2013–2019: Breakthrough After graduating from
Juilliard, Brooks won roles in two theater productions: the
Shakespeare Theatre Company's
Servant of Two Masters, and
Blacken the Bubble. She left both productions in 2013 to join the cast of the
Netflix-produced television series
Orange Is the New Black, a show about a women's prison, based on
Piper Kerman's
memoir of the same name. Brooks played as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson. Taystee's onscreen best friend Poussey is played by
Samira Wiley, with whom Brooks has been friends since they met while studying together at Juilliard. Brooks' performance on the show has been favorably reviewed by TV critics, with one writer calling her "the breakout actress of the show and one of the most refreshing and exciting new talents of 2013." For her performance, Brooks received three
NAACP Image Awards nominations; one for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016, and two for
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She also received the 2014
Young Hollywood Awards for Breakthrough and three
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. In September 2013, Brooks was cast in a third-season episode of the
HBO series
Girls, becoming the first African-American actress on the show. From 2015 to 2017 she also appeared in
Netflix series
Master of None. She competed against co-star
Uzo Aduba in an episode of
Spike's
Lip Sync Battle that aired on June 28, 2017. Brooks won with performances of
Ciara's "
1, 2 Step" and
Bon Jovi's "
Livin' on a Prayer". She has done voice-over work in the 2016 animated feature
The Angry Birds Movie and later appeared in the films
Sadie (2018),
Clemency (2019) and
The Day Shall Come (2019). Brooks made her Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of
The Color Purple as Sofia alongside
Jennifer Hudson and
Cynthia Erivo. The musical opened on December 10, 2015, at the
Bernard B. Jacobs. Brooks received good reviews for her performance, and received a nomination for the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In June 2019, she played
Beatrice in
The Public Theater's production of
Much Ado About Nothing, receiving a
Drama League Award nomination for her performance. Also in 2019, Brooks recorded her first single titled "Black Woman".
2020–present In 2020, Brooks co-starred opposite
Tony Hale in the comedy film
Eat Wheaties!. In 2021 she played gospel singer
Mahalia Jackson in the made-for-television biographical film
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, for which she received nominations for
Critics' Choice Awards,
Satellite Awards, and
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, and an
Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer. In 2022, Brooks was cast in
James Gunn's Max superhero series
Peacemaker playing the role of
Leota Adebayo,
Amanda Waller's (
Viola Davis) daughter. The series is a spin-off of Gunn's film
The Suicide Squad (2021) and is the first television series to be included in the
DCEU. In a 2022 interview, Brooks revealed that Gunn was a big fan of
Orange Is the New Black and wrote the part of Adebayo with her in mind. The role gained her a
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television nomination in 2022. In 2022, Brooks starred as Berniece in a Broadway revival of
August Wilson's
The Piano Lesson starting on September 19, 2022, directed by
LaTanya Richardson Jackson; the production received mixed reviews from critics. Brooks received a
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play nomination for her performance. In 2022, Brooks also hosted the Netflix reality series
Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host. In 2023, Brooks starred in
The Color Purple, a feature adaptation of the musical of the same name, directed by
Blitz Bazawule. She received positive reviews for her performance. Film critic Peyton Robinson from
RogerEbert.com wrote in her review: "Brooks, Tony-nominated for her onstage depiction, is the film's no-holds-barred knockout, giving an undeniably crowd-pleasing performance. Her charismatic presence is spellbinding, and her emotional dexterity in covering the full spectrum of affectations, from tear-jerking to side-splitting, is a joy to witness. Sofia is heralded for her refusal to be ignored, underestimated, or disrespected, and Brooks' performance demands the same." Alissa Wilkinson from
The New York Times called her "incredible", while Ella Kemp from
Evening Standard wrote: "Brooks' star power is infectious". The performance gained her nominations for an
Academy Award,
British Academy Film Award, and
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Brooks appeared in
A Minecraft Movie and voiced the main antagonist Kitty Kat in
The Bad Guys 2. ==Personal life==