Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe

1984-05-17 Chicago, Illinois, USA 38 Credits

Biography

Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present). Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021) and became the first...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Reclaim the Flag

2025

as Self

Acting

An examination of how the American flag can be reclaimed as a symbol of unity for all Americans, with a focus on the LGBTQ community.

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart

2025

Executive Producer

Producing

In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a customer seeking closure reanimates his dead father for one last conversation. When his expectatio...

It's Dorothy!

It's Dorothy!

2025

as Self

Acting

Since her first adventure in L. Frank Baum’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale has been on countless more journeys, reintroduced and ...

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

2025

Executive Producer

6.0
Producing

Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement.

Meal Ticket

Meal Ticket

2024

Executive Producer

Producing

Twelve minutes before showtime, a young music manager is forced to decide what to do with life-changing news about his client, a hot-headed hip-hop st...

Kokomo City

Kokomo City

2023

Executive Producer

6.7
Producing

Four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City break down the walls of their profession.

Order for Pickup

Order for Pickup

2023

Executive Producer

Producing

Trapped in a cycle of work and self-isolation, burnt out Kelsey’s reality starts to blur until an irregular order for pickup disrupts everything.

Last Days of the Lab

Last Days of the Lab

2023

Executive Producer

Producing

A mother and daughter sift through old memories as they prepare to permanently close down their family's photo lab.

A Thousand and One

A Thousand and One

2023

Producer

6.6
Producing

Struggling but unapologetically living on her own terms, Inez is moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. With her 6-year-old son Te...

Being Mary Tyler Moore

Being Mary Tyler Moore

2023

as Self (voice)

6.8
Acting

With unprecedented access to the Mary Tyler Moore Estate, friends, family, and colleagues, Being Mary Tyler Moore constructs an intimate mosaic of Mar...

Being Mary Tyler Moore

Being Mary Tyler Moore

2023

Producer

6.8
Producing

With unprecedented access to the Mary Tyler Moore Estate, friends, family, and colleagues, Being Mary Tyler Moore constructs an intimate mosaic of Mar...

Chang Can Dunk

Chang Can Dunk

2023

Producer

7.0
Producing

Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American, bets the high school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads 5' 8" Chang on a quest to lea...

House Party

House Party

2023

as Lena Waithe

5.6
Acting

Aspiring club promoters and best buds Damon and Kevin are barely keeping things together. Out of money, down on their luck and about to lose the roofs...

Black Santa

Black Santa

2022

Executive Producer

Producing

Every year Henry looks forward to his job working as a mall Santa alongside his son Otis. But as Otis grows older, this may prove to be their last hol...

Beauty

Beauty

2022

Producer, Writer

5.3
Producing Writing

A young singer on the brink of a promising career finds herself torn between a domineering family, industry pressures and her love for her girlfriend.

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

2022

5.1
Acting

A group of LGBTQ+ comedians get together to celebrate a brand of queer comedy. Legends, headliners, and emerging talent all perform at The Greek Theat...

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

2021

as Self

7.0
Acting

Filmed at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honors inductees: Tina Turner, Carol...

The One and Only Dick Gregory

The One and Only Dick Gregory

2021

as Self

7.8
Acting

This revealing portrait of comedian, activist, pop-culture icon and thought leader Dick Gregory documents his many personal reinventions throughout t...

The One and Only Dick Gregory

The One and Only Dick Gregory

2021

Executive Producer

7.8
Producing

This revealing portrait of comedian, activist, pop-culture icon and thought leader Dick Gregory documents his many personal reinventions throughout t...

Soñadora

Soñadora

2021

Executive Producer

Producing

A young Caribbean immigrant mother struggling to make ends meet at her dye factory job finds a release through her abandoned dream of dance.

Shoebox

Shoebox

2021

Executive Producer

Producing

After sweeping hair at a local barbershop, a 12-year-old boy uses his first payment to honor his late mother.

Bad Hair

Bad Hair

2021

as Brook-Lynne

5.8
Acting

In 1989, an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career ma...

The Beauty President

The Beauty President

2021

Executive Producer

6.0
Producing

In 1992, at the height of the AIDS pandemic, activist Terence Alan Smith made a historic bid for president of the United States as his drag queen pers...

You Love Me

You Love Me

2020

Screenplay

Writing

This film unpacks the question. Those who touched this piece have seen the world actively love their art or their athletic achievements, while also s...

The Forty-Year-Old Version

The Forty-Year-Old Version

2020

Producer

6.7
Producing

Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020

2020

as Self

8.6
Acting

Artists, athletes, musicians, commencement speakers, influencers, and cultural icons will show their support for the High School Class of 2020.

Onward

Onward

2020

as Officer Spector (voice)

7.7
Acting

In a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.

Queen & Slim

Queen & Slim

2019

Screenplay, Story, Producer

7.1
Writing Producing

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man and a black woman are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escala...

Fragile.com

Fragile.com

2019

Executive Producer

4.1
Producing

A teenage girl with acting dreams, an empty wallet, and a broken heart is approached by a charming man who promises her fame, fortune, and affection—i...

Rising

Rising

2018

Writer

3.0
Writing

A family and their diverse neighbors struggle to survive rising floodwaters and bias in the heart of America.

Ready Player One

Ready Player One

2018

as Aech / Helen

7.6
Acting

When the creator of a popular video game system dies, a virtual contest is created to compete for his fortune.

Step Sisters

Step Sisters

2018

Producer

6.4
Producing

Jamilah has her whole life figured out. She's the president of her black sorority, captain of their champion step dance crew, is student liaison to th...

Ladylike

Ladylike

2014

Consulting Producer

Producing

Ladylike is a modern day noir that follows Vaughan and Harlan, two vintage vixens who have a penchant for retro… and retribution. Not only are they bo...

Dear White People

Dear White People

2014

Producer

6.1
Producing

Four college students attend an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over an "African-American" themed party thrown by white students. With tong...

I Will Follow

I Will Follow

2010

Production Coordinator

5.1

Chronicles a day in the life of a grieving woman, and the twelve visitors who help her move forward.

Place To Be

N/A

as Shy

Acting

No-nonsense Brooke and discombobulated divorcee Nelson travel from Chicago to New York to return a lost racing pigeon home.

Such a Fun Age

Such a Fun Age

N/A

Producer

Producing

Such a Fun Age is about Emira, a 25-year-old black woman, who is working as a babysitter to raise Briar, a 3-year-old white girl. It’s a story that ex...

Talent Show

N/A

Screenplay, Executive Producer

Writing Producing

Talent, a working title, is the story of a failed songwriter, to be played by Erivo, who returns home to Chicago to lead a group of at-risk youth in t...