Kenya Barris (born August 9, 1973) is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor.

Barris, the second-youngest among four siblings, was born to Tina, who worked as a real estate agent, and her former husband Patrick, who was a factory worker at General Motors.

In 2020, Barris made his acting debut in #BlackAF, a series he developed for Netflix, co-starring Rashida Jones and Iman Benson.

[12][13][14] In October 2020, Barris announced that he would write, produce, and direct a biopic on comedian Richard Pryor for MGM.

[19] In January 2024, he confirmed that he finished penning the script for the film and announced that he is also in development on a modern remake of It's a Wonderful Life, with the intention to cast a person of color in the lead role of George Bailey.

It was named best comedy series and Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson took acting honors.