# Yvette Nicole Brown

Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom Community, as Dani in the 2015 reboot of The Odd Couple on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom The Mayor. Brown had a recurring role as Helen Dubois in Drake & Josh, and has had guest roles in television shows such as That '70s Show, The Office, Boston Legal, Chuck, The Soul Man, Mom, and Big Shot. In 2021, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in A Black Lady Sketch Show.
In addition to television, she has had supporting roles in films such as (500) Days of Summer, Tropic Thunder, Repo Men, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and Avengers: Endgame. She voiced Harper in the video game Minecraft: Story Mode in addition to Cookie on Pound Puppies, Luna on Elena of Avalor and Principal Amanda Waller on DC Super Hero Girls. She has hosted Syfy cosplay series Cosplay Melee and has been a frequent couch guest on Talking Dead. She has served as a guest co-host on talk shows including The View, The Talk, and The Real.

## Early life

Yvette Nicole Brown was born on August 12, 1971, in East Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Warrensville Heights High School in 1989. Brown studied communication studies at the University of Akron and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in communication in 1994. While at Akron, she was selected for initiation into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honors Society. She was initiated into the University of Akron's Delta Pi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on May 2, 1993.
After graduating, Brown took acting classes in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

## Career

Brown appeared as "Yvette" in the music video "1-4-All-4-1" by the East Coast Family, a Michael Bivins project, for Biv10 Records. Brown said of the experience, "It was a great run, but I guess music was just never meant to be for me."
Brown first appeared on commercials before entering television shows and films a few years later. She has since played roles on television shows such as The War at Home, Girlfriends, Malcolm in the Middle, That's So Raven, Half & Half, and the American version of The Office. She had a recurring role as theater manager Helen Dubois in the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh. Frances Callier replaced Brown as Helen for one episode. Brown reprised the role in the Victorious episode "Helen Back Again". She provided the voice of Cookie on The Hub's Pound Puppies.
In 2009, Brown began starring as Shirley Bennett on the comedy series Community. On September 30, 2014, Brown announced that she would be leaving the show after five seasons in order to take care of her ailing father. In her announcement she said, "My dad needs daily care and he needs me. The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad."
She has appeared in television commercials for Hamburger Helper, Big Lots, Pine-Sol, Comcast, Aquapod, Shout, Fiber One, Yoplait Yogurt, DiGiorno Pizza, Dairy Queen, and Time Warner. She has appeared on episodes of The Thrilling Adventure Hour as "The Troubleshooter" in the Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars series.
In 2012, Brown appeared as a celebrity contestant on GSN's The Pyramid with her Community co-star Danny Pudi.
In 2014, it was reported that Brown was set to recur on the USA Network series Benched. Shortly after her exit of Community, Brown's role of Dani on the CBS sitcom The Odd Couple was upgraded to series regular. She has been a regular guest on AMC's Talking Dead. She hosts Syfy cosplay series Cosplay Melee. Entertainment Weekly named her one of the 19th Best Guest Stars on 7th Heaven.
In July 2018, Brown temporarily replaced Chris Hardwick as the host of Talking Dead and served as moderator for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead panels at San Diego Comic-Con during Hardwick's suspension.
Brown has had a recurring role as Judge Anita Harper on the HBO series A Black Lady Sketch Show which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2019, Brown wrote the independent romantic comedy feature Always a Bridesmaid.
In 2020, Brown was a guest panelist in season three of The Masked Singer. She later competed in season twelve as "Showbird" with recurring panelist Joel McHale as her Mask Ambassador. Brown was eliminated on "Footloose Night".
In 2023, Brown voiced KRS, a robotic assistant, and recurring character in My Dad the Bounty Hunter.

