Jessica Williams (actress)

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For the other comedian with the same birth name, see Punkie Johnson.

Jessica Williams
Williams in 2016
Born
Jessica Renee Williams

(1989-07-31) July 31, 1989 (age 34)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materCalifornia State University, Long Beach
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian
Years active2006–present

Jessica Renee Williams (born July 31, 1989)[1] is an American actress and comedian. She has appeared as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show, as cohost of the podcast 2 Dope Queens, as Lally Hicks in the Fantastic Beasts film series, as Gaby in Shrinking, and as Meadow in Entergalactic.

Early life[edit]

Williams was born in Los Angeles County, California. She attended Nathaniel Narbonne High School where she studied drama. She made her television debut as a series regular on the Nickelodeon series Just for Kicks in 2006,[2] and in 2012, she became The Daily Show's youngest correspondent ever at 22 years old.[3][4] She attended California State University, Long Beach.

Career[edit]

Williams made her Daily Show debut on January 11, 2012.[5] Williams is a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.[6] Williams also made appearances on Season 3 of HBO's Girls.[7] She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York[8] and Los Angeles, California.[9] She appeared in the film People Places Things. She cohosted the comedy podcast 2 Dope Queens with Phoebe Robinson. Williams appears in an HBO special spun off from the podcast in February 2018.[10] She appeared on her last regular Daily Show episode on June 30, 2016, but returned for a guest appearance on April 22, 2024.[11][12] She starred in the 2017 Netflix comedy movie The Incredible Jessica James, in which she portrays a character whom The Guardian described as "a struggling Brooklyn-based playwright navigating the murky waters of modern romance while waiting impatiently for her big break."[13]

Williams appeared in the sequels of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as Lally Hicks, a teacher from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[14] In 2023, Williams had a starring role in the Apple TV+ show Shrinking.[15] For her performance, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination.

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Crying in Public Coffee Shop Crier Short film
2013 Delivery Man Tanya
2015 People Places Things Kat
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Herself Cameo role
Tap Shoes & Violins Charlie Short film
2017 The Incredible Jessica James Jessica James Also executive producer
2018 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Lally Hicks
2019 Corporate Animals Jess
Booksmart Miss Fine
2020 Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia TBA
2022 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Lally Hicks
2024 Road House Frankie

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Just for Kicks Vida Atwood 13 episodes
2012–2016, 2024 The Daily Show Herself (correspondent) 142 episodes
2014 Girls Karen 4 episodes
2018 2 Dope Queens Herself Episode: All
2019 The Twilight Zone Rei Tanaka Episode: "Six Degrees of Freedom"
2021 I Heart Arlo Elena Voice role
Love Life Mia Hines Main role
2022 Entergalactic Meadow Watson Voice role, television film
2023-present Shrinking Gaby Main role

Podcast[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2016–2018 2 Dope Queens Herself (cohost) Also co-creator, writer, executive producer

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2024 Critics' Choice Award Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Shrinking Nominated [16]
2024 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated [17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Williams, Jessica Renee [@msjwilly] (July 31, 2018). "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY ... I'm excited for what 29 is going to bring ..." – via Instagram.
    Williams, Jessica Renee [@msjwilly] (July 31, 2019). "today is my birthday!!!!! Here I am being 30 ..." Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (April 7, 2006). "'Just for Kicks' shows girls how to get along". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012.
  3. ^ Del Signore, John (January 19, 2012). "Jon Stewart: SOPA Will Drive Us To Libraries "Like A Common Masturbator"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Czajkowski, Elise (February 27, 2014). "Talking to 'Daily Show' Correspondent Jessica Williams". Splitsider. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  5. ^ "Indecision 2012 - In the South of Madness". The Daily Show. January 11, 2012.
  6. ^ "Jessica Williams". Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  7. ^ Williams, Lauren (January–February 2014). "The Daily Show's Jessica Williams on Race, Comedy, and Her Role in "Girls."". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "FACES: THE DAILY SHOW'S JESSICA WILLIAMS INTERVIEW". Nixon. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  9. ^ 2 Dope Queens Podcast, Episode 28, A Sex Toy in Every Port
  10. ^ "'2 Dope Queens' Jessica Williams, Phoebe Robinson on Taking HBO by Storm". Rolling Stone. February 2, 2018. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Rahman, Ray (June 29, 2016). "Jessica Williams is leaving The Daily Show — exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  12. ^ "WATCH: Jessica Williams Returns to The Daily Show". LateNighter. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Nevins, Jake (July 26, 2017). "The incredible Jessica Williams: 'Great comedy comes from feeling like you've gotten punched up'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  14. ^ "Jessica Williams Joins J.K. Rowling to Announce Her Fantastic Beasts Character". Vulture. April 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Jessica Williams on becoming the standout star of Apple TV Plus' Shrinking". The A.V. Club. February 27, 2023.
  16. ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (January 14, 2024). "Oppenheimer, Barbie, The Bear lead 2024 Critics Choice Awards: See the full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "75th Primetime Emmy Awards". Emmy Awards. Retrieved July 12, 2023.

External links[edit]

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