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.
Jessica Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2016 | |
| Born | Jessica Renee Williams July 31, 1989 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Early life
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
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
Film
| 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
| 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 |
| 2018-2019 | 2 Dope Queens | Herself | 8 episodes |
| 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 | 2 Dope Queens | Herself (cohost) | Also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
Awards and nominations
| 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] |