Kym Whitley has been a mainstay in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years. The acclaimed actress and comedian is known for her hilarious, show-stealing characters. Some of her credits on TV include “Sparks”, “The Wayans Brothers Show”, “Moesha”, “The Parkers”, “My Wife and Kids”, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
In film, she’s appeared in Next Friday, Deliver Us From Evil, Black Dynamite, A Haunted House, and many more.
For her latest endeavor, Whitley hosted the 2024 HBCU Honors. The star-studded event will air on BET, on December 1, 2024, at 8 PM ET. Honorees include Emmy-nominated filmmaker Will Packer, former NASA Engineer Dr. Lonnie Johnson, and innovative tech entrepreneur Jewel Burks Solomon.
In an interview with WBLS.com, Whitley spoke about hosting HBCU Honers, the inspiration behind her standup comedy career, and her keys to longevity in the industry.
“I’m very excited to be able to host HBCU Honors. Whenever people call you and feel like you can be the ‘captain of the ship’, it’s always an honor,” Whitley told WBLS.com. “So it’s an even bigger honor when you can do something for our HBCUs. I’m a proud graduate of Fisk University. When they called me, I was like, ‘Little ole me.”
Whitley shared how her time at Fisk shaped her as a Black woman and an artist.
“Fisk University is one of our smaller HBCUs so it gave me a chance to get to know myself,” she explained. “ It allowed me to figure out what direction I wanted to go in and what I wanted to do.”
“I don’t know who came up with the Divine Nine because that wasn’t what we were called when I was in college,” she laughed. “Even 10 years ago, I don’t remember us using that term at all. They’re really pushing it forward. It’s a really exciting time. We’re all proud to be together as one even though we were different colors. It’s just a wonderful experience.
“We know there are sororities and fraternities at other universities, but to see an HBCU pledge, baby, it ain’t nothing like it. Then, you get to step in front of your peers. It’s just a whole different experience,” she continued.
Whitley also detailed how she has been able to maintain a thriving career in the ever-changing world of entertainment.
“First, it’s my belief in God and my prayer life. I let God lead me to where my career should be. Number two, I try to be kind to people by being a light in the world and having a good time. People will hire you just because they like working with you. That’s the game,” she said. “Number three is always watching where you want to go. What I mean by that is, if you want to be in commercials, you watch commercials. If you want to be in the theater, you watch theater. And if you want to be in movies, you watch movies.”
“Everything is always changing so you always look at where you want to be. And I believe that’s how you can always stay in the game in whatever you’re doing,” she added.
Proving she can excel in all areas, Whitley is currently performing to sold-out crowds across the country as a stand-up comedian. She explained how the late David Arnold inspired her to take the art form more seriously.
“I attribute all of this to the late great David Arnold. He always watched where he wanted to be and became that. When I was doing stand-up, he forced me to hone my craft and not just play with it like I was doing. The experience has been a great one and I’m learning and having a lot of fun. I’m the writer, director, performer, and on stage, you get your laughs immediately. I feel like I’m a baby in stand-up even though I’ve been doing it for years,” Whitley said.
With all of the milestones in a career, Whitley counts hosting the HBCU Honors as one of her greatest accomplishments. When the show airs, she hopes viewers will be in awe of the Black excellence she experienced.
“It’s so exciting to have my name next to HBCU Honors. It was very exciting to make people laugh,” Whitley said. “Also, honoring people like Dr. Lonnie Johnson from Tuskegee University, Will Packer, and of course, Jewel Burgess Solomon.”
“I love seeing the people who are not always in the headlines. We don’t hear their names all the time. They’re great people doing great things. I was watching them, and my mind was blown to find out that Howard University will have an ice skating team. I was like, ‘Black people skate like that?”, she laughed. “You’ll find out that people are doing incredible things who graduated from HBCUs.”