Yvette Nicole Brown

American actress (born 1971)

Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom Community, as Dani in the 2015 reboot of The Odd Couple on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom The Mayor. Brown had a recurring role as Helen Dubois in Drake & Josh, and has had guest roles in television shows such as That '70s Show, The Office, Boston Legal, Chuck, The Soul Man, Mom, and Big Shot. In 2021, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in A Black Lady Sketch Show. In addition to television, she has had supporting roles in films such as (500) Days of Summer, Tropic Thunder, Repo Men, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and Avengers: Endgame. She voiced Harper in the video game Minecraft: Story Mode in addition to Cookie on Pound Puppies, Luna on Elena of Avalor and Principal Amanda Waller on DC Super Hero Girls. She has hosted Syfy cosplay series Cosplay Melee and has been a frequent couch guest on Talking Dead. She has served as a guest co host on talk shows including The View, The Talk, and The Real.

Yvette Nicole Brown was born on August 12, 1971, in East Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Warrensville Heights High School in 1989. Brown studied communication studies at the University of Akron and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in communication in 1994. While at Akron, she was selected for initiation into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honors Society. She was initiated into the University of Akron's Delta Pi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on May 2, 1993. After graduating, Brown took acting classes in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Brown appeared as "Yvette" in the music video "1 4 All 4 1" by the East Coast Family, a Michael Bivins project, for Biv10 Records. Brown said of the experience, "It was a great run, but I guess music was just never meant to be for me." Brown first appeared on commercials before entering television shows and films a few years later. She has since played roles on television shows such as The War at Home, Girlfriends, Malcolm in the Middle, That's So Raven, Half & Half, and the American version of The Office. She had a recurring role as theater manager Helen Dubois in the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh. Frances Callier replaced Brown as Helen for one episode. Brown reprised the role in the Victorious episode "Helen Back Again". She has appeared in television commercials for Hamburger Helper, Big Lots, Pine Sol, Comcast, Aquapod, Shout, Fiber One, Yoplait Yogurt, DiGiorno Pizza, Dairy Queen, and Time Warner. She has appeared on episodes of The Thrilling Adventure Hour as "The Troubleshooter" in the Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars series. In 2012, Brown appeared as a celebrity contestant on GSN's The Pyramid with her Community co star Danny Pudi. In 2014, it was reported that Brown was set to recur on the USA Network series Benched. Shortly after her exit of Community, Brown's role of Dani on the CBS sitcom The Odd Couple was upgraded to series regular. She has been a regular guest on AMC's Talking Dead. She hosts Syfy cosplay series Cosplay Melee. Entertainment Weekly named her one of the 19th Best Guest Stars on 7th Heaven. In July 2018, Brown temporarily replaced Chris Hardwick as the host of Talking Dead and served as moderator for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead panels at the San Diego Comic Con during Hardwick's suspension. Brown has had a recurring role as Judge Anita Harper on the HBO series A Black Lady Sketch Show which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2019, Brown wrote the independent romantic comedy feature Always a Bridesmaid. In 2023, Brown voiced KRS, a robotic assistant, and recurring character in My Dad the Bounty Hunter.

Brown was inducted into Warrensville Heights High School's hall of fame in 2009.

Brown endorsed and campaigned for Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. During the 2020 general election, Brown, along with several of her Community castmates, made a campaign video in support of Joe Biden, entitled "Human Beings For Biden." In 2022, Brown worked with VoteRiders on a campaign to help educate people about local voter ID requirements so that eligible voters would not be turned away at the polls.

Year Title Role Notes 2002 For the People Server Episode: "Lonely Hearts" Do Over Woman Episode: "Investing in the Future" 2003 Girlfriends Sherri Childs Recurring cast (season 3) 2004 Curb Your Enthusiasm Stewardess Episode: "Opening Night" Eartha Cleveland Main cast Two and a Half Men Mandy Episode: "Just Like Buffalo" 7th Heaven Leah Morris Episode: "Gratitude" 2004–07 Drake & Josh Helen Dubois Recurring cast (season 2–4) 2005 Fat Actress Woman in Restaurant Episode: "Big Butts" That's So Raven Monica Episode: "Too Much Pressure" That '70s Show Sgt. Davis Episode: "You're My Best Friend" Hot Properties Oprah Head Episode: "Waiting for Oprah" 2006 Malcolm in the Middle Female Security Agent #2 Episode: "Bride of Ida" House Ellen Stambler Episode: "Sex Kills" Airport Security Episode: "The West Palm Beach Story" Half & Half Ceci Recurring cast (season 4) Pepper Dennis Angela Howell Episode: "Pepper Dennis Behind Bars" Sleeper Cell Fatima Recurring cast (season 2) 2007 Paris Episode: "The Return" Agent Isabelle Episode: "Yeah, Presents" American Body Shop Ms. Durant Episode: "Pilot" Entourage Daily Variety Agent Episode: "Gary's Desk" Boston Legal Doris Thumper Recurring cast (season 4) 2008 'Til Death Roxie Episode: "Raisinette in the Sun" Privileged Pam Episode: "All About the Haves and the Have Nots" Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh Helen Dubois Television film 2009 Kath & Kim Clerk #1 Episode: "Competition" True Jackson, VP Coral Barns Episode: "Company Retreat" Rules of Engagement Mrs. Alberts Episode: "Voluntary Commitment" Roommates Madam Saphire Episode: "The Tarot" iCarly Art Student Episode: "iMust Have Locker 239" Sherri Church Lady Episode: "There Is No 'I' in Church" 2009–15 Community Shirley Bennett Main cast (season 1–5), guest (season 6) 2010–13 Pound Puppies Cookie, additional voices (voice) Main cast 2016 It's Not You, It's Men Herself Episode: "Modern Romance" First Impressions with Dana Carvey Herself Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" Whose Line Is It Anyway? Herself Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" Cupcake Wars Herself/Contestant Episode: "Celebrity: Medieval Cupcakes" To Tell the Truth Herself/Panelist Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown" Rizzoli & Isles U. S. Postal Inspector CJ Prescott Episode: "Post Mortem" Star vs. the Forces of Evil Brigid (voice) Episode: "Star vs. Echo Creek" Fairfax Trini (voice) Recurring cast American Dad! Additional Voices (voice) Recurring guest Big Shot Sherilyn Thomas Main cast Central Park Gina Tracker (voice) Recurring cast (season 2–3) 2021–23 The Ghost and Molly McGee Dianne (voice) Guest (season 1), recurring cast (season 2) The Family Business: New Orleans TBA Series regular

Year Title Voice roleNotes 2020 Listen Out Loud Podcast Mayor Davis (voice) Episode: "Pet Adoption Day with Lana Loud" 2021 Dark Air with Terry Carnation Dr. Lizzie (voice) Main cast