Kenya Barris (born August 9, 1973) is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom ''

black-ish ''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...

'' (2014–2022).

Early life

Barris was born in Inglewood, California, the second of five children. He was named after

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

due to his father visiting the country. Barris' parents divorced when he was five years old. He is an alumnus of Clark Atlanta University.

Career

Barris has created numerous television shows, including the critically acclaimed ''

Black-ish ''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...

''. The award-winning series also has two spin-offs, ''

Grown-ish ''Grown-ish'' (stylized as ''ish'') is an American sitcom series and a spin-off of the ABC series ''Black-ish''. The single-camera comedy follows the Johnson family's children as they go to college and begin their journeys to adulthood, only to ...

'' and ''

Mixed-ish ''Mixed-ish'' (stylized as ''ish'') was an American single-camera sitcom created by Kenya Barris, Peter Saji and Tracee Ellis Ross that premiered on ABC on September 24, 2019. The series is a prequel to ''Black-ish'', and the second series to b ...

'', and a third potential spin-off ''

Old-ish ''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...

''. He was a writer for '' The Game'', '' Girlfriends'', and ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

''. Barris co-created and produced ''

America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...

'' with

Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...

. He penned the film '' Girls Trip''. He co-produced the 2019 film '' Little'' and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2019 theatrical release '' Shaft''. In 2020, Barris made his acting debut in '' #BlackAF'', a series he developed for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

, co-starring

Rashida Jones Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress. Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...

and

Iman Benson Iman Benson (born June 25, 2000) is an American actress from Atlanta, Georgia best known for her roles in ''Uncle Buck'', '' Alexa & Katie'', and ''BlackAF ''#blackAF'' is an American sitcom created by Kenya Barris. It premiered on Netflix ...

. In October 2020, Barris announced that he will write, produce and direct a biopic on comedian

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. His Khalabo Ink Society company is currently eyeing a deal with

ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It ...

. In August 2022 it was announced that Barris would write and direct a modern remake of '' The Wizard of Oz''. Barris has been working on a possible TV series ''Brown-ish'' with

Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytim ...

Personal life

Barris married anesthesiologist Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Edwards Barris in 1999. They have six children. He filed for divorce from her in 2022having filed for divorce twice before and then withdrawn those filings.

Filmography

Films

Television series

Awards

In 2019, ''Black-ish'' won several

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. It was named best comedy series and

Tracee Ellis Ross Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series '' Girlfriends'' (2000–2008) and '' Black-ish'' (2014–2022). She is ...

and

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...

took acting honors. ''Black-ish'' was the winner of the Entertainment and Children's Peabody Award in 2016. Barris and ''Black-ish'' also won the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. Barris was nominated for the same award in 2018. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021, and a PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy for ''Black-ish'' in 2014. In 2016, Barris won the Rod Serling Award for ''Advancing Social Justice Through Popular Media''. In 2018, he donated $1 million to Clark Atlanta University, and was granted an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in humane letters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barris, Kenya 1973 births American television writers Television producers from California Living people African-American screenwriters Screenwriters from California America's Next Top Model People from Inglewood, California Clark Atlanta University alumni Black-ish Emmy Award winners