2000–2011 Sumpter began her career as a model and appeared in commercials for
Hewlett-Packard and
Liz Claiborne's Curve fragrances. She also worked as a waitress before acting. playing the role regularly through September 14, 2010. Sumpter reappeared in the role on November 9–10, 2010, and January 21 and 24, 2011. In 2010, Sumpter made her film debut in
Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and briefly appeared in
Salt. From January to May 2011, Sumpter appeared in
The CW teen drama series,
Gossip Girl as Raina Thorpe. She played singer
Jason Derülo's girlfriend in the video for his song "
It Girl". In 2011, she appeared in the romantic comedy film ''
What's Your Number?. From 2011 to 2012 she also had a recurring role as Jenna Rice in the BET comedy series, The Game''.
2012–2015 Sumpter played Delores "Dee" Anderson in the musical-drama
Sparkle, inspired by the story of
The Supremes. Sumpter is heard on the
Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and appears in the music video for "
Celebrate". After
Sparkle, she starred alongside
John Stamos in the independent comedy film
My Man Is a Loser. The film received limited theatrical release on July 25, 2014, by Lionsgate Films. In 2013, she starred in the Christmas comedy film
A Madea Christmas by
Tyler Perry. Perry later cast Sumpter as a lead character and main villainess Candace Young in the
Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera
The Haves and the Have Nots. The series was a hit for the Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on May 28, 2013, and ran for 8 seasons until July 20, 2021. In 2014, Sumpter co-starred in the action comedy film,
Ride Along, opposite
Kevin Hart and
Ice Cube. The film grossed $153.2 million worldwide. She reprised her role in the 2016 sequel
Ride Along 2. Like the original film, this sequel was panned by most critics but was a box office success, grossing $124.6 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The third film was announced but was not filmed. In 2014, She played
Yvonne Fair, one of Brown’s former lovers, in
Get on Up, the biographical drama film about
James Brown. She co-starred opposite
Queen Latifah,
Mo'Nique, and
Khandi Alexander in the
HBO biographical film
Bessie about the blues singer
Bessie Smith that premiered in 2015.
2016–present Sumpter played a young
Michelle Robinson in the biographical romantic drama film,
Southside with You about the early romance between Barack and Michelle Obama. The film premiered at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics. Sumpter also co-produced the film. The film premiered at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it garnered critical acclaim. In his Sundance review,
The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic Todd McCarthy wrote: “From the first second she’s onscreen, the striking Tika Sumpter is 100 percent the Michelle Obama the public has come to know: formidable, intellectually probing and a bit fierce.” Sumpter received
Gotham Awards and
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture nominations for this performance. Sumpter is an honorary member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was inducted into the organization on July 10, 2016, at the 67th annual Boule, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2018, Sumpter appeared opposite
Robert Redford and
Casey Affleck in the crime drama film,
The Old Man & the Gun, directed by
David Lowery. She received
Women's Image Network Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Also that year, she starred the comedy-drama film ''
Nobody's Fool for Paramount Players. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $33 million worldwide. The following year, she starred in the political thriller An Acceptable Loss written and directed by Joe Chappelle. She also starred and produced the sports drama film The Nomads'' that premiered at the
28th Philadelphia Film Festival. In 2019, Sumpter was cast in the ABC comedy series,
Mixed-ish, a prequel spinoff of
Black-ish, playing the role of Alicia, Rainbow's mother. The series was canceled after two seasons in 2021. In 2020, she starred as Maddie Wachowski in the action-adventure comedy film,
Sonic the Hedgehog based on the video game franchise. It grossed $319 million worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2020. She reprised her role in the 2022
sequel, that grossed over $405 million worldwide. A sequel,
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, was released on December 20, 2024. In 2023, Sumpter made her directing debut with the short film
Night Off which premiered at the
2023 Sundance Film Festival. She had a recurring role in the second season of Starz comedy series,
Run the World. She starred opposite
Snoop Dogg in the sports comedy film
The Underdoggs that is set to release on January 26, 2024 by MGM. == Personal life ==