fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Amanda Ingrid Seales (born July 1, 1981), formerly known by the stage name Amanda Diva, is an American comedian and actress. Since 2017, she has starred in the HBO comedy series Insecure. In 2019, HBO released her first stand-up comedy special I Be Knowin.[1] Then, in 2020, Seales launched Smart Funny & Black, a comedy gameshow that showcases Black culture, history, and experience.[2] Seales was also one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show, The Real, alongside Loni Love, Tamera Mowry, Adrienne Bailon, and Jeannie Mai.[3]

Amanda Seales
Seales in 2019
Born	Amanda Ingrid Seales (1981-07-01) July 1, 1981 (age 41) Inglewood, California, U.S.
Education	State University of New York, Purchase (BA) Columbia University (MA)
Occupation	Comedian actress poet rapper singer songwriter media personality activist
Years active	1992–present
Comedy career
Medium	Television film music radio
Genres	Stand-up comedy
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop R&B
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Website	amandaseales.com
Musical artist

Early life

Amanda Seales was born in Inglewood, CA on July 1, 1981. Her mother was born and raised in Mt. Moritz, Grenada. Her father is African-American. As a result, both she and her mother are dual citizens of the US and Grenada. She moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1989, where she later attended Dr. Phillips High School. She graduated from SUNY-Purchase, then acquired a master's degree in African-American studies with a concentration in Hip hop from Columbia University.[4][5][6]

Career

Film and television

Seales's first film was a minor role as Katy in the 1993 movie Cop and a Half.[7] The next year Seales was featured on the Nickelodeon sitcom My Brother and Me (1994) as Deonne Wilburn. In 2002 she appeared on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam.[8] Seales became publicly known as "VJ Amanda Diva" on MTV2 Sucker Free Countdown on Sundays.[4] In 2016 she appeared in a recurring role on the HBO series Insecure, as Tiffany DuBois.[9] Also in 2016, Seales began hosting her own show on truTV called Greatest Ever.[10][11]

On January 26, 2019, HBO debuted her first stand-up comedy special I Be Knowin'.[12] Bring the Funny is a comedy competition series that premiered on July 9, 2019 on NBC.[13] Seales hosts, alongside judges Kenan Thompson, Chrissy Teigen, and Jeff Foxworthy.[14]

Throughout 2019, Seales served as a frequent guest host for the syndicated daytime talk show The Real.[15] On January 6, 2020, Seales was promoted from guest co-host to permanent co-host.[16] She departed the series after six months of co-hosting, citing her dissatisfaction with the inability to openly speak on recent social issues as a reason.[17][18] In September 2020, Seales accused The Real of stealing ideas from her show Smart Funny & Black, saying The Real's segment "Black Lives Matter University" featured a logo that closely resembled Smart Funny & Black's emblem.[19]

In June 2020, Seales revealed on social media that she will host the BET Awards 2020 on June 28, 2020.[20]

In February 2022, Seales was cast in the three-part documentary series Everything's Gonna Be All White, airing on Showtime.[21]

Music

In 2007, Seales replaced Natalie Stewart of the musical duo Floetry on tour with Marsha Ambrosius, and in December of that same year Seales (as Amanda Diva) released her first extended play (EP) Life Experience.^{[citation needed]} In 2008, she was featured on the song "Manwomanboogie" on Q-Tip's Grammy-nominated album The Renaissance.[22] On March 3, 2009, Seales released Spandex, Rhymes & Soul.[23][24][25]

Podcast

Seales hosts a weekly podcast titled Small Doses.[16][26]

Game Show

She created and hosts the touring variety game show, Smart Funny & Black, where her love of games and music, was used to serve as a safe space for the Black voice and celebrates the many contributions Black Americans have made to history and pop culture and more.[27]

Activism

In 2010, Seales teamed up with Truth, to start an anti-smoking campaign.[28]

In November 2014, Seales appeared in a segment on CNN alongside Steve Santagati, hosted by Fredricka Whitfield, discussing the video 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman. During the segment, Seales said that men catcalling women is not complimentary and that women do not like being catcalled, while Santagati went on to defend men catcalling women, saying that women should take catcalling as a compliment and not abuse.[29][30]

