2022 NAACP Image Awards: Who is Natasha Rothwell? Get to Know the Image Award Winning Actress
Natasha Rothwell is an actress, screenwriter, and activist, best known for her role as the hilarious Kelli on the 2022 NAACP Image Awards-winning comedy series Insecure. She is reportedly the only star on the recently ended show to not only act but write and direct an episode.
At this year’s show, Natasha’s talent snagged the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. However, her career in the entertainment industry started earlier on although she may not have always been appropriately accredited. Unbeknownst to many, the Hollywood jaugerknot started writing on shows like Saturday Night Live and once also worked as an educator teaching students the craft of drama and theater. Natasha’s efforts earned her the much praise and respect she gets from fans and peers. As we reflect on yet another fantastic ceremony get to know the award-winning actress Natasha Rothwell.
She used to be an educator
Before going on to star in the hilariously funny role of Kelli on the critically acclaimed series Insecure, Natasha worked as a high school teacher in the Bronx. In college, she studied theater, but upon graduating, she decided to work at something connected to the arts, which ultimately served as one of her biggest inspirations.
She told The Undefeated, “I definitely was inspired by drama teachers in high school named Mr. Walsh and Ms. O’Neil, and both of them were very formative in helping me sort of understand theater.”
She has writing credits on one of the longest-running shows
Natasha is a juggernaut in her industry. Before starring on Insecure, she auditioned for Saturday Night Live amid the series’s backlash for lack of diversity. She ultimately became a writer on the show but stayed on for only one season, citing that she never felt at home.
During an interview with NPR, the actress expressed that she did think her time there was “meant to be easy.” She continued, “I also think that being in a 40-year-old institution that is predominantly white, as a woman of color, it’s a different journey. And I’m not trying to sugarcoat it or whatever. It’s just sort of at this point – my process with having been on the show, and now sort of having hindsight, it’s really sort of matter of fact where I learned a ton.”
She wants to add some romance to her comedic skills
During an interview with New York Times Magazine, Natasha opened about wanting to help diversify the romantic comedy genres with her skill, telling the publication, “I want to be able to tell those stories and have someone in the audience that looks like me – a plus-size black girl – who doesn’t have to imagine so far that she can fall in love or that those stories are for her too.” More than anything, though, she wants to have the opportunity to run through the airport in a dramatic love scene.”
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Her first job was at Blockbuster
Before fans watched her on HBO or streaming Insecure on its digital platforms, Natasha was loaning out movie tapes at the late Blockbuster—a video rental store where customers could rent movies and video games for a certain period.
“Rest in peace, except the one that’s left,” she told The Atlantic. “I worked at McDonald's. During the summers, I worked multiple jobs. I worked at Target.”
She’s an activist
Natasha isn’t afraid to use her platform for a more significant cause. She’s often spoken about issues impacting the Black community, including the Black Lives Matter movement, voter’s rights, and gender equality.
