As a celebrated writer, actor and producer since the late ’80s, Orlando Jones recently starred as the African god Anansi in Starz’s American Gods, which ran for three seasons. His other notable credits as an actor include Abbott Elementary, Swagger, Drumline, The Replacements, Sleepy Hollow, Double Take, Evolution, The Family Business: New Orleans, Winning Time: Rise of the Laker Dynasty and Liberty Heights.
As a voice actor, Jones has had roles in series including King of the Hill, Father of the Pride, and Black Dynamite, along with video games Halo 2 and L.A. Rush. He garnered attention early on as the spokesperson of the Make 7 Up Yours campaign from 1999 to 2002 and was a founding writer and original cast member of MAD TV, one of the longest running sketch comedy series in television history.
A writer on American Gods, A Different World, and Roc, Jones also co-wrote the pilot for Martin and The Ben Stiller Show. He played a pivotal role in launching the FX Network as the host of Sound FX, a music-focused series that helped bring the channel into 18 million homes, and more recently hosted and produced the digital broadcast of the 88th Academy Awards. He also wrote, produced and hosted The Orlando Jones Show.
Next up, Jones will be spearheading the MAD REWIND reunion podcast and comedy tour, with the original cast members from MAD TV. His new solo stand-up comedy tour, “Ask Me Anything,” will also be launching in 2026.