Brittani Nichols (born June 20, 1988)[citation needed] is an American producer, actress, comedian, and writer.[1] In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in the film Suicide Kale, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest. She has written for the television programs A Black Lady Sketch Show, Take My Wife, Strangers, and Abbott Elementary.[2]
Brittani Nichols | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor, writer, producer |
| Years active | 2021 - present |
| Notable work | Words With Girls (2012) |
Nichols moved to Los Angeles after college and developed the web series Words With Girls (2012), which she later rewrote as a full-length pilot that was produced by Issa Rae and Deniese Davis's initiative ColorCreative.tv.[3][4][5] The series centered a group of queer twenty-something roommates in LA and starred Nichols, Corbin Reid, Hannah Hart, Alex Sturman, and Lauren Neal.[5] In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in Suicide Kale, a dark comedy with an all queer-woman cast.[6] Nichols stated in an interview that she set out to make a lesbian movie that "wasn’t about coming out, sleeping with a man, or a character death at the end".[7] Both Words with Girls and Suicide Kale draw on Nichols' own experiences as a lesbian, and she has stated repeatedly in interviews that she is committed to increasing LGBTQ and African-American representation in media.[8] Suicide Kale won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at Outfest.[2]
She has appeared in a number of television programs including Billy on the Street, Take My Wife, and Transparent.[9][6]
Nichols was a writer for season one of the HBO series A Black Lady Sketch Show.[10] She has also written for Strangers, Drop the Mic, and Take My Wife.[11]
In 2020 it was announced that Nichols would produce a dramedy, Toothbrush, for Quibi through ColorCreative.[12]
She is a staff writer for the ABC comedy Abbott Elementary.[13]
In 2016, she released a five track EP, Brittani Nichols Likes You.[1]
Nichols previously co-hosted two podcasts, Brand New Podcast with Ariana Lenarsky, and Hamilton the Podcast with Khalehla Rixon.[14]
Nichols was born and raised in Chicago.[15] She attended Yale University, where she played on the women's basketball team.[16] She credits Dave Chappelle with cultivating her interest in comedy.[10]
She is gay.[17]
She is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and endorsed Hugo-Soto Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez during the 2022 Los Angeles elections.[18][19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Words with Girls | Brittani | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Unicorn Plan-It | Random Sleeper | Episode: "Across the YOUniverse" |
| 2015 | Transparent | Nicol | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Suicide Kale | Jasmine Rawlings | Also writer |
| 2016 | The Fat One | Reese | Episode: "Not Hungry" |
| 2017 | Rad Lands | Farmer Knox | Episode: "Big" |
| 2018 | Take My Wife | Bethani | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Barbecue Daddy #2 / Ex | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Words with Girls | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | The Xperiment | 26 episodes |
| 2016 | Suicide Kale | Also actress |
| 2018 | Take My Wife | 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Strangers | Episode: "First Skate" |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Abbott Elementary | 2 episodes |