## Personal life

Brown was inducted into Warrensville Heights High School's hall of fame in 2009. Brown served on the SAG-AFTRA 2019–2021 National Board.
In December 2023, Brown announced her engagement to actor Anthony Davis. They were married on December 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

### Politics

Brown endorsed and campaigned for Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
During the 2020 general election, Brown, along with several of her Community castmates, made a campaign video in support of Joe Biden, entitled "Human Beings For Biden."
In 2022, Brown worked with VoteRiders on a campaign to help educate people about local voter ID requirements so that eligible voters would not be turned away at the polls.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | His Woman, His Wife | Renee | Video |
| 2003 | 180 Miles Away | Other Woman | Short |
| 2004 | Little Black Book | Production Assistant | |
| 2005 | The Island | Harvest Nurse | |
| 2005 | The Kid & I | Bunny | |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | Curtis' Secretary | |
| 2007 | The Neighbor | Nurse | |
| 2008 | Meet Dave | Old Navy Saleswoman | |
| 2008 | Tropic Thunder | Peck's Assistant – Peck's Office | |
| 2009 | Hotel for Dogs | Ms. Camwell | |
| 2009 | 500 Days of Summer | New Secretary | |
| 2009 | The Ugly Truth | Dori Coleman | |
| 2009 | N.C.B.S | Flashback Wife | Short |
| 2010 | Repo Men | Rhodesia | |
| 2012 | Community: Abed's Master Key | Shirley Bennett (voice) | Short |
| 2013 | Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | Gray Sister #2 | |
| 2013 | Community: Miracle on Jeff's Street | Shirley Bennett (voice) | Short |
| 2014 | Yellowbird | Ladybug (voice) | |
| 2015 | Don't Be a Drip | Store Clerk | Short |
| 2016 | Cuddle Party | Allison | Short |
| 2016 | DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2016 | DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2017 | Lemonade Mafia | Kendra Anderson | Short |
| 2017 | DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2017 | Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2017 | Smartass | Officer Neesy | |
| 2018 | Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2018 | Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda | Okoye (voice) | Short |
| 2018 | DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis | Amanda Waller (voice) | Video |
| 2018 | The Last Days of TJ Staggs | Executive | Short |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Phyllis Jenkins, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent | Cameo |
| 2019 | Always a Bridesmaid | Pastor Althea Brody | |
| 2019 | Lady and the Tramp | Aunt Sarah | |
| 2021 | Broken Diamonds | Cookie | |
| 2021 | Muppets Haunted Mansion | The Driver | Video |
| 2021 | Beebo Saves Christmas | Turbo (voice) | Video |
| 2022 | DC League of Super-Pets | Patty (voice) | |
| 2022 | Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed | Grande (voice) | Video |
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: Summer Vacation | Colvett Valeria (voice) | Video |
| 2022 | Disenchanted | Rosaleen | |
| 2023 | Wish | Porcupine (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2024 | Inside Out 2 | Coach Roberts (voice) | |
| 2024 | K-Pops! † | Brenda | |
Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | For the People | Server | Episode: "Lonely Hearts" |
| 2002 | Do Over | Woman | Episode: "Investing in the Future" |
| 2003 | Girlfriends | Sherri Childs | Recurring cast (season 3) |
| 2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Stewardess | Episode: "Opening Night" |
| 2004 | The Big House | Eartha Cleveland | Main cast |
| 2004 | Two and a Half Men | Mandy | Episode: "Just Like Buffalo" |
| 2004 | 7th Heaven | Leah Morris | Episode: "Gratitude" |
| 2004–07 | Drake & Josh | Helen Dubois | Recurring cast (season 2–4) |
| 2005 | Fat Actress | Woman in Restaurant | Episode: "Big Butts" |
| 2005 | That's So Raven | Monica | Episode: "Too Much Pressure" |
