Meet Karen Obilom, The Nigerian-American Actress Set To Make Her Mark In Hollywood

Women of colour in Hollywood, particularly black women, are making themselves harder to ignore, as they are creating and starring in a lot more projects. Born in Texas and raised by Nigerian parents, up-and-coming actress, Karen Obilom is one of such women.

(Photo: Karen Obilom)

Karen graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood in 2014. She started off by taking jobs as an acting extra and doing background work. She eventually got an agent and gradually booked some commercials with major brands.

She made her credited debut on the third season of HBO’s Emmy-nominated comedy, Insecure, playing the role of Antoinette. She then went on to appear in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles and the acclaimed web series, Mr. Student Body President. 

(Photo: HBO/Insecure)

She eventually made her big splash with the premiere of BET’s newest series, Games People Play. She stars in the show, alongside Lauren London, Sarunas Jackson, Jackie Long and Parker McKenna Posey.

The show focuses on the sexy, mesmerizing high life of Los Angeles. At its center is Marques King, a newly traded L.A. baller and his wife Vanessa King, to whom Obilom’s Nia Bullock, an ambitious journalist hungry for exclusives, is a friend to.

Jackie Long, Lauren London, Sarunas Jackson, Karen Obilom and Parker McKenna Posey (Photo: BET)

Her goal is to make movies with people who look like her. Obilom and her boyfriend are working on a feature film, A Long Ways From Okay, which focuses on a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down. She plans to have it premiere at Sundance.  

She’s also just shot a trailer pilot with Nigerian comedian, Chief Obi, for a movie called Rukky. It’s directed by Ebiye Ikuku and it’s about a girl from Nigeria who goes to Los Angeles for photography and learns to navigate life in the city.

We can’t wait to see where her career takes her.