Janelle James
Janelle James is an American comedian, writer, and actress. Her writing credits include"Black Monday", and she acted on the programs "Crashing", "Corporate", and "Central Park". James currently portrays principal Ava Coleman on the ABC series "Abbott Elementary." Her debut comedy album "Black and Mild" was released in 2017. She was named one of "Variety"'s 10 Comics to Watch (2020). Career. Stand-up and television. James began her career in 2009 at an open mic she attended while living in Champaign, Illinois. She described her style of comedy as "just talking shit" and her stand-up includes a  range of topics such as Trump, motherhood, being a woman over 35, and dating. James named Bill Burr, Hadiyah Robinson, John Early, Wanda Sykes, Richard Pryor, and Kareem Green as favorite comedians. In 2016, James' work was recognized by Just for Laughs and "Brooklyn". She gained wider prominence as the opening act for Chris Rock's 2017 Total Blackout tour. That year, she released her debut comedy album "Black and Mild". The show was recorded at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis. She performed on Netflix's 2018 comedy series "The Comedy Lineup". She was also slated to perform at the  network's inaugural Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival based in Los Angeles in 2020. James was a staff writer for "The Rundown with Robin Thede" (2017) and the Showtime comedy "Black Monday", and also acted in a recurring role on the show. She has also appeared on the shows "Crashing", "Corporate", and is both a writer and voice actor for "Central Park". As of 2021, she was a featured comic on Netflix's "The Standups". She is also a main cast member on the ABC comedy "Abbott Elementary". Her performance as the self-involved principal Ava Coleman has been  hailed by critics. Podcasts. In 2019 she hosted "Strong Black Laughs", an interview podcast featuring legendary Black comedians. Among the guests were Luenell and Sherri Shepherd. She also hosts "You In Danger, Gurl", a comedy podcast about relationship red flags and bizarre dating experiences. Personal life. James was raised on St. Thomas and moved to the United States mainland when she was 16. She resides in Brooklyn, New York and has two teenage sons.