Jessica Renee Williams (born July 31, 1989) is an American actress and comedian. She has appeared as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show (2012–2016, 2024–present), as cohost of the podcast 2 Dope Queens (2016–2019), as Lally Hicks in the Fantastic Beasts film series (2018–2022), as Gaby in Shrinking (2023–present), and as Meadow in Entergalactic (2022).
Early life
Williams was born on July 31, 1989, in Los Angeles County, California. She attended Nathaniel Narbonne High School, where she studied drama. She made her television debut as a series regular on Nickelodeon, in the 2006 series, Just for Kicks. In 2012, at 22 years old, she became The Daily Show'''s youngest correspondent in its history (to that time).
Williams attended California State University, Long Beach.
Career Williams made her Daily Show debut on January 11, 2012. Williams is a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Williams also made appearances on Season 3 of HBO's Girls. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles, California.2 Dope Queens Podcast, Episode 28, A Sex Toy in Every Port She appeared in the film People Places Things. She cohosted the comedy podcast 2 Dope Queens with Phoebe Robinson. Williams appears in an HBO special spun off from the podcast in February 2018. She appeared on her last regular Daily Show episode on June 30, 2016, but returned for guest appearances on April 22, 2024, October 28, 2024, and July 29, 2025. She starred in the 2017 Netflix comedy movie The Incredible Jessica James, as a character described by The Guardian as "a struggling Brooklyn-based playwright navigating the murky waters of modern romance while waiting impatiently for her big break."
Williams appeared in the sequels of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as Lally Hicks, a teacher from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In 2023, Williams was a main cast member in the Apple TV+ show Shrinking''. For her performance, she earned two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2011 Crying in Public Coffee Shop Crier Short film 2013 Delivery Man Tanya 2015 People Places Things Kat Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Herself Cameo role Tap Shoes & Violins Charlie Short film 2017 The Incredible Jessica James Jessica James Also executive producer 2018 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Lally Hicks 2019 Corporate Animals Jess Booksmart Miss Fine 2020 Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia TBA 2022 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Lally Hicks 2024 Road House Frankie
Television Year Title RoleNotes 2006 Just for Kicks Vida Atwood 13 episodes 2012–2016, 2024, 2025 The Daily Show Herself (correspondent) 143 episodes 2014 Girls Karen 4 episodes 2018–2019 2 Dope Queens Herself 8 episodes 2019 The Twilight Zone Rei Tanaka Episode: "Six Degrees of Freedom" 2021 I Heart Arlo Elena Voice role Love Life Mia Hines Main role 2022 Entergalactic Meadow Watson Voice role, television film 2023–present Shrinking Dr. Gaby Evans Main role
Podcast Year Title RoleNotes 2016–2018 2 Dope Queens Herself (cohost) Also co-creator, writer, executive producer
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Shrinking 2024 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 2025 Actor Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 2026
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