Nala Wayans, Daphne Wayan’s daughter has joined the league of celebrity kids who found their way into the spotlight through modeling. She is the daughter of actor, comedian, and filmmaker, Keenen Ivory Wayana with Daphne.
Nala, since her introduction into the American celebrity scene, has since won the hearts of many. Her career as well as her status as a celebrity daughter has been put on a high pedestal. She is not only known for her contributions to brands but also for her active use of social media to enhance her popularity.
Is Nala Wayans an Actress?
The young celebrity daughter has been part of at least one movie. She was included in the credits ‘Additional Crew’ of Marlon, a television series. Apart from this series, Nala Wayans hasn’t been involved in any other known movies.
Though she is the daughter of a renowned actor and a producer, the girl has stated that she has no interest in acting. In fact, during an interview, Wayans stated that she thinks the fact that people expect her to delve into acting is annoying.
She obviously has found a niche for herself and does not feel the need to follow in her father’s footsteps. It is possible that her mind may change in the coming years but for now, Nala has no interest in acting.
10 Need-To-Know Information about Nala Wayans
1. Her Parents are Celebrities
Naya Wayans is the daughter of two well-known American celebrities. Her father is the aforementioned actor, comedian, and filmmaker, Keenan Wayans who has been part of numerous projects.
Keenan became known when he created and began to host the comedy series In Living Color. He has received awards such as Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series in 1990.
As an actor, he has been part of movies such as The Glimmer Man, My Wife and Kids, Dance Flick, and so many more. Wayans Keenan is a writer known for Most Wanted, Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, and a couple of other productions.
Daphne Wayans, Nala’s mother, is an American television personality, relationship expert, and film producer. She produced Dying Laughing, which is a stand-up comedy documentary featuring Jamie Fox, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, and Jerry Seinfeld.
Wayans also has music credits for co-writing songs such as Carte Blanche with Dough Grigsby. The song was written for Teena Marie and was released in her 2013 Beautiful album.
2. About Nala Wayans’ Parent’s Marriage
Keenan and Daphne met through a fellow celebrity comedian and actor known as Eddie Murphy. Their relationship lasted for a period of about 15 years. Mr. and Mrs. Wayans met when she was about 16 years old and he was 28.
They however did not date until Daphne was of legal age, two years later. They eventually got married in 2001 and have a total of 5 children although the marriage ended 3 years later. Daphne stated that there was no particular reason for their divorce. After the divorce in 2004, Keenen and his ex-wife began to live apart though just 5 houses away from each other.
With 5 children between them, they still operated as a family despite the legal dissolution of the marriage. The Keenen Wayans kids are:
- Jolie Wayans; The eldest who loves her privacy and tries to stay away from the spotlight.
- Keenen Jr. has followed in his dad’s footsteps and branched toward comedy.
- Nala Wayans, the second of the comedian’s daughters.
- Bella and Daphne; both of whom, as of 2021, were still in school and focused on their education.
After the divorce, Keenen went on to date American actress, Brittany Daniel from 2007 to 2014. Since his breakup with Brittany, he hasn’t been associated with any other woman in a romantic relationship.
As for Nala’s mother, she also moved on and has been in a relationship with Jason L. Martin. He is an American rapper better known as Problem354. Martin is also the founder of Coffee & Kush management.
3. She was the Co-host of ‘Guest House’
‘Guest House’ was initially made to be a reality TV show which gives an insight into the lives of celebrity kids. It began to make waves in 2014 and it starred Nala Wayans and Kennedy Rue-McCullough.
Kennedy and Naya are both celebrity kids born to comedians and they were featured alongside their closest friends while showcasing to viewers and the public, what their lives as teenagers are like.
The show took shape, borrowing its style from talk shows. It burrowed into the lives of 5 young teenage girls including Rachel Harris, Taylor Zaria, and Jordyn Woods.
4. How Did Naya Wayans’ Modeling Career Begin?
Naya Yasmeen Wayans was born on April 30, 1996, during her parent’s 15-year-old relationship. Born in New York City, she started modeling at a young age and the career part was premeditated.
She however took her career in modeling seriously at the age of 19. Nala Wayans admitted that she was really interested in modeling and so she went on to learn and study more about it. She looked up to and studied the likes of Naomi Campbell and Chrissy Teigen who also has cookbooks and cooking accessories.
In 2017, she signed a modeling contract with DT Model Management. The model management is known for managing other models such as Ireland Baldwin, Dylan Penn, and Destry Capshaw.
As a model, the 29 year-old has worked with so many brands such as Spirit and Flesh Magazine. Having deep admiration for Channel and Dolce, one of her utmost dreams while delving into modeling, was to work with these brands.
5. She made Her Runway Debut at New York Fashion Week
Despite being a model for several years, Nala did not walk the runway until Sherri Hills Spring 2018 show at the New York Fashion Week. She made her debut walking alongside other celebrity kids such as Corinne Foxx and Kaia Gerber. Corinne is the daughter of actor, Jamie Foxx.
At the show, Nala wore a gorgeous dress made by Sherri Hill like a red gown. However, the highlight of the show was the surprise the young lady received. Unknowing her and unexpectedly as well, her father flew down to watch her perform her first runway show.
6. Though She isn’t an Actress, she has made TV Appearance
Nala Wayans has voiced out her lack of interest in acting and also her displeasure with the career. Nonetheless, she has made more than one TV appearance. First, she was part of the 2014 reality TV show ‘Guest House’, and then she also has the appearance credit of being on ‘Access Hollywood’ as ‘herself’ according to an IMDb page dedicated to her.
7. Naya is a Vlogger
https://youtu.be/XtwfhcVkGRk
Keenen Wayans’ second daughter is a video blogger who loves to document her various experiences. She posts her travel experiences, day-to-day routines as well as other interesting activities in her life.
With her huge social media following, it is obvious a lot of people love to keep up with her. On Instagram alone, Naya Wayans has over 44k followers.
8. The Model Hails from a Long List of Celebrity Family
In the Wayans extended family, picking out a family member whose name doesn’t ring a bell may be like searching for a needle in a haystack. The family has been blessed with so many famous names starting with the famous Wayans brothers.
There are over 10 Wayans family member names that have most likely left a mark in our subconscious. There are the 8 Wayans siblings who found a niche in the entertainment industry over the years.
In addition to Nala Wayans’s uncles and aunties, she also has siblings and cousins who are also famous entertainers.
READ ALSO: Azizi Johari Is An American Model And Actress- 10 Unknown Facts
9. She Writes Yelp Reviews
According to the Instagram account of the Sherri Hills model, Nala is a YELP review writer. Yelp is an American company that aims at gathering public sourced reviews about businesses.
The brand has both an app and a website and has been in existence since 2004. It is owned and co-owned by Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons.
10. Naya Wayans is Off the Dating Market
Naya is not single and has not been for a couple of years now. Though it isn’t certain what year exactly she began dating her boyfriend and if he is the first she has ever had, she began flaunting him on Instagram on July 31, 2018.
The name of her boyfriend is William Robillard Cole and he is the CEO of WRC Management. He was even listed on ‘Forbes Under 30’ list. Kala never tires to show off lovely moments from their times together.
On December 17, 2019, the DTMM model showed off an engagement ring expressing shock of not expecting a proposal. As of June 6, 2022, Nala Wayans posted pictures of her and her bridesmaids during her bachelorette party in Tulum. She wore a white swimsuit with the inscription ‘Bride’ while the other ladies wore black swimsuits with ‘Tribe’ inscribed on them.
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