Jonathan Richard McDaniel (born May 17, 1985), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Lil J, is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Devon Carter (Raven Baxter's boyfriend, and later ex-husband) on the hit

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

shows ''

That's So Raven ''That's So Raven'' is an American television teen sitcom that was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, and aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between January 2003 and November 2007. The series centers on Raven Baxter (Raven-Sym ...

'' and ''

Raven's Home ''Raven's Home'' is an American family sitcom television series developed by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas that premiered on Disney Channel on July 21, 2017. The series stars Raven-Symoné, Issac Ryan Brown, Navia Robinson, Jason Maybaum, Sky Kat ...

'', as well as German Vega on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's '' Hit the Floor''.

Career

In 2002, he came on the music scene with his debut single "It's the Weekend" from his debut album ''All About J''. He later released a follow-up album the next year titled ''Back 2 J'', which featured the single "Baby Girl". During this period, he started his acting career, landing his noteworthy role on the

series ''

''. He also appeared in the film ''

Nora's Hair Salon ''Nora's Hair Salon'' is a 2004 independent comedy-drama film, written by Chanel Capra and Jean-Claude La Marre, and directed by Jerry LaMothe. This film stars Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones, and Tatyana Ali. Plot Nora Harper (Jenifer Lewis) is an ...

'' which starred

Jenifer Lewis Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films ''Beaches'' (1988) and ''Sister Act'' (1992). Le ...

and

Tatyana Ali Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series ''Love That Girl!'', and ...

in 2004. After the release of his studio albums on Hollywood Records, he left and joined 845 Entertainment/SMC Recordings, releasing his third album ''Back Like I Left Somethin in 2006. McDaniel signed with London-based record label Transmission Records in 2009 and released his digital single 'London Girl' on May 16, 2010. In 2012, McDaniel starred in ''

In the Hive ''In the Hive'' is a 2012 drama film starring Michael Clarke Duncan (in his first posthumous release following his death earlier that year), Vivica A. Fox, and Jonathan McDaniel. It was directed by Robert Townsend (actor), Robert Townsend and rele ...

'' to much acclaim. The film was shot in only 18 days. In 2013, he joined the cast of BET's new series '' Hit the Floor''. In 2017, McDaniel reprised his role as Devon Carter on the revamp of Disney Channel's ''That's So Raven'', titled ''

''. He appears as the ex-husband of

Raven-Symoné Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday () (née Pearman; born December 10, 1985), also known mononymously as Raven, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received several accolades, including five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids ...

's character

Raven Baxter Raven Baxter (also known as Raven the Science Maven) is an American science communicator, molecular biologist, and STEM educator. She is recognized in Fortune magazine's " 40 Under 40 in Health" list for 2021, and Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2022. ...

, with whom Devon shares twins Nia and Booker.

Personal life

McDaniel has a daughter, Aiza Jae McDaniel, born on August 21, 2013. On July 30, 2017, McDaniel's son, Asher Levi, was born.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Official Website
* 1985 births African-American male actors African-American rappers American male child actors American male television actors Living people Musicians from Long Beach, California 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people {{US-tv-actor-1980s-stub