| 2005 | That '70s Show | Sgt. Davis | Episode: "You're My Best Friend" |
| 2005 | Hot Properties | Oprah-Head | Episode: "Waiting for Oprah" |
| 2006 | Malcolm in the Middle | Female Security Agent #2 | Episode: "Bride of Ida" |
| 2006 | House | Ellen Stambler | Episode: "Sex Kills" |
| 2006 | The War at Home | Airport Security | Episode: "The West Palm Beach Story" |
| 2006 | Half & Half | Ceci | Recurring cast (season 4) |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis | Angela Howell | Episode: "Pepper Dennis Behind Bars" |
| 2006 | Sleeper Cell | Fatima | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2007 | The Office | Paris | Episode: "The Return" |
| 2007 | The Loop | Agent Isabelle | Episode: "Yeah, Presents" |
| 2007 | American Body Shop | Ms. Durant | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Entourage | Daily Variety Agent | Episode: "Gary's Desk" |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Doris Thumper | Recurring cast (season 4) |
| 2008 | 'Til Death | Roxie | Episode: "Raisinette in the Sun" |
| 2008 | Privileged | Pam | Episode: "All About the Haves and the Have-Nots" |
| 2008 | Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh | Helen Dubois | Television film |
| 2009 | Kath & Kim | Clerk #1 | Episode: "Competition" |
| 2009 | True Jackson, VP | Coral Barns | Episode: "Company Retreat" |
| 2009 | Rules of Engagement | Mrs. Alberts | Episode: "Voluntary Commitment" |
| 2009 | Roommates | Madam Saphire | Episode: "The Tarot" |
| 2009 | iCarly | Art Student | Episode: "iMust Have Locker 239" |
| 2009 | Sherri | Church Lady | Episode: "There Is No 'I' in Church" |
| 2009–15 | Community | Shirley Bennett | Main cast (season 1–5), guest (season 6) |
| 2010–13 | Pound Puppies | Cookie, additional voices (voice) | Main cast |
| 2011 | Life After | Herself | Episode: "Kim Coles: Life After 'Living Single'" |
| 2011 | Bandwagon: The Series | Yvette | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2011 | Victorious | Helen Dubois | Episode: "Helen Back Again" |
| 2011 | CollegeHumor Originals | Shirley Bennett | Episode: "Save Greendale" |
| 2011 | Chuck | Buy More Employee | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Hack Off" |
| 2011–21 | Family Guy | Additional Voices (voice) | Recurring guest |
| 2012 | Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Recurring guest |
| 2012–16 | The Soul Man | Robyn | Guest cast (season 1–3 & 5) |
| 2012–18 | Match Game | Herself/Celebrity Panelist | Recurring guest |
| 2012–21 | Talking Dead | Herself | Recurring guest |
| 2013 | The Jeff Probst Show | Herself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host |
| 2013 | Deal with It | Herself | Episode: "RC Chaos in Hotel" |
| 2013 | Shake It Up | Madame Tiffany | Episode: "Psych It Up" |
| 2013 | Once Upon a Time | Ursula (voice) | Episode: "Ariel" |
| 2013–20 | Hollywood Game Night | Herself/Celebrity Player | Recurring guest |
| 2014 | Psych | Hazel Lazarus | Episode: "A Touch of Sweevil" |
| 2014 | Melissa & Joey | Calista | Episode: "I'll Cut You" |
| 2014 | BoJack Horseman | Beyoncé, Pedestrian (voice) | Episode: "Our A-Story is a 'D' Story" |
| 2014 | Benched | Donna | Episode: "Brief Encounters" |
| 2014 | Stan Lee's Mighty 7 | Yuka (voice) | Television film |
| 2014–17 | Celebrity Name Game | Herself/Celebrity Player | Recurring guest |
| 2015 | Hot in Cleveland | Lily | Episode: "Cleveland Calendar Girls" |
| 2015 | Harvey Beaks | M.O.M. (voice) | Episode: "Randl's Scandl" |
| 2015 | Last Man Standing | Movie-Goer | Episode: "Free Range Parents" |
| 2015 | Game Shakers | Helen | Episode: "Tiny Pickles" |
| 2015–17 | The Odd Couple | Danielle "Dani" Duncan | Main cast |
| 2015–18 | DC Super Hero Girls | Amanda Waller, Bumblebee's Mom (voice) | Main cast |
| 2016 | It's Not You, It's Men | Herself | Episode: "Modern Romance" |
| 2016 | First Impressions with Dana Carvey | Herself | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" |
| 2016 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Herself | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" |
