Rashida Leah Jones, an American actress, was born in America. She became famous for her starring roles in several TV shows, such as Parks and Recreation (Ann Perkins), The Office (Karen Filippelli, NBC), Boston Public (Louisa Fenn, Fox), and Angie Tribeca (TBS).
Jones has been in a plethora of films, including Tag, Celeste, and Jesse Forever (on which she also served as co-writer), The Social Network, Our Idiot Brother, The Muppets, and I Love You, Man. Jones co-wrote the screenplay for Toy Story 4 with others.
In addition to producing the film Hot Girls Wanted, she oversaw production of the pilot episode of Hot Girls Wanted: Turned for. The sex trade is something they both deal in. Her documentary Quincy, which debuted on Netflix in 2018, was about her father, Quincy Jones, and it won the Grammy for Best Music Film in 2019.
Formal education and childhood
Jones came into this world in Los Angeles, the offspring of performer Peggy Lipton and record producer Quincy Jones. Model and actress Kidada Jones is her younger sister, and she has five further siblings, including Kenya Jones and Quincy Jones III, who are half-siblings from her father's prior marriages. Her father's family includes Welsh and Tikar descent from Cameroon. She descended from Russian and Latvian Jewish Ashkenazi families. Harold Lipton, a corporate lawyer who changed his last name from Lipschitz to Lipton in the 1930s, was the owner of the Boston Celtics and the San Diego Clippers. Harold was her granddad on her mother's side.
Raised in a Reform Jewish household, Jones and her sister never had a bat mitzvah since Jones stopped attending Hebrew school when she was 10 years old. Jones' first name means "righteous" in Arabic. Jones grew up in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to what she has claimed, her parents' marriage was a mixed-race relationship, and many people still weren't tolerant of it in the 1970s. Her father recounted in his memoirs the several nights that six-year-old Jones would read five novels under the covers, lit only by a flashlight, before she would go to sleep. She had a computer with floppy disks and a dial-up connection before it was cool, thus she was apparently a "straight-up nerd" as a kid. Jones has demonstrated musical ability since he was a little boy and can play the classical piano. The following quote is from an Entertainment Tonight interview that her mother gave in 1990: "also a fabulous singer and songwriter" (Jones).
While attending The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California, Jones was named "Most Likely To Succeed" by her peers and inducted into the National Honor Society. Jones trained under the tutelage of acting professor Tim Hillman in Buckley's theater program. When Rashida Jones's parents divorced when she was fourteen years old, she and her mother moved to Brentwood while her sister remained with their father. In 1994, Jones became famous after an open letter she sent to musician Tupac Shakur in response to his criticisms of her parents' interracial marriage appeared in The Source. After Shakur apologized for his insults, he made friends with Rashida and her family. Prior to his death, Tupac was seeing Rashida's sister Kidada.
Currier House and Eliot House were Rashida's homes while she was a Harvard student. She was an involved student in several organizations, such as the Signet Society, the Black Students Association, the Radcliffe Dramatic Club, the Harvard Opportunes, and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. She changed her mind about becoming a lawyer following her O disappointment. On trial for murder, J. Simpson was a writer. She spearheaded the a cappella group Opportunes, co-composed the score for the 149th annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals performance, and starred in other theatrical shows, all because of her passion for the performing arts. In her second year of college, Jones performed in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. She described the experience as "healing" because she believed she had lost the acceptance of her Black student friends. After majoring in religion and philosophy, she graduated in 1997.
Acting
Miniseries The Last Don, created and produced by Mario Puzo and shown in 1997, included Jones as a guest star. Her future film roles were Myth America, East of A, and If These Walls Could Talk 2. After making a brief appearance as Karen Scarfolli on Freaks and Geeks in 2000, she earned the role of Louisa Fenn on Boston Public. Her career spanned from 2000 to 2002, during which she made 26 appearances and received an NAACP Image Award nomination in her last year. Despite her little role in the program, she was able to land film roles. Jeff Anderson, a longtime collaborator of Kevin Smith's, wrote and directed both Full Frontal (starring Steven Soderbergh) and Now You Know (also starring her). She co-starred alongside Adam Brody in the short film Roadside Assistance.
