Kenya Barris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenya Barris
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Barris in 2016
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| Born | August 9, 1973 Inglewood, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Kenya 'Yee' Harris |
| Alma mater | Clark Atlanta University |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Rainbow Edwards Barris
(m. 1999; separated 2022) |
| Children | 6 |
Kenya Barris (born August 9, 1973) is an American writer, producer, director, and actor for movies and TV. He is best known for creating the popular TV show Black-ish, which was shown on ABC. He has also worked on many other well-known movies and TV series.
Early Life and School
Kenya Barris was born on August 9, 1973. He grew up in Inglewood, California and Pacoima, California. He was the second youngest of four children. His father named him after the country of Kenya, which he had visited.
Barris went to Clark Atlanta University. When he first started there, he was studying medicine.
Amazing Career
Kenya Barris has created many successful TV shows. His most famous show is Black-ish, which won several awards. This show even has two spin-off series: Grown-ish and Mixed-ish. He also helped create America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks.
Barris has written for other TV shows like Girlfriends and The Game. He wrote the movie Girls Trip and helped write the movie Shaft in 2019.
In 2020, Barris started acting in a series he made for Netflix called #BlackAF. He also announced that he would write, produce, and direct a movie about the famous comedian Richard Pryor.
More recently, in 2022, it was announced that Barris would write and direct a new version of The Wizard of Oz. In 2024, he shared that he finished the script for that movie. He is also working on a new version of It's a Wonderful Life. He plans to have a person of color play the main character, George Bailey.
Personal Life
Kenya Barris married Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Edwards Barris in 2000. They have six children together. They separated in 2022.
Awards and Honors
In 2019, Kenya Barris's show Black-ish won many NAACP Image Awards. It was named the best comedy series. The show also won a Peabody Award in 2016. Barris himself won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2017.
He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series several times for Black-ish. In 2016, Barris won the Rod Serling Award for Advancing Social Justice Through Popular Media. This award is for using media to help make society fairer.
In 2018, he gave $1 million to Clark Atlanta University, his old school. They gave him an honorary degree for his contributions.
See also
In Spanish: Kenya Barris para niños
