Amanda Ingrid Seales, formerly known by the stage nameAmanda Diva, is an American actress and singer. Aside from her solo career, she was also a touring member of the musical groupFloetry. Since 2017, she has starred in the HBO comedy series Insecure. Seales was also one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show, The Real, alongside Loni Love, Tamera Mowry, Adrienne Bailon, and Jeannie Mai.
Seales's first film was a minor role as Katy in the 1993 movieCop and a Half. The next year Seales was featured on the Nickelodeon sitcom My Brother and Me as Deonne Wilburn. In 2002 she appeared on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam. Seales became publicly known as "VJ Amanda Diva" on MTV2Sucker Free Countdown on Sundays. In 2016 she appeared in a recurring role on the HBO seriesInsecure, as Tiffany DuBois. Also in 2016, Seales began hosting her own show on truTV called Greatest Ever. On January 26, 2019, HBO debuted her first stand-up comedy special I Be Knowin'.Bring the Funny is a comedy competition series that premiered on July 9, 2019 on NBC. Seales hosts, alongside judges Kenan Thompson, Chrissy Teigen, and Jeff Foxworthy. On January 6, 2020, Seales joined the syndicated daytime talk show, The Real, as a co-host alongside Loni Love, Tamera Mowry, Adrienne Bailon, and Jeannie Mai. She departed the series after six months of co-hosting, citing her dissatisfaction with the inability to openly speak on recent social issues as a reason. In June 2020, Seales revealed on social media that she will host the BET Awards 2020 on June 28, 2020.
Music
In 2007, Seales replaced Natalie Stewart of the musical duo Floetry on tour with Marsha Ambrosius, and in December of that same year Seales released her first extended playLife Experience. In 2008, she was featured on the song "Manwomanboogie" on Q-Tip's Grammy-nominated album The Renaissance. On March 3, 2009, Seales released Spandex, Rhymes & Soul.
Podcast
Seales hosts a weekly podcast titled Small Doses.
Activism
In 2010, Seales teamed up with Truth, to start an anti-smoking campaign. In 2019, Amanda Seales was involved in a controversy where many people mistakenly reported that she had accused former NFL player and neurosurgeon resident Myron Rolle of sexually harassing several women. She did not make these accusations herself, but was sharing that she had heard those allegations from other women. Multiple people who were spreading that story have since admitted that Seales did not make those allegations herself. In the weeks preceding Rodney Reed's November 20, 2019 execution date, Seales publicly urged Texas GovernorGreg Abbott to exonerate Reed or stay his execution. She later rescinded her support for after learning more about his history. In June 2020, Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo quoted Seales' words: "You cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues" during her emotional speech about the murder of George Floyd, racism and its effect on her own mental health. Amfo received praise from her listeners and more.
Writing
Seales's first book, 'Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use' was also released in 2019. The book is an extension of her wildly popular podcast of the same name. It is a volume of essays, axioms, original illustrations, and photos from her trademark "self-help from the hip” style of commentary.
