left after a few years.

Career

Stand-up comedy and television

James began her career in 2009 at an open mic she attended while living in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

. She described her style of comedy as "just talking shit" and her stand-up includes a range of topics such as the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

, motherhood, being a woman over 35, and dating. James named

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

, Hadiyah Robinson,

John Early John Early may refer to: *John Early (educator) (1814–1873), Irish-American Jesuit educator * John Early (politician) (1828–1877), Lieutenant Governor of Illinois *John Early (bishop) (1786–1873), American Methodist prelate *John Early (comed ...

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainme ...

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

, and Kareem Green as favorite comedians. In 2016, James' work was recognized by Just for Laughs and ''Brooklyn'' magazine. She gained wider prominence as the opening act for

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

's 2017 Total Blackout tour. That year, she released her debut comedy album, ''Black and Mild''. The show was recorded at Acme Comedy Company in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. She performed on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's 2018 comedy series ''The Comedy Lineup''. She was also slated to perform at the network's inaugural Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival based in Los Angeles in 2020. James was a staff writer for ''

'' (2017) and the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

comedy ''

'', and also acted in a recurring role on the show. She has also appeared on the shows '' Crashing'', ''

'', and is both a writer and voice actor for ''

''. She was a featured comic on Netflix's ''

The Standups ''The Standups'' is an American comedy streaming television series. The series is a collection of 30-minute recordings of stand-up comedians, compiled and released by Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-t ...

'' in 2021. She gained wide prominence in her role as a main cast member on the

comedy ''

''. Her performance as the self-involved principal Ava Coleman has been hailed by critics. 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. In 2022, James hosted the ABC game show '' The Final Straw''. She hosted the 2023

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility The ...

Podcasts

In 2019, she hosted ''Strong Black Laughs'', an interview podcast featuring a variety of established Black comedians, including

Luenell Luenell Campbell (born March 12, 1959), known mononymously as Luenell, is an American comedian and actress. Career In the early-1990s, Luenell appeared regularly on ''Soul Beat TV'' on the Oakland, California cable station KSBT, along with promi ...

and

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Evonne Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, podcaster, television presenter and talk show host. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was ...

. She hosted ''You In Danger, Gurl'', a comedy podcast about relationship red flags and bizarre dating experiences, in 2020.

Personal life

After college, James married a teacher, with whom she had two sons. They split while living in

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...

, Illinois. For many years she was based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, but moved to Los Angeles in 2022 after the success of ''Abbott Elementary'''s first season.

Discography

* 2017: ''Black and Mild''

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

* 2016 – ''Brooklyn'''s 50 Funniest People * 2016 – Just for Laughs New Faces * 2020 – ''

'''s 10 Comics to Watch

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Janelle Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Fashion Institute of Technology alumni American women comedians American women screenwriters 21st-century American actresses Comedians from Brooklyn American women podcasters American comedy podcasters American stand-up comedians African-American female comedians African-American comedians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people American people of United States Virgin Islands descent American people of Caribbean descent Actresses from Brooklyn American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses