Nicole Byer
Stand-up and actress Nicole Byer first caught attention on "Girl Code" (MTV, 2013-15), "Are You the One? The Aftermatch Live" (MTV, 2014) and "Ladylike" (MTV, 2016) before landing her own sitcom, "Loosely Exactly Nicole." Born in Lincroft, NJ, Byer studied at the American Musical Dramatic Academy and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York before moving to Los Angeles where she appeared in several comedy shorts and various web shows including the co-penned "Pursuit of Sexiness" (2013). Her profile received a significant boost when she became a talking head on spin-off "Girl Code" (MTV, 2013-15), a role which led to a recurring gig as Latisha on sitcom "Fast Food Heights" (MTV, 2013-14) and a hosting slot on companion show "Are You the One? The Aftermatch Live" (MTV, 2014). Following several guest appearances on "Chelsea Lately" (E!, 2007-2014), "The Birthday Boys" (IFC, 2013-14) and "Mind of a Man" (Game Show Network, 2014), Byer made her big-screen debut in indie comedy "A Better You" (2014). But her true breakthrough arrived in 2016 when she racked up over a dozen credits. There were cameos in "Angie Tribeca" (TBS, 2016-), "Lady Dynamite" (Netflix, 2016-) and "Transparent" (Amazon, 2016-) and minor roles in "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" (2016) and "Other People" (2016), while she was also cast as a member of short-lived sketch comedy "Party Over Here" (Fox, 2016) and hidden camera prank show "Ladylike" (MTV, 2016). Byer cemented her status as the new golden girl of comedy that same year when she was given her own show, "Loosely Exactly Nicole" (2016), an unashamedly brazen comedy based on her own experiences as a black actress struggling to make it in Hollywood. The show was originally developed by MTV, which aired its first season. After Season 1, it was cancelled by MTV, but was picked up for a second season by Facebook Watch. In March 2018, Byer debuted as the host of "Nailed It!" on Netflix, in which amateur bakers try to recreate fancy cakes of the type seen on Pinterest with the help of Byer and head judge Jacques Torres. Byer also hosts a weekly podcast called "Why Won't You Date Me" on the Headgum podcast network.