Aside from her guest spots on Chappelle's Show and Death of a Dynasty, Jones appeared in two episodes of Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show after leaving Boston Public. Strip Search, Sidney Lumet's 2004 HBO film in which she had a role, had several of her scenes cut from the final cut. After Little Black Book, she appeared in the British drama series NY-LON as Dr. Rachel Keyes and starred as Edie Miller in NY-LON. In 2005, Jones starred as Karen in the Comedy Central project Stella. She also played the character of TNT's special agent Carla Merced in the police thriller Wanted.
Jones was seriously considering a graduate-level shift away from acting and toward public policy when she received the casting call for The Office. In September 2006, she joined the ensemble cast as Karen Filippelli. In addition to her many appearances in season 3, she reappeared as a guest star in three episodes in seasons four, five, and six.
Jones played Karen for a brief scene in the opening monologue of Rainn Wilson's 2007 Saturday Night Live sketch parodying the Office. Jones had a cameo appearance in both David Wain's The Ten and the Blu-ray bonus feature, Role Models. In 2008, she co-starred with the Farrelly brothers in the short-lived comedy series Unhitched. Along with that, she was the love interest in the Foo Fighters' "Long Road to Ruin" music video.
Jones, Jason Segel, and Paul Rudd at the Austin, Texas premiere of I Love You, Man
In a January 2009 episode of Robot Chicken, which aired on Adult Swim, Jones voiced a large number of characters. She played Hannah in the 2009 independent film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, directed by John Krasinski and shown at the Sundance Film Festival. In the DreamWorks comedy I Love You, Man, she co-starred alongside Jason Segel and Paul Rudd as Zooey Rice.
Jones is now a regular on the NBC mockumentary comedy series Parks and Recreation. She is no stranger to The Office, having collaborated with its creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur in the past. She played the role of Nurse Ann Perkins from the start of the show until about the midpoint of season six. The final episode of the series featured her comeback.
Jones has a minor part in Kevin Smith's 2010 film Cop Out. She has a starring role in the Harvard-produced film The Social Network alongside Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg. Actress Marylin Delpy played the role of Mark Zuckerberg's (Facebook) two-year legal collaborator.
The dramatic film Monogamy, directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, featured Jones with Chris Messina. Released in theaters in March 2011, the film made its Tribeca Film Festival debut in April 2010.
The Muppets, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams, Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, The Big Year, starring Steve Martin and Owen Wilson, and Our Idiot Brother, starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Emily Mortimer, were just a few of the several 2011 films that Jones helmed. In the latter, she played Zooey Deschanel's bisexual character's love companion Cindy, a lesbian lawyer. Jones had a cameo appearance in Feist For Your Right Revisited, a short film by the Beastie Boys, during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Jones has guest starred on Wilfred before, as hospice volunteer Lisa. On July 21, 2011, the program made its premiere on FX.
In Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), she was a co-writer and actor alongside Andy Samberg.
Her appearance on The Simpsons as a voice guest in "The Changing of the Guardian" was alongside Danny DeVito.
In 2014, Jones secured the lead role of Angie Tribeca for the 2016 premiere of the eponymous TBS comedy series. Steve and Nancy Carell's 2019 season of the show came to a close with its termination.
In her 2015 documentary Hot Girls Wanted, Jones examines the teen girls' participation in pornographic films. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on May 29, 2015, and shortly after, Netflix acquired it. Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On, a spin-off series that Jones produced and directed in 2017, had its pilot episode shot by Jones. According to rumors, Jones will make an appearance in the upcoming adaptation of the sex business drama Sell/Buy/Date. Hot Girls Wanted, in which Jones starred, shot her to fame among sex workers because to the widespread belief that it portrayed the industry in a negative light and violated the authorization of performers. A number of Turned On participants have spoken out against the show, arguing that the producers either did not get their consent to use their image or personal details or did not ask for it.
