Velázquez has appeared in print ads, television, and film. Her first acting role was a
McDonald's commercial as a drive-through lady. She was originally cast as
Fernando Sucre's girlfriend,
Maricruz Delgado, in the
Fox television series
Prison Break but took the role of
Catalina Aruca in the
NBC series
My Name Is Earl instead. Her first film roles were in the movie
War with
Jet Li and
Jason Statham, and in the
Oxygen Network original
television film Husband for Hire. She was one of the actors in the 2006 monologue show
Skirts & Flirts. In 2006, she was named #39 in the annual
Maxim Hot 100 list. Velazquez was one of the judges in the
Miss Universe 2008 beauty pageant and the host for the
Miss USA 2009 pageant. In 2011 Velazquez appeared in the
pilot episode of
ABC's
reboot of ''
Charlie's Angels'' as Gloria Martinez, one of the titular "Angels". Her character was killed off after a few minutes of screen time and was replaced by
Minka Kelly. She appeared in a recurring role in
FX's fantasy football sitcom
The League and on
The CW's comedy-drama
Hart of Dixie. In 2012, Velazquez appeared in the movie
Flight, playing flight attendant Katerina Marquez, a supporting role opposite the main
protagonist character played by
Denzel Washington. In 2013, Velazquez reunited with her former
My Name Is Earl cast members for a guest appearance in
Raising Hope. Velazquez joined the main cast of the TNT series
Major Crimes, beginning with season two. She plays Emma Rios, a
DA, who is a romantic interest of
Raymond Cruz's
Julio Sanchez. Cruz played Paco, her boyfriend, on
My Name Is Earl. On March 8, 2021, it was announced that Velazquez was to join the cast of
ABC's music series
Queens, alongside
Brandy,
Eve and
Naturi Naughton. In May 2021, it was announced the show was being picked up for a full series. On October 1, 2021, the first promo single from
Queens (“Nasty Girl") was released featuring Velasquez alongside the cast: Brandy, Eve, Naughton and Velazquez. A music video, directed by
Tim Story, was released on the same day. This was followed on October 18, 2021, by another rap song from the
Queens soundtrack: "The Introduction", which was co-written by
Nas.
Queens debuted on October 19, 2021, and reviews were largely positive; Caroline Framke of
Variety praised the quartet's musical offering, calling their raps “sharp and distinct […] making clear their talent as both individuals and a swaggering collective”. Angie Han of
The Hollywood Reporter called the show “Impressive […] lavish […] magic”. ==Personal life==