[10] During her time at Guildhall, Coel attended the Mark Proulx workshop at Prima del Teatro and took the Kat Francois Poetry Course at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

[12] As she continued to do open mics, she was encouraged by actor, playwright and director Ché Walker, who saw her perform at the Hackney Empire, to apply to Guildhall.

[20][21] In 2013, Coel appeared in Channel 4 drama Top Boy and has had leading roles at the National Theatre, including the award-nominated Home and the critically acclaimed Medea.

[32] In 2018, Coel starred in Black Earth Rising, a co-production between BBC Two and Netflix, where she played Kate, the main character.

She also starred as Simone in the musical-drama film Been So Long, by Che Walker, based on his own stage play, which was released on Netflix to positive reviews in October 2018.

Coel created, wrote, produced, co-directed and starred in the comedy-drama series I May Destroy You, inspired by her own experience of sexual assault.

[34][35][36] She acknowledged refusing $1 million from Netflix after the streaming service declined to offer her intellectual property ownership of her show.

[41] Furthermore, in the 15th annual Powerlist of the most influential people of African or African-Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom, Coel was ranked fourth for the impact of her work on I May Destroy You.

[45] Coel's first book, Misfits: a Personal Manifesto, was published simultaneously in the UK and the USA on 7 September 2021 by Ebury Press.

Based on her MacTaggart lecture at 2018's Edinburgh Festival, which touches on Coel's experiences with racism and misogyny, her publisher described the book as "a powerful manifesto on how speaking your truth and owning your differences can transform your life".

The upcoming TV show will see Coel write, star in and executive produce First Day On Earth, a 10-part series for the BBC, which will begin filming in 2025.

[50] At the 2016 British Academy Television Awards, Coel wore a gown designed by her mother, made of Kente cloth.

[2] In August 2018, Coel disclosed that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by two unnamed men during the writing of her sitcom Chewing Gum.