Jones portrayed the role of Marcy Kappel, a security forces agent of internal affairs, in Blue Sky Studios' animated feature film Spies in Disguise. She was an executive producer and co-star on the 2020 season of blackAF, a Netflix comedy, alongside creator Kenya Barris. Jones also voiced Mia in several episodes of the Fox series Duncanville. In Sofia Coppola's next comedy-drama On the Rocks (2020), she co-starred alongside Bill Murray. X
Jones has had pieces published in Teen Vogue and served as a contributing editor for the magazine. She wrote chapter 36 of her father's autobiography, The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.
Jones follows a socialite's recruitment by the CIA in his comic book series Frenemy of the State. Oni Press publishes the comics created by husband-and-wife writing team Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. Prior to the first issue's release in October 2009, Jones sold the movie rights to Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. Jones co-wrote the screenplay with Will McCormack, while Brian Grazer and Eric Gitter served as producers.
Jones sold her first screenplay in March 2009, and she is known for her comic scripts Celeste and Jesse Forever. She and McCormack co-wrote the screenplay because she wanted to be an actress. Its debut was in 2012.
Black Mirror's 2016–17 anthology series featured the script for "Nosedive" by Jones and Michael Schur, based on a story by Charlie Brooker.
The 2017 book Courage Is Contagious, published in The New York Times, may include an excerpt from Jones's 2016 "thank-you note" to Michelle Obama.
Jones and McCormack worked together on the script for Toy Story 4 for Pixar Animation Studios. "Women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice," Jones thought, so she left the Pixar writing assignment before it was due. When the film came out in June 2019, they were both given a "story by" credit.
Jones co-wrote the pilot episode of the 2021 Hulu mystery thriller The Other Black Girl with Zakiya Dalila Harris. She is also an executive producer for the show. The first airdate was September 13, 2023.
On December 12, 2024, word got out that Michael Govier, Will McCormack, and Jones would be writing the script for an animated Tom and Jerry feature film.
Audiovisual content
Over the course of his career, Jones has provided Maroon 5 with background vocals. 'Tangled,' 'Secret,' and 'Not Coming Home' are featuring her vocals on their first album Songs About Jane, while 'Kiwi' is her bass-driven single from their sophomore album It Won't Be Soon Before Long. In 2000, Jones contributed vocals to a tribute album to Tupac Shakur called The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Her half-brother QD3 produced "Starry Night," which included her father's vocals and rapping by Mac Mall. The High & Mighty's 1999 first album, Home Field Advantage, has the song "Dick Starbuck: Porno Detective," which Jones co-wrote and sang lead vocals on.
Reno 911, The Ten, and The Baxter!Several songs by the Miami Sound included Jones's voice. Among her charitable performances were the 2002 What A Pair Benefit, which benefited breast cancer research, and other episodes of Boston Public featuring her music. Jones and Daniel Ahearn's 2015 documentary Hot Girls Wanted featured the song "Wanted to Be Loved"—which Jones also produced. May of that year saw the release of the song.
In addition to Aaliyah, her sister Kidada, and Mark Ronson—her boyfriend at the time—Jones was also a part of the music video for "More Than a Woman" in 2002. The Boy Least Likely To's "Be Gentle With Me" and Foo Fighters' "Long Road to Ruin" both include Jones's appearances in music videos. Racinda Jules was her stage name in the second, in which she played Susan Belfontaine. As far back as 2013, Jones directed Sara Bareilles's "Brave" music video. It was her first feature film directorial role.
For her first music video, "Flip and Rewind," by Boss Selection in 2016, she collaborated with Jones and McCormack.
A humorous online series
Several funny online shows have featured Jones. Her acting credits include a co-starring role with Natalie Portman in Funny or Die's Speak Out series and a cameo appearance in Web Therapy, Lisa Kudrow's first webseason. Jones did provide her voice for an off-screen cameo in the first TV season and even managed to make an appearance in the show's second season finale, but she was unable to return for seasons two through four due to other obligations. Her Damn Channel episode "Wainy Days" featured her playing the role of her creation, David Wain. Jones was among the notable persons included in Marc Shaiman's 2008 all-star film Prop 8—The Musical, which satirized California's anti-gay marriage legislation. She voiced the character Hotwire in the 2013–2015 Hulu comedy series The Awesomes.
Advertising roles
Jones appeared in many musical television commercials for the apparel retailer The Gap in the 1990s as part of an ensemble.
