Anjelah Johnson
Anjelah Johnson | |
---|---|
![]() Johnson as Bon Qui Qui at the McAllen Convention Center in 2016 | |
Born | Anjelah Nicole Johnson May 14, 1982 San Jose, California, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | actress, comedian |
Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse |
Manwell Reyes (m. 2011) |
Comedy career | |
Medium | Television, stand-up, film |
Genres | Observational comedy |
Website | www |
Anjelah Nicole Johnson also known as Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (born May 14, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, and former NFL cheerleader. Johnson is most notable as a cast member on the series MADtv during its 13th season. Her characters included a Vietnamese nail salon employee and a formally rude fast food employee who is now a music star named Bon Qui Qui.[2]
Career
Johnson moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue a career in comedy, after a friend suggested that she join a joke writing class.[3] She took improv classes,[3][4] and quickly began to headline her own shows. Her stand-up routine comprising her impression of a Vietnamese nail salon employee received much attention on YouTube,[3] and in 2007, Johnson joined the cast of sketch comedy show MADtv as a featured performer. Because of the impending writers strike, Johnson was often given only a few lines in the scripts during her tenure, as the writers had to produce more scripts at a faster pace.[3] However, her character Bon Qui Qui, a fast food employee who treats customers rudely, which she wrote herself, was received well, and gained a similarly large YouTube following.[3] In 2008, Johnson was nominated for an ALMA Award for Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series for her work on MADtv.[5]
Johnson was given her own one-hour Comedy Central special, "Anjelah Johnson: That's How We Do It", in 2009.[1] She also appeared in the films Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Our Family Wedding, and provided her voice for the live-action adaptation of Marmaduke.[5] She was also featured on the late night talk show Lopez Tonight, hosted by George Lopez.
Johnson became the "TC Girl", a spokesperson for Mexican restaurant Taco Cabana in 2011.[6] In 2012, Johnson became the national campaign spokesperson for the "Don't be an S.O.V." campaign led by vRide,[7] the country's largest van pooling company, which encouraged single commuters (S.O.V.s) to rideshare, carpool, or vanpool.
In 2013, Johnson reprised her role as her MADtv character Bon Qui Qui for a skit released by Alexander Wang.
In 2013, Johnson's second stand-up comedy special entitled Homecoming Show premiered on Netflix. It was filmed in San Jose, California.
In 2015, Johnson's third stand-up special entitled Anjelah Johnson: Not Fancy was released on Netflix on October 1, 2015. It was filmed in southern California.
Personal life
Johnson was born and raised in San Jose, California, in a devout Christian family.[4] She is of Mexican and Native American descent.[8] She was a Pop Warner cheerleader from the age of 8 and was active in soccer, softball and track.[9] She also practiced hip hop and break dancing.[9] She began acting as a senior in high school and was especially interested in imitating different accents.[9] She later studied speech communications at De Anza College.[9][10] She subsequently became a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders after being inducted in 2002.[9] As a member of the Oakland Raiderettes she was named Rookie of the Year and performed at Super Bowl XXXVII.
Johnson married Group 1 Crew member Manwell Reyes on June 11, 2011 in Half Moon Bay, California.[11] She says the couple does not want children. They enjoy spending time with their nieces and nephews.[12]
Filmography
Movie appearances
Year | Title | Role | Box office performance | Director | Other notes |
2007 | The Box | Dianne | A.J. Kparr | ||
2009 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | Julie Ortega | $442,859,798 | Betty Thomas | |
2010 | Our Family Wedding | Isabel | $21,409,028[13] | Rick Famuyiwa | |
2010 | Marmaduke | Afghan #2 (voice) | $83,761,844[14] | Tom Dey | |
2013 | Enough Said | Cathy | $17,497,669 | Nicole Holofcener | |
2014 | Moms' Night Out | Restaurant Hostess | $10,429,707 | Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin | |
2014 | The Book of Life | Adelita / Nina (voice) | $50,151,543 | Jorge Gutierrez |
Television appearances
Year | Title | Role | Total episodes | Other notes |
2006 | Love, Inc. | Female Client | 1 | |
2007 | On the Up | Herself | Host of show | |
2007–2008 | MADtv | Various characters | 4 | Sketch comedy |
2008 | Untitled Dave Caplan Pilot | Maria | ||
2008 | The Movie Preview Awards | Herself | ||
2009 | Comedy Central | Herself | Anjelah Johnson: That's How We Do It | |
2010 | Ugly Betty | Wendy | BLOB Interviewer/Bettyhead (Season 4 Episode 13, "Chica and the Man") | |
2010 | Lopez Tonight | Herself | ||
2016 | MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion | Bon Qui Qui | Sketch comedy |
Discography
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2014) |
Studio albums
As Bon Qui Qui:
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Gold Plated Dreams |
|
Extended plays
As Bon Qui Qui:
- The Come Up (2012) [16]
Music videos
As Bon Qui Qui:
Title | Year | Director |
---|---|---|
"I'm A Cut You" | 2012 | DG[17][18] |
"No Boyfren feat. Tammy" | 2013 | |
"This Is How We Do It (Benefit remix)" | 2014 | Randal Kirk II [19] |
"Shut Us Down" | 2016 | Diego Contreras[20] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Award category | Result |
2002 | Oakland Raiderettes | Rookie of the Year | Won |
2008 | ALMA Award | Outstanding Female Performance | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b Comedycentral
- ^ "Anjelah Johnson Bio | The Grable Group"
- ^ a b c d e Comedyandmagicclub.com
- ^ a b Thecomicscomic
- ^ a b Laughfactory.com
- ^ "The TC Girl". Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ Vride
- ^ Biography from Anjelah.com
- ^ a b c d e Raiderdrive.com
- ^ Metroactive
- ^ "I'm Married!!". Anjelah.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Not Fancy" stand up routine 2015
- ^ Our Family Wedding (2010). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ "Marmaduke (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ iTunes
- ^ YouTube
- ^ YouTube
- ^ YouTube
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5IbE77Elxo
External links
- Articles with empty sections from September 2014
- 1982 births
- Living people
- American Christians
- American female dancers
- American film actresses
- American impressionists (entertainers)
- American television actresses
- American actresses of Mexican descent
- National Football League cheerleaders
- American women comedians
- American people of Native American descent
- Actresses from San Jose, California
- American cheerleaders
- Oakland Raiders personnel
- American sketch comedians