Her stage credits include playing Coretta Scott King in the Rhythm and Blues Opera I Dream (2010), and starring as Deena Jones in a 2012 production of Dreamgirls at The Muny.

McKinney has performed in a number of Tyler Perry's stage plays, including Meet The Browns, Why Did I Get Married and Madea's Family Christmas.

She was nominated for a 2009 National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Vision Award for Best Performance in a Comedy, in recognition of her work on House of Payne.

[4] McKinney has guest starred on Necessary Roughness, Drop Dead Diva, Devious Maids, Chicago Med, and Being Mary Jane.

In 2019, she starred in the Urban Movie Channel family drama series A House Divided alongside Paula Jai Parker.

She appeared in Dreamgirls and performed with Jennifer Holliday in 2012, and lent vocals to R&B singer Anthony David's album Love Out Loud.