Natasha Rothwell (born October 18, 1980) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her work on the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series '' Insecure'' as Kelli Prenny, and ''

The White Lotus ''The White Lotus'' is an American Black comedy, black comedy drama Anthology series, anthology television series created by Mike White (filmmaker), Mike White for HBO that premiered on July 11, 2021. The series follows the exploits of the gues ...

'' as Belinda, for which she earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In September 2024,

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

released '' How to Die Alone,'' a comedy series starring and co-created by Rothwell.

Early life

Rothwell was born on October 18, 1980 in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. Her parents David and Sharon Rothwell are natives of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. She has three siblings, Tamika, Tiffany and David. They were raised

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Due to her father’s career in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, Rothwell's family moved frequently when she was young, including to New Mexico, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, and Turkey. Rothwell attended two elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. Rothwell graduated from Westlake High School in

Waldorf, Maryland Waldorf is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Located south-southeast of Washington, D.C., Waldorf is part of Southern Maryland. Its population was 81,410 at the 2020 census. Waldorf has experienced dramatic gr ...

. Rothwell attended

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca (town), New York, Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a Music school, conservatory of music. Ithaca College is known for its media-related programs and entertainment program ...

as a journalism major, before transferring to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

as a theatre major on a full creative and performing arts

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

. Rothwell credits the

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

's poem "Harlem" — which begins with the question ''"What happens to a dream deferred?" —'' as the inspiration that pushed her to change majors and pursue her dream to become an actor.

Career

Upon graduating, Rothwell moved to Japan to teach English and performed at the Tokyo Comedy Store. In 2009, Rothwell returned to the United States and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where she worked as a high school theatre teacher for 4 years while pursuing comedy. She performed at

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...

improv group and eventually landed a job as a writer on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

for the 2014-2015 season. After 8 years in New York, Rothwell moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2015. In 2016, Rothwell had her breakthrough role on the Issa Rae

series '' Insecure'' as Kelli Prenny, where she also served as a writer and supervising producer. The series ran for five seasons concluding in 2021. Rothwell won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards. Rothwell landed roles in television series '' Netflix Presents: The Characters, Search Party, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Love,Victor'' and ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural sitcom television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, and later on NBC, from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...

.'' On April 15, 2019, Rothwell joined a host of other writers in firing their agents as part of the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

’s stand against the

Association of Talent Agents The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a non-profit trade association representing talent agencies in the United States entertainment industry. ATA agencies represent the vast majority of artists working in the field, including actors, dire ...

and the practice of

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...

. In 2020, Rothwell starred in films '' Wonder Woman 1984, Like a Boss'' and ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

''. In 2021, her compan
Big Hattie Productions
struck an overall deal with

ABC Signature ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio ...

. In 2021, Rothwell joined the cast of season 1 of the Mike White

series

, as Belinda. Rothwell received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In 2023, Rothwell starred in films '' Wonka'' and ''

Wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. Sociology Several cu ...

''. In 2024, Rothwell co-created, produced, and starred in the comedy series '' How to Die Alone'' on

. She played a 35-year-old

JFK airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is t ...

worker who had never been in love, partially inspired by Rothwell’s own journey for love and self-discovery. The series received positive critical acclaim and Rothwell won a Celebration of Cinema and Television Award 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 ...

nomination. , Rothwell is developing a TV adaptation of the viral

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

series “Who TF Did I Marry” by Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson. In 2025, Rothwell reprised her role as Belinda in season 3 of

Personal life

Rothwell resides in

with her two goldendoodle dogs. Her favorite place to visit is

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

. Rothwell has

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

, describing herself as "neurospicy," and has spoken about the importance of mental health. She describes herself as a Type-A person and a nerd. Rothwell is a Democrat and an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

for women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and civil rights. She is a vocal critic of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

’s administrations and has marched against anti-immigration policies and police brutality. She has spoken about her passion for activism, telling '' GQ'' in 2018, “I lived in DC for almost 10 years. When you live there you kind of can’t help but be politically active.”

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rothwell, Natasha Living people American women writers African-American actresses American women comedians Writers from Wichita, Kansas African-American female comedians African-American comedians American voice actresses 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women African-American television writers American television writers American women television writers 1980 births Comedians from Kansas