| 2016 | Cupcake Wars | Herself/Contestant | Episode: "Celebrity: Medieval Cupcakes" |
| 2016 | To Tell the Truth | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" |
| 2016 | Rizzoli & Isles | U.S. Postal Inspector CJ Prescott | Episode: "Post Mortem" |
| 2016 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Brigid (voice) | Episode: "Star vs. Echo Creek" |
| 2016–20 | Elena of Avalor | Luna (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2016–23 | The $100,000 Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Player | Recurring guest |
| 2017 | Cosplay Melee | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2017 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: "Eva Longoria vs. George Lopez and Yvette Nicole Brown vs. Ashley Graham" |
| 2017 | Regular Show | The Seer (voice) | Episode: "Meet The Seer" |
| 2017 | Dr. Ken | Amy | Episode: "A Day In The Life" |
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | Shirley Bivins | Main cast |
| 2017 | The Tom and Jerry Show | Momma Mockingbird (voice) | Episode: "To Kill A Mockingbird" |
| 2017 | Lego DC Super Hero Girls | Amanda Waller (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2017 | Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! | Judge Connie Monroe (voice) | Episode: "The People vs. Fred Jones" |
| 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Boat Maria (voice) | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2017 | Bunnicula | Mrs. Varney (voice) | Episode: "Lucky Vampire's Foot" |
| 2017 | Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | Lieutenant Valeria (voice) | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2017 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Captain Jackson #7 | Episode: "Freezed" |
| 2017–18 | The Mayor | Dina Rose | Main cast |
| 2017–18 | Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters | Quick Charge/Sarah Kamen (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017–18 | Puppy Dog Pals | Daisy (voice) | Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2017–19 | SuperMansion | Portia Jones/Zenith (voice) | Main cast (season 1), recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2018 | To Tell the Truth | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown, Laverne Cox, Tony Hale, Jalen Rose" |
| 2018 | Sofia the First | Sugar Plum Fairy (voice) | Episode: "The Mystic Isles: Undercover Fairies" |
| 2018 | Unsolved | Lois | Episode: "Tupac Amaru Shakur" |
| 2018 | Lego Star Wars: All-Stars | Lieutenant Valeria (voice) | Episode: "From Trenches to Wrenches: The Roger Story" |
| 2018–19 | Mom | Nora Rogers | Recurring cast (season 5-6) |
| 2018–20 | New Looney Tunes | Rhoda Roundhouse (voice) | Recurring cast (season 2–3) |
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Roast in Peace" |
| 2019 | Critical Role | Herself | Episode: "The Favor" |
| 2019 | Weird City | Glail | Episode: "Below" |
| 2019 | What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage | Herself | Episode: "Family" |
| 2019 | Dear White People | Evelyn Conners | Episode: "Volume 3: Chapter V" |
| 2019–24 | The Loud House | Mayor Davis (voice) | Recurring cast (season 3–9) |
| 2019–23 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Judge Anita Harper | Recurring cast |
| 2020 | The Masked Singer | Herself/Guest Panelist for Season 3 | Episode: "The Mother Of All Final Face Offs, Part 1" |
| 2020 | The Big Fib | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2020 | Gentefied | Doctor Macer | Episode: "Delfina" |
| 2020 | Will & Grace | Ru | Episode: "New Crib" |
| 2020 | The Rocketeer | Chantel D'Avio (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2020 | Spider-Man | Head Administrator (voice) | Episode: "Spider-Man Unmasked" |
| 2020 | T.O.T.S. | Cora Beakman (voice) | Episode: "The Ring Bear/Bull of Energy" |
| 2020 | It's Pony | Teacher (voice) | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 2020–21 | Crossing Swords | Sgt. Meghan (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2020–22 | I Can See Your Voice | Herself/Panelist | Recurring guest |
