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Actor · Writer

1989-07-31 · Los Angeles, California, USA · Female

11 series in the catalog

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. 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.