Kym Whitley is an American comedian, actress and podcaster. She is known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as My Brother and Me, Sparks, Animal Practice, The Boondocks, Young & Hungry, The Parkers, The Cleveland Show, Black Dynamite, and Act Your Age. Whitley was nominated for a 2004 BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office Movie for her role as Ormandy in the 2003 comedy film Deliver Us From Eva.
Early life and education Whitley, who is of African American heritage, is the daughter of William Whitley. Her father was a founding partner of Whitley and Whitley, the black architectural firm involved in a joint venture to design and build Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field), home to the Cleveland Guardians. She attended Shaker Heights High School (graduating in 1979) and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She was initiated into the Alpha Beta chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Career In 1989, Whitley got her big break starring in Shelly Garrett's popular play Beauty Shop, which started in Los Angeles then later traveled across the United States. Whitley's major acting roles include the short-lived sitcoms My Brother and Me and Sparks. She has made guest appearances on several television sitcoms, including The Parent 'Hood, Married... with Children, Moesha, That's So Raven, The Parkers, My Wife and Kids and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also hosted the short-lived BET show Oh Drama (2000). Whitley had a small role in Next Friday as Craig's aunt Suga. She was part of a group called "The Adults", which featured actors who were adult cast members in the earlier seasons of All That. In the early spring of 2010, Whitley was a co-host with R&B musician Brian McKnight on the short-lived talk show The Brian McKnight Show. From 2012 to 2013, Whitley had a recurring role on the BET comedy Let's Stay Together as Charmaine Wax.
On April 20, 2013, her reality docu-series titled Raising Whitley premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network, with a total of 1.2 million viewers, making it the fifth most-widely viewed premiere in the history of the network. OWN ordered a second season, which premiered on January 4, 2014. Whitley then joined the cast of the television sitcom Young & Hungry which premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) in 2014, where she played Josh's housekeeper Yolanda. The show ran for five seasons, ending in 2018. In 2017, she guest starred in the web series The Bay where she played Big Candi. She received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series. In 2018, she guest starred in the "Thanksgiving" episode of Master of None as Denise's aunt Joyce, and sister to Angela Bassett's character. The episode won an Emmy for Best Writing for Master of None's actors Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe. Whitley was later a recurring guest host on the E! shows Daily Pop and Nightly Pop. In 2023, she played the role of Aunt Nadine in the film You People.
Personal life Whitley is a cousin of actor and martial artist Michael Jai White. She has an older brother Kyle and a younger brother Scott. In January 2011, she adopted her son, Joshua. In 2013, Whitley and her friend Rodney Van Johnson launched a line of t-shirts titled "Don't Feed Me." The shirts alert caregivers about children who have specific food allergies.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Seven Thirty-Five Whitley Short 1999 Silk Hope Grace TV movie Beverly Hood Nola Washington 2000 Next Friday Auntie Suga Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Party Guest A Private Affair Cheryl TV movie 2001 Baby Boy Host House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute Judy Harris/Jon Jon's Mom Video 2002 What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway Ms. Wells TV movie 2003 Deliver Us from Eva Ormandy Love Chronicles Renee Malibooty! Donna Video 2004 Along Came Polly Gladys Up Against the 8 Ball Mrs. Thompson 2005 The Salon Lashaunna The Golden Blaze Mother Johnson (voice) Video The Perfect Man Dolores L.A. Dicks Madame Opal Fun with Dick and Jane Kostmart Training Leader 2006 Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness Ms. Attitude (voice) TV movie Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street Ms. Attitude (voice) TV movie 2008 College Road Trip Michelle Porter The Hustle Miss Tanya Cuttin' da Mustard - 2009 Black Dynamite Honeybee I Love You, Man Female Co-Worker Donation Cashier Keisha Short Straight from the Horses Mouth Herself Video 2010 Heaven Ain't Hard to Find Sis. Hattie May Group Sex Tiffany Video Something Like a Business Sasha The Woman in the Red Dress The Detective's Wife Short 2011 Rango Melonee (voice) Taking Liberties (?) Sarah Short 35 and Ticking Shavelle We Bought a Zoo Cashier Sebastian Roxanne 2012 Silent No More Ms. Carolyn Sistaah Friend Publicist Video C'mon Man Herself 2013 Ticket to Vegas Monik Anything is Possible Ms. Kim 2014 A Haunted House 2 Church Lady 2015 The Biz Casting Director Short 2017 Fist Fight 911 Operator 2018 She Get it from Her Mama Lena Short The Weekend Karen Barber 2019 Love Dot Com: The Social Experiment Aunty Kathy 2020 Hubie Halloween Farmer Louise 2022 Boosters LA Tina Izzy Lyon: The Unspun Truth Rhonda Jackson Lyon 2023 You People Aunt Nadine Outlaw Johnny Black Sister Betty Urkel Saves Santa: the Movie Mrs. Paxson (voice) Video 2025 Killing Mary Sue Anita Koch Happy Gilmore 2 Bessie
Television