| 2021 | Earth to Ned | Herself | Episode: "Trancendental Neditation" |
| 2021 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Episode: "Constance Zimmer, Maria Menounos & Yvette Nicole Brown" |
| 2021 | Nickelodeon's Unfiltered | Herself | Episode: "As Seen On Burrito" |
| 2021 | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Herself | Episode: "A Whole Lot of Mess" |
| 2021 | Celebrity Game Face | Herself/Contestant | Episode: "Go Biggs or Go Home" |
| 2021 | The Real Housewives of Potomac | Herself | Episode: "Secrets Revealed" |
| 2021 | Disney's Holiday Magic Quest | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2021 | Call Me Kat | Marlene | Episode: "Business Council" |
| 2021 | Ridley Jones | Thoebe the Sphinx (voice) | Episode: "Ridley's Babysitter Club/Riddle Me This" |
| 2021–22 | The Chicken Squad | Captain Tully (voice) | Main cast |
| 2021–22 | Fairfax | Trini (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2021–22 | American Dad! | Additional Voices (voice) | Recurring guest |
| 2021–22 | Big Shot | Sherilyn Thomas | Main cast |
| 2021–22 | Central Park | Gina Tracker (voice) | Recurring cast (season 2–3) |
| 2021–23 | The Ghost and Molly McGee | Dianne (voice) | Guest (season 1), recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2022 | Art Directors Guild Awards | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2022 | American Rescue Dog Show | Herself/Judge | Main judge |
| 2022 | Disney Summer Magic Quest | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2022 | Password | Herself | Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown, Joel McHale, Chrissy Metz & Jimmy Fallon" |
| 2022 | Dogs in Space | Clawdia (voice) | Episode: "Barking Up the Wrong Tree" |
| 2022 | Home Economics | Donna | Episode: "Mickey Ears, $19.99" |
| 2022 | The Walking Dead | Commonwealth Soldier (voice) | Episode: "Outpost 22" |
| 2022 | Slumberkins | Yak Mom (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2022–23 | Firebuds | Chief Faye Fireson (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2022–23 | Alice's Wonderland Bakery | Mama Rabbit (voice) | Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2023 | Annual Art Directors Guild Awards | Herself/Host | Main host |
| 2023 | Mickey Mouse Funhouse | Pepper Lemon (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | General Hospital | Nurse | Episode #1.15251 |
| 2023 | Rugrats | Miss Mellie/Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Tot Springs Showdown" |
| 2023 | Frog and Toad | Rabbit (voice) | Main cast |
| 2023 | Act Your Age | Angela Martin | Main cast |
| 2023 | Strange Planet | Lifegiver (voice) | Episode: "The Big Wet" |
| 2023 | My Dad the Bounty Hunter | KRS (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2023 | Krapopolis | Herophile (voice) | Episode: "Wife Swamp" |
| 2023 | Shape Island | Herself/Narrator (voice) | Main narrator |
| 2023–24 | Pupstruction | Mayor Gilmore (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2024 | Good Times: Black Again | Beverly Evans (voice) | Main cast |
| 2024 | The Masked Singer | Herself/Showbird | Season 12 contestant |
| 2024 | Frasier | Monica | Episode: "My Brilliant Sister" |
| 2025 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Herself (Contestant) | |
| 2025 | The Family Business: New Orleans | Monique Duncan | Series regular |
| 2025 | Gremlins | TBA | Voice |
| TBA | Among Us | Orange (voice) | |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role |
| 2011 | Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse | Additional Voices |
| 2016 | Minecraft: Story Mode | Harper |
| 2018 | Lego DC Super-Villains | Amanda Waller |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 2020 | Listen Out Loud Podcast | Mayor Davis (voice) | Episode: "Pet Adoption Day with Lana Loud" |
| 2021 | Dark Air with Terry Carnation | Dr. Lizzie (voice) | Main cast |