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
Complete Filmography
Reclaim the Flag
2025
as Self
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
2025
Executive Producer
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!
2025
as Self
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
2025
Executive Producer
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
2024
Executive Producer
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
2023
Executive Producer
Four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City break down the walls of their profession.

Order for Pickup
2023
Executive Producer
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
2023
Executive Producer
A mother and daughter sift through old memories as they prepare to permanently close down their family's photo lab.

A Thousand and One
2023
Producer
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
2023
as Self (voice)
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
2023
Producer
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
2023
Producer
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
2023
as Lena Waithe
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
2022
Executive Producer
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
2022
Producer, Writer
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
2022
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
as Self
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
2021
as Self
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
2021
Executive Producer
This revealing portrait of comedian, activist, pop-culture icon and thought leader Dick Gregory documents his many personal reinventions throughout t...

Soñadora
2021
Executive Producer
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
2021
Executive Producer
After sweeping hair at a local barbershop, a 12-year-old boy uses his first payment to honor his late mother.

Bad Hair
2021
as Brook-Lynne
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
2021
Executive Producer
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
2020
Screenplay
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
2020
Producer
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
2020
as Self
Artists, athletes, musicians, commencement speakers, influencers, and cultural icons will show their support for the High School Class of 2020.

Onward
2020
as Officer Spector (voice)
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
2019
Screenplay, Story, Producer
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
2019
Executive Producer
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
2018
Writer
A family and their diverse neighbors struggle to survive rising floodwaters and bias in the heart of America.

Ready Player One
2018
as Aech / Helen
When the creator of a popular video game system dies, a virtual contest is created to compete for his fortune.

Step Sisters
2018
Producer
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
2014
Consulting Producer
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
2014
Producer
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
2010
Production Coordinator
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
No-nonsense Brooke and discombobulated divorcee Nelson travel from Chicago to New York to return a lost racing pigeon home.

Such a Fun Age
N/A
Producer
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
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...