Shakira Ja'nai Paye

Shakira Ja'nai Paye is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She is a co-founder of the sketch troupe Obama's Other Daughters. She has acted in productions including All Day and a Night, the House Party reboot, and the sc-ifi series Demascus.

Life and career

Paye was born and raised in Baltimore.[1] She began acting at the Arena Players at age 10 and was a theatre major in high school.[1][2] She later trained at American Musical Dramatic Academy.[2]

Paye is a co-founder of the sketch troupe Obama’s Other Daughters alongside Ashley Holston, Maame-Yaa Aforo, and Yazmin Monet Watkins.[3] The group, all Black women comedians who met on UCB's diversity Facebook group, formed in 2016.[1][4] They hosted a monthly show, Black Girl Magic, at UCB Sunset in Los Angeles.[5] The group had a digital series on Comedy Central that was produced by Hacks co-creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello.[4] They also hosted the culture podcast You Down? through Shondaland Audio.[6]

Paye appeared in The Gambler, Modern Family, Black-ish, Grand Crew, and Sydney to the Max.[4][7] She starred in the film All Day and a Night (2020) on Netflix.[8] She also appeared in the House Party (2023) reboot.[9]

Paye is a main cast member in the sci-fi comedy series Demascus (2025– ), which was initially picked up AMC and cancelled, but later revived by Tubi.[2] She portrays Naomi, a love interest to the lead who embodies "the dark feminine: Cleopatra-esque, Lilith, Kali… all of my favorite ladies, but grounded and human."[10]

Accolades

  • 2021 – BlogHer VOTY 100 Honoree (for Obama's Other Daughters)[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Shakira Ja'nai Paye Gets Serious". Jejune Magazine. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  2. ^ a b c "GOODNIGHT MAGAZINE". Your Site Title. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  3. ^ Johnson, Deidre (2020-10-04). "The Fabulous Women Behind the Sketch Comedy Troupe Obama's Other Daughters, Talk About Their New Podcast 'You Down?'". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  4. ^ a b c Magazine, Naluda (2019-06-04). "Interview with Comedian and Actress Shakira Ja'nai Paye". Naluda Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  5. ^ "Meet Shakira Paye, Yazmin Watkins, Maame-Yaa Aforo and Ashley Holston - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  6. ^ a b BlogHer (2019-09-03). "BlogHer VOTY 100: Storyteller Honorees for 2021 – Blogging Tips & Events for Content Creators Everywhere | Blogher". Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  7. ^ Hailu, Selome (2022-06-15). "'Demascus' at AMC Rounds Out Cast with Janet Hubert, Caleb Eberhardt and Shakira Ja'nai Paye". Variety. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  8. ^ Gomes, Anoush (2020-05-09). "EXCLUSIVE | Shakira Ja'nai Paye says 'All Day and a Night' shows a level of humanity missing in many movies". MEAWW Entertainment. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (2021-06-29). "New Line's 'House Party' Remake Adds Shakira Ja'nai Paye, Andrew Santino, Bill Bellamy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  10. ^ Papadatos, Markos (2025-08-05). "Shakira Ja'nai Paye talks about starring in 'Demascus' on Tubi". Digital Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
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