Ever since 2011, Jones has graced the cover of the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Collection. In 2015, Jones began representing Verizon FiOS, and in 2017, she took on the position of representing Almay cosmetics. In 2018, Jones became the first female ambassador for Maison Kitsune, a groundbreaking achievement. In 2019, she represented Zenni Optical as a model and ambassador. She has also done voiceover work for Southwest Airlines and been in Expedia TV commercials.
The 'Keeping Up with the Joneses,' a Toyota Tundra truck commercial featuring Tom Jones's 'It's Not Unusual,' premiered during Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. Leslie Jones, Nick Jonas, Tommy Lee Jones, and she were all in the ad together. By July of 2022, Jones had made an appearance in the "Massage Chair" citi TV advertisement.
Apart from it, other projects
In September 2018, Jones's production company, Le Train Train, signed a first-look television deal with MRC.
Personal life
Jones from 2017 onward
Jones was born and raised Jewish, but she became a Hindu when she and her mother visited an ashram in India when she was a young teenager. Even as an adult, she remains faithful to her Jewish beliefs. To a news reporter, she divulged the following:
The way you choose to spend your life in relation to God is now entirely up to you. I attribute my intense feelings for my partner to a combination of my Jewish background and the wisdom I gained from my ex-boyfriend. My love relationships all share a commonality: they are Jewish and actively practice Judaism. Something about it intrigues me, even if I don't think it's crucial.
In discussing her mixed-race identity, she admitted, "I have gone through periods where I only feel Black or Jewish." I think I've finally reached a middle ground; it's their issue if they don't recognize my Black identity. "I'm delighted to disprove preconceived notions about biculturalism."
In February 2003, Jones received a proposal from music producer Mark Ronson. In a bespoke crossword puzzle that said "Will you marry me?" he proposed to her on her 27th birthday. Their romance ended about a year later.
Reports surfaced in early 2017 that Jones was dating singer Ezra Koenig; by August of 2018, the happy pair welcomed a new addition to their family. Koenig referred to Jones as "my wife" in a 2024 interview with The Guardian. Regarding Koenig, Jones stated in a 2024 interview that appeared in The New Yorker:
No one is asking about our marital status. That is the most basic way that we address one other. Regardless, we are who we are in God's eyes! My parents legally did not tie the knot until my sister was six months old and my father suffered his first brain aneurysm. We are already married, but I believe we will tie the knot at some point.
Jones has been a vocal supporter of Peace First, a program that encourages youth to resolve conflicts via dialogue rather than physical force. She has been a member of the board since 2004 and hosts many fundraisers each year. Jones volunteers with The Art of Elysium, a group that offers artistic workshops to children in hospitals, is a part of the Stand Up to Cancer campaign, and has been to EDUN and ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History events. In 2007, she raised funds for Housing Works' fight against homelessness and AIDS in New York City as honorary chair of the fundraiser. Among the organizations that have profited from her tireless fundraising efforts are the EB Medical Research Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York.
Exploring Syrian refugee camps
On a mission to meet Syrian refugees in 2016, Jones visited a camp in Lebanon. She described the horrific experience in detail for Vanity Fair. There was also a virtual reality clip she watched on rescue.org, which she recorded in detail.
Participation in politics
Democratic presidential candidates have counted Jones among their allies. In 2004, Jones spoke in favor of Democratic candidate John Kerry at student demonstrations in Ohio and in front of a public gallery.
She was an Obama supporter during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. In 2008, she accompanied Kristen Bell on college visits to discuss candidates in Missouri and encourage students to register with the Democratic Party. In 2012, she and her Parks and Recreation co-star Adam Scott sought elective office in Iowa.
Accolades
The 2002 season of Boston Public Theatre saw the actress nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
The 2011 film Celeste and Jesse Forever received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for its writing.
Parks and Recreation was the 2012 comedy series that garnered her a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for her supporting acting.
There was an Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie nomination for the 2017 NAACP Image Award for the Black Mirror episode "Nosedive."
Quincy won best music film at the 2019 Grammys.
In 2021, she received a Best Actress – Comedy or Musical nomination for her performance in On the Rocks.