Essence April Digital Cover Star is Jessica Williams

Actress, Comedian, Harry Potter Enthusiast

“It’s important to see women being funny, period.
It’s important to see Black women being funny, and it’s important to see queer people being funny, on camera, and nuanced.”
Jessica Williams

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comedian and actress, Jessica Williams our Essence April digital cover star is one of the hottest talents in Hollywood. She just wants to bring people joy and laughter. She can turn any role into a moment you won’t soon forget, while simultaneously transporting you to whatever world she exists in. Whether it’s playing Miss Fine in Booksmart, Mia Hines in the HBO Max romantic comedy series Love Life or embracing her well-known fascination with Harry Potter as Lally Hicks in Fantastic Beasts, Jessica will surely steal your breath away.

Jessica’s immense confidence and a keen sense of humor, is easily translated on screen and attributes why Jessica is a star. Jessica gets her best material from her grandmother, whom she lost before she turned 15 years old. With those lessons intact, Jessica seems continuously blur the lines between romance and comedy. “They’re all shades of each other. I think a lot of couples actually do all these weird, funny inside jokes with each other, and that’s, like, the huge garden in the relationship.”

One of the best arenas to hone your skills as a director is in television. Taking her experiences as an actor and comedian has thrusted Jessica into writing and directing. The talent that Jessica has afforded us in front of the camera will surely replicate behind it. “It’s important to see women being funny, period. It’s important to see Black women being funny, and it’s important to see queer people being funny, on camera, and nuanced.”

And we can’t wait to see what this Essence Cover Phenom puts forth next!

Writer: Shamira Ibrahim

Photography credits:
Photographer: Phylicia J. L. Munn
Stylist: Bryon Javar / Mastermind Management Group
Makeup artist: Cherish Brooke Hill / Forward Artists
Hairstylist: Vernon Francois / The Visionaires
Tailor: Marc Littlejohn:
Prop Stylist: Aryn Morris
Producer: Wendy Correa

[PURPLE FEATHERS]
Jovana Louis dress, Lada Legina earrings, Ninna York rings and After Twelve boots.

[GREEN CUT-OUT]
Manurí dress, Fendi earrings, Georgina Jewelry bangle and rings and David Yurman rings.

[PINK TANK DRESS]
Sara Wong dress and gloves, Nadri earrings and Fabergé rings.

[WHITE SHEER]
Monique Lhuillier dress and top, Gabriel & Co. earrings and rings and Unode50 rings.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Essence Communications is the number one—and only 100% Black-owned—media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities. With a community of more than 31 million Black women, ESSENCE inspires a global audience through diverse storytelling and immersive original content rooted in Culture, Equity and Celebration. The brand's multi-platform presence in/ publishing, experiential and online encompasses its namesake magazine; digital, video and social platforms; television specials; books; and signature live events, including Black Women in Music, Black Women in Hollywood, ESSENCE Black Women in Sports, Fashion House, Street Style and the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.