Amanda Seales

Amanda Ingrid Seales (born July 1, 1981), formerly known by the stage name Amanda Diva, is an American comedian, actress, disc jockey (DJ), recording artist, television personality, VJ, author and poet. Aside from her solo career, she was also a touring member of the musical group Floetry.Since 2017, she has starred in the HBO comedy series Insecure. Seales was also one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show, The Real, alongside Loni Love, Tamera Mowry, Adrienne Bailon, and Jeannie Mai.

Amanda Seales was born in Inglewood, CA at Daniel Freeman Hospital on July 1, 1981. Her mother was born and raised in Mt. Moritz, Grenada. Her father is African-American. As a result, both she and her mother are dual citizens of the United States of America and Grenada. She moved to Orlando, Florida in 1989, where she later attended Dr. Phillips High School. She graduated from SUNY-Purchase, then acquired a master's degree in African-American studies with a concentration in Hip hop from Columbia University.

Film and television

Seales's first film was a minor role as Katy in the 1993 movie Cop and a Half. The next year Seales was featured on the Nickelodeon sitcom My Brother and Me (1994) as Deonne Wilburn. In 2002 she appeared on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam. Seales became publicly known as "VJ Amanda Diva" on MTV2 Sucker Free Countdown on Sundays. In 2016 she appeared in a recurring role on the HBO series Insecure, as Tiffany DuBois. Also in 2016, Seales began hosting her own show on truTV called Greatest Ever.

On January 26, 2019, HBO debuted her first stand-up comedy special I Be Knowin'. Bring the Funny is a comedy competition series that premiered on July 9, 2019 on NBC. Seales hosts, alongside judges Kenan Thompson, Chrissy Teigen, and Jeff Foxworthy. On January 6, 2020, Seales was announced as a permanent co-host of the syndicated daytime talk show, The Real, alongside Loni Love, Tamera Mowry, Adrienne Bailon, and Jeannie Mai.

Music

In 2007, Seales replaced Natalie Stewart of the musical duo Floetry on tour with Marsha Ambrosius, and in December of that same year Seales (as Amanda Diva) released her first extended play (EP) Life Experience. In 2008, she was featured on the song "Manwomanboogie" on Q-Tip's Grammy-nominated album The Renaissance. On March 3, 2009, Seales released Spandex, Rhymes & Soul.

Podcast

Seales hosts a weekly podcast titled Small Doses.

Activism

In 2010, Seales teamed up with Truth, to start an anti-smoking campaign.

In 2019, Amanda Seales was involved in a controversy where many people mistakenly reported that she had accused former NFL player and neurosurgeon resident Myron Rolle of sexually harassing several women. She did not make these accusations herself, but was sharing that she had heard those allegations from other women. Multiple people who were spreading that story have since admitted that Seales did not make those allegations herself.

In the weeks preceding Rodney Reed's November 20, 2019 execution date, Seales publicly urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to exonerate Reed or stay his execution. She later rescinded her support for after learning more about his history.

EPs

Mixtapes

Guest appearances