Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and host. Brown starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC comedy series "Community," as Dani in the 2015 version of "The Odd Couple" on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom "The Mayor". Brown has also had guest roles in television shows such as "Drake & Josh", "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", "", and "". She also voiced "Harper" from the video game "" 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 also 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 crossed into the University of Akron's "Delta Pi chapter" of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated 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 also had a recurring role as movie 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 season 2 episode of "Victorious" titled "Helen Back Again". She also 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 also been a regular guest on AMC's "Talking Dead". She currently hosts Syfy cosplay series "Cosplay Melee". 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 the 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" that stars Jordan Calloway and Javicia Leslie, and features Marcel Spears, Brandon Micheal Hall, Affion Crockett, Richard Lawson, and Telma Hopkins among the supporting cast. In 2021, Brown voiced a character in "Muppets Haunted Mansion". Personal life. Brown was inducted into Warrensville Heights High School's hall of fame in 2009. Brown serves on the SAG-AFTRA 2019-2021 National Board. Politics. Brown endorsed and campaigned for Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic  Party presidential primaries. She has been a critic of former U.S. President Donald Trump and then presidential candidate U.S Senator Bernie Sanders. 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."