Gala 2023 Special Guest

Truly a force to be reckoned with, Kym Whitley is one of those rare individuals to whom the phrase “renaissance woman” might be applied. Whether you know her from her frequent appearances on Larry David’s groundbreaking HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or from her stint on the long running nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” this woman never fails to deliver the funny in all aspects of her long-standing career.  However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  She also travels as a comedienne, has authored a book, supports causes near and dear to her heart, and — perhaps most importantly — takes her role as mother quite seriously.   

Originally from Cleveland, Kym has been based in Los Angeles for years. A chance encounter with the legendary Redd Foxx told her she had “the comedic goods” and that was all the encouragement she needed to pursue acting more seriously.  Her first real acting job was in the Shelley Garrett play “Beauty Shop,” which started in L.A. and did a national tour.  Not long after the play, her TV career began as one of the hosts of the first female panel talk show, on BET, entitled “Oh Drama!” 

Kym has guest starred in a string of television shows, including “The Neighborhood,” “The Upshaws,” “Call Your Mother,” “Twenties,” “Fuller House,” and classics such as “The Wayans Brothers,” “The Parkers.” Not only was she a series regular on “The Young & Hungry” she was nominated for both a Daytime Emmy Award and won an Indie Series Award for her portrayal of Big Candi in “The Bay, The Series.” 

No stranger to the big screen, her first big role was as “Auntie Suga” in “Next Friday.” Since then, she has appeared in “The Nutty Professor, Along Came Polly, College Road Trip, the upcoming Young & Hungry and dozens of other films.  She also voiced the characters Honey Beein “Black Dynamite” and Melonee in the popular computer-animated feature “Rango.” 

As of late, some of Kym’s projects have become more personal. She executive produced a reality series focused around her adopted son Joshua, entitled “Raising Whitley” which ran on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and recently teamed up with the brilliant mind of Lena Waithe, to produce a scripted audio comedy series, that resembles her life entitled “KYM.” Whitley and Waithe have previously worked together on the Netflix comedy series, “Master of None.” One of her most exciting projects yet, is the novel: “The Delusion of Cinderella” available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book is “not for the faint of heart!” The tag line is “Love and lust feel the same but you can only trust one of them.” 

Currently, Kym is in the HBO Max series, “Made for Love” with Ray Romano, and can be seen regularly on her self produced award-winning podcast “Two Funny Mamas” alongside Sherri Shepherd.  

In addition to all her work as an entertainer, Kym is a dedicated activist. Her ‘Don’t Feed Me’ campaign began as something she did for Joshua and it evolved into an ongoing, high-profile project to raise awareness of food allergies for children and adults.  Kym holds an honorary doctorate from UVA — Lynchburg, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science from Fisk University. She serves on the board of directors for both The Special Needs Network of L.A. and The Jefferson Memorial Home for Foster Children.  

You can follow Kym Whitley on her official website, www.iamkymwhitley.com;  on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @kymwhitley;  and at www.dontfeedme.org.