Theater Diggs performed in experimental theater early in his career, most notably when he was on the national tour for
Marc Bamuthi Joseph's choreopoem,
Word Becomes Flesh, about a nine-month pregnancy through the eyes of a young, single father. He also frequently performed in regional Shakespeare productions. Diggs met playwright, composer, actor, and rapper
Lin-Manuel Miranda through
Thomas Kail while performing with the freestyle rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, or FLS. In 2012, Miranda invited Diggs to read and hear early versions of
Hamilton. Diggs was impressed by Miranda's demos and passion for the project, and saw that the concept was a prospective use of the rap-musical medium. He played the roles of
Thomas Jefferson and
Marquis de Lafayette off Broadway in 2015, continuing with the roles when the show was moved to Broadway later in the year. For his performance, Diggs won the 2016
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, as well as a 2016
Grammy Award for the cast album. Diggs played his final performance in the show on July 15, 2016.
Music Diggs is the vocalist of and writer for the
experimental hip-hop and
rap group
clipping. The group was founded by William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes in 2009, with Diggs joining in 2010. The trio self-released their first mixtape album
midcity in 2013 to fairly positive reviews. Signing with
Sub Pop, they released their album
CLPPNG in 2014, which they promoted with their CLPPNG Tour. In 2016, they released an EP titled
Wriggle, then the album
Splendor & Misery. In 2017, they released
The Deep, a five-and-a-half minute track that tells the story of a society of the descendants of the enslaved living underwater. In 2018, the song was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). In 2019, they released an album titled
There Existed an Addiction to Blood; additionally, in 2020, the group released the album
Visions of Bodies Being Burned. Diggs is a member of True Neutral Crew, with
Brian Kinsman, Margot Padilla, and Signor Benedick the Moor. The group has released two EPs,
#MONSANTO (2013) and 2014's
#POPPUNK, as well as
Live, a 20-minute short film of a live performance. They released their debut album
soft rules in 2016. In 2010, he made an album with
Rafael Casal titled
The BAY BOY Mixtape. Diggs also founded a hip hop triumvirate with
Chinaka Hodge and Casal known as The Getback. The Getback later became a collaborative ensemble composed of Diggs, Hodge, Casal and other artists along with a band formed by drummer Chukwudi Hodge, turntablist Dion Decibels and Max Miller-Logan on trumpet and Keys. Though the band have diversified themselves from their work with the ensemble, they are still known as The GetBack (Get:Band) on Facebook. Two years later, in 2012, he released his first solo rap album,
Small Things to a Giant, composed of original music he had written. Both
The BAY BOY Mixtape and
Small Things to a Giant included other artists in The Getback collective. He is also a member of
Lin-Manuel Miranda and
Thomas Kail's freestyle rap group
Freestyle Love Supreme, or FLS, which performs across the country. His rapping has also been featured on tracks by
Busdriver,
George Watsky, Rafael Casal, and
Leslie Odom, Jr., and he wrote and performed a rap number for the 2016 animated film
Zootopia. In December 2020, Diggs, along with lifelong friends William Hutson and Johnathan Snipes, partnered with
Disney Channel to produce a festive song for Hanukkah. The released track, titled "Puppy for Hanukkah", is described by Disney Music and Soundtracks V.P. Steven Vincent as "inventive, humorous, and relevant".
Television Diggs has had recurring roles on the series
The Get Down,
Black-ish, and
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He also appeared in an episode of
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Diggs served as an executive producer of the 2017
ABC series
The Mayor. In addition, he wrote original music for it, as well as guest starring on it. Starting in early 2017, Diggs played one of
Mr. Noodle's brothers, Mr. Noodle, in the "
Elmo's World" segment of
Sesame Street. In early 2018, Diggs was featured in several television commercials for the
Zelle digital payment service. In 2020, he began starring in the
TNT television adaptation of Snowpiercer. He also starred as
Frederick Douglass in the Showtime miniseries
The Good Lord Bird. In September 2020, it was confirmed that the critically acclaimed
Casal and Diggs written film
Blindspotting would be spun-off as a comedy-drama series
Blindspotting, with Diggs set to write and executive produce.
Blindspotting the TV series, follows Ashley Rose, portrayed by
Jasmine Cephas Jones both in the film and show, as she navigates life after longtime partner Miles is unexpectedly incarcerated. The series was picked up by
Lionsgate Television, produced by Dreams with friends Inc. and Snoot Entertainment, and was distributed by
Starz. The series had its world premiere at the
Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021. The series became available for streaming June 13, 2021, on Starz and
StarzPlay. On October 14, 2021, it was announced that the series would be renewed for a second season. In September 2024, it was announced that Diggs would join the fifth season of the show
The Boys, in an undisclosed role. That would end up being
Oh Father.
Film Diggs had his Hollywood film debut in the
Disney animated film
Zootopia, for which he wrote and performed the "Parlez Vous Rap". Diggs appeared in the 2017 film
Wonder, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. Diggs played the schoolteacher of the protagonist, a boy with a
facial deformity. Diggs had a voice role in the 2017 animated film
Ferdinand, in which he played the character Dos. Alongside his lifelong friend Rafael Casal, Diggs co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in the 2018 film
Blindspotting, which premiered at Sundance in January 2018. He received the
Atlanta Film Festival's inaugural Innovator Award in April, prior to the film's theatrical release on July 27, 2018. Diggs plays Collin, a felon living in
Oakland, as he tries to get through the last three days of his year-long probation without incident. Diggs and Casal wrote the film over nine years to tell a story about their quickly
gentrifying hometown as they knew it. Diggs received critical praise for his performance in the film. Diggs voiced
Sebastian in Disney's live-action film
The Little Mermaid. The film reunited Diggs with
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote new songs for the film and also served as a producer. == Personal life ==