Karen Malina White is an American actress recognized for her work in film, television, and voice acting. She is best known for her roles as Kaneesha Carter in the drama film Lean on Me (1989), Charmaine Brown on The Cosby Show (1990–1992) and its spin-off A Different World (1992–1993), Nicolette Vandross on Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000), and as the voice of Dijonay Jones in The Proud Family (2001–2005) and its Disney+ revival The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022–present).
Early Life and Education
White was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts before enrolling at Howard University, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During her senior year, she was crowned Miss Howard University, an achievement that preceded her acting breakthrough.
Career
White made her feature film debut in Lean on Me (1989), starring alongside Morgan Freeman. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress in a Supporting Role.
In television, she gained recognition for her recurring role as Charmaine Brown during the final seasons of The Cosby Show and later in A Different World. She appeared as Jewel, Jazz’s wife, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and went on to star as Nicolette Vandross in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, where she was part of the main cast from 1996 to 2000.
Her extensive television credits include guest roles in 9-1-1, Better Things, The Middle, Animal Kingdom, Snowfall, Veep, How to Get Away With Murder, Young Sheldon, Living Single, Chicago Hope, and many more.
As a voice actress, White became widely known for her role as Dijonay Jones in Disney’s The Proud Family. She reprised the character in the 2022 Disney+ reboot, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which earned her an Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting.
In 2022, White portrayed Shirley Hughes in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a role that allowed her to incorporate American Sign Language. The series became Netflix’s second most-watched show of all time. She also appeared in theater, notably in Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop and The Ballad of Emmett Till.
Her recent work includes a 2023 FanDuel commercial with Rob Gronkowski and continued appearances in both live-action and animated projects.
Personal Life
White has never married and has no children. She was in a long-term relationship with actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner for over seven years.
Selected Filmography
Film
- Lean on Me (1989) – Kaneesha Carter
- Once Upon a Time…When We Were Colored (1996) – Mary
- The Proud Family Movie (2005, voice) – Dijonay Jones
- Cheaper to Keep Her (2011) – Koren
- Love, for Real (2021) – Marie
- ’Tis the Season to be Merry (2021) – Sonia Hendricks
Television
- The Cosby Show (1990–1992) – Charmaine Brown
- A Different World (1992–1993) – Charmaine Brown
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994) – Jewel Robertson
- Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) – Nicolette Vandross
- The Proud Family (2001–2005, voice) – Dijonay Jones
- Animal Kingdom (2016–2018) – Dina
- Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) – Shirley Hughes
- The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022–present, voice) – Dijonay Jones