On June 11, 2017, during a livestream on Katy Perry's YouTube channel, an exchange took place between Seales and Caitlyn Jenner, with Seales saying that Jenner benefits from white privilege. Towards the end of the exchange, Seales told Jenner "This country is here for you. This country ain’t here for me in the same way, sis".[31] Seales has attributed this exchange to her becoming an activist.[32]

Radio

On April 18, 2022, Seales began co-hosting a new weekly radio show, Amanda Seales’ Smart Funny & Black Radio on SiriusXM, alongside Taj Rani and JeremiahLikeTheBible, featuring topics such as games, celebrity interviews and African-American culture.[33]

Controversies

In 2019, Seales was involved in a controversy where many people mistakenly reported that she had accused former NFL player and neurosurgeon resident Myron Rolle of sexually harassing several women. She made several Instagram videos alleging he was sexually inappropriate, and was sharing that she had heard those allegations from other women. Multiple people who were spreading that story have since admitted that Seales did not make those allegations herself.[34][35][36]

In the weeks preceding Rodney Reed's November 20, 2019 execution date, Seales publicly urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to exonerate Reed or stay his execution. She later rescinded her support after learning more about his history.[37]

In February 2020, Seales sought controversy while on The Real when defending Jussie Smollett after he was arrested for faking a hate crime. While describing the accusations as alleged, she went on to defend the actor saying, "Even if it was a hoax for the sake of bringing attention to this, then I’m like, that’s low-key noble".[38] In 2022, Smollett was found guilty of orchestrating a fake hate crime and sentenced to 150 days in prison.[39]

In 2021, Seales was criticized for portraying an Alpha Kappa Alpha, or "AKA," on the series Insecure. Real-life members of the sorority responded negatively to Seales' character wearing Alpha Kappa Alpha colors.[40] Seales responded to the criticism in an Instagram video defending her portrayal.[41] It was later reported that the sorority plans to take legal action against Seales.[42]

Discography

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected details and year released

Title	Album details
Life Experience	Released: December 18, 2007[43] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download
Spandex, Rhymes & Soul	Released: March 3, 2009[44] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download
Madame Monochrome	Released: April 27, 2011[45] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with selected details and year released

Title	Album details
Foreplay	Released: June 6, 2008[46] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download
Technicolor Lover	Released: May 29, 2012[47] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Album	Artist(s)
"Manwomanboogie"[48]	2008	The Renaissance	Q-Tip
"Get Right"[49]	2010	Rebel Without Applause	Johnny Polygon
"Blvd Broad"[49]
"You Belong to Me"[50]		Catch-Up
"Beautiful Things"		LIFE	Kenichiro Nishihara
"Proud 2 Be"[51]	2012	Crack on Steroids	N.O.R.E., M-1

Filmography

Film and TV

Year	Production title	Role	Notes and awards
1993	Cop and a Half	Katy
1994–95	My Brother and Me	Deon Wilburn
2006	Freedomland	Angry Female Tenant
2011	Identical	Poet #2
2015–17	Get Your Life	Herself
2016	Ladies Book Club	Helena
2016–2021	Insecure	Tiffany DuBois
2016–17	Greatest Ever	Herself	Host
2017	Hood Adjacent	Herself
2018	Black-ish	Barbara
2019	I Be Knowin''	Herself
2019	Bring the Funny	Herself	Host
2020	Ellen's Game of Games	Herself/Guest	Episode 2: Stink Tank
2020	The Real	Herself	Co-Host and Producer
2020	Match Game	Herself/Guest	Episode: "Joel McHale, Amanda Seales, Ron Funches, Ana Gasteyer, Ron Huebel, Nikki Glasser"
2022	To Tell the Truth	Herself/Guest	Episode: "Amanda Seales, Kevin Nealon and Jaleel White"[52]

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and director

Title	Year	Director(s)
"Neon" (featuring Johnny Polygon)	2009	Lyn-don McCray[53]

Bibliography

Seales's first book, 'Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use' was also released in 2019. The book is an extension of her podcast of the same name. It is a volume of essays, axioms, original illustrations, and photos from her trademark "self-help from the hip” style of commentary.[54]

References

External links

• Official website
• Amanda Diva at AllMusic
• Amanda Diva discography at Discogs
• Amanda Seales at IMDb
• Amanda Seales on Instagram
• Amanda Diva discography at MusicBrainz

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