Loni Love

Yolanda Gill (born July 14, 1971), known professionally as Loni Love, is an American comedian, television host, actress, author, and former electrical engineer. While working as an electrical engineer in the early 2000s, she switched to music engineering, until later launching a career in stand-up comedy. She was the runner-up on Star Search 2003 and was named among the "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in both Variety and Comedy Central in 2009. She is one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real which premiered on July 15, 2013.[3]

Loni Love
Love in 2019
Born
Yolanda Gill[1]

(1971-07-14) July 14, 1971[2]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Alma materPrairie View A&M University
Occupation
  • Comedian
  • television personality
  • actress
  • author
Years active2003–present
Television
Partner(s)James Welsh (2018–present)
Websitelonilove.com

Life and career

Love was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects.[4][5][6] Prior to her career as a comedian, she was an electrical engineer,[7] an experience she talks about in many of her acts.[8] After graduating from Cass Technical High School in 1989, she worked for a time on the General Motors assembly line putting doors on 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlasses, work which ignited her interest in electrical engineering.[6] Love then received her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Prairie View A&M University in Texas.[9] While at Prairie View, she minored in music and was also a member of the Eta Beta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.[10] It was there that she discovered stand-up comedy after winning a $50 competition and then performed frequently during her college life.[11][9]

After finding work as an engineer at Xerox in California, she continued to do stand-up after work in clubs and became a regular at the Laugh Factory.[12] After eight years of working at Xerox, Love resigned to pursue comedy during a layoff to prevent someone else from losing their job.[12] Love did a series on VH1 called I Love the 2000s in which she gives her view on pop culture highlights. She was also a panelist in the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately.

Love in 2009

Love started her comedic career in 2003, after appearing on Star Search, reaching the finals and losing in a close competition to winner John Roy.[13] Since then, she has appeared in films and numerous television shows.[9][14] Love was named "Hot Comic" for 2009 in Campus Activity magazine and one of the "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in both Variety and Comedy Central.[9] She was awarded the Jury Prize for best stand-up at the 2003 US Comedy Arts Festival.[15][16] In 2008 Love became the CNN correspondent for D. L. Hughley Breaks the News and covered the inauguration of President Barack Obama.[17] In late 2009, Love recorded her first one-hour Comedy Central special, America's Sister, which aired on May 8, 2010.[18] In July 2013, she released her first comedy advice book titled "Love Him Or Leave Him But Don't Get Stuck With The Tab". It was published by Simon and Schuster.

Since 2013, Love has served as one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real originally alongside Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxton, Jeannie Mai, and Tamera Mowry. After premiering on July 15, 2013 on Fox Television Stations,[19] The Real was picked up to series the following year.[20] In 2015, she appeared in the comedy film Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, with Kevin James, and the action film Bad Asses on the Bayou, with Danny Trejo and Danny Glover.[21] She also won the ninth season Worst Cooks in America in 2016, winning $50,000 for her chosen charity.[22] In 2018, Love and her Real co-hosts won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for their work.[23]

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Love hosts a show on Instagram Live under the hashtag #quarantinewithloni. Love's show attracts 50,000 to 100,000 viewers.[16]

Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
2019 Adopt a Highway Cher
2016 Mother's Day Kimberly
2015 Bad Asses on the Bayou Carmen
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Donna Ericone
2014 Gutshot Straight Ms. Love
Bad Asses Carmen
2004 Soul Plane Shaniece
With or Without You Waitress
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Guest judge (2 episodes)
2020 RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race Herself/Mary J. Ross Contestant
2020–present The Funny Dance Show Herself Judge
2017 Kevin Can Wait Yvette Guest star (1 episode)
2016 Heads Up! Herself Host (65 episodes)
Worst Cooks in America Winner
2015 American Dad! Iris (voice) Guest star (1 episode)
2014 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Herself Recurring Guest star & DJ
I Love the 2000s
2013–present The Real Herself Talk show; co-host
2012 Bethenny Herself
2011 Whitney Nurse
2011-2013 Kickin' It Marge Recurring (5 Episodes)
2011–2013 After Lately Herself
2010 The Gossip Queens
2009 Wildest TV Show Moments
D. L. Hughley Breaks the News
2008 GSN Live
Phineas and Ferb Carl's Saleswoman Disguise
2008–2014 Chelsea Lately Panelist
TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest...
2008 Chocolate News
Comics Unleashed
2007 Wild 'n Out Herself Season 4 Recurring Cast Member
2006 Thick and Thin Viola Series regular
2005 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Herself Featured comic
Weekends at the DL Panelist
Cuts Pepper Guest star (1 episode)
2004–2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Lunch Lady Recurring
2004 Girlfriends Guest star
Redlight, Greenlight Herself Series host
Premium Blend
2003–2004 Hollywood Squares
2003 Star Search Finalist
I Love the '70s Series regular
I Love the '80s Strikes Back

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Award

Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony

Year Award Nominated work Result
2016 Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
(shared with Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxton, Jeannie Mai, and Tamera Mowry)		 The Real Nominated
2017 Nominated
2018 Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
(shared with Bailon, Mai, and Mowry)		 Won
2019 Nominated

References
  1. "Prairie View Today". Chron. February 28, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  2. Shea, Ryan (July 14, 2019). "Inside Loni Love & James Welsh's New York City Date Night". OK!. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  3. "It's Official: 'The Real' Talk Show Begins Four-Week Test Run July 15". Deadline Hollywood. June 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  4. "Growing up in the Brewster Projects gave this comedian a nitty-gritty toughness". www.michiganradio.org. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. Baetens, Melody. "Comedian Loni Love is on top". Detroit News. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  6. Stone, Karleigh (September 29, 2017). "Detroit's ReMARKable Woman, Loni Love". SEEN Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  7. Joszor, Njai (August 27, 2009), Lonie Love: Laughter For Life, Singersroom.com, archived from the original on August 31, 2009, retrieved November 13, 2009
  8. Richardson, Emma (November 3, 2009), Loni Love Foxy (And Funny) Problem Solver, Real Detroit Weekly, retrieved November 13, 2009
  9. "Her university discovery". August 22, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  10. Carnes, Jim. "Loni Love will say what's on her mind at Punch Line — Sacramento Entertainment — Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee". Sacbee.com. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  11. "'The Real' co-host Loni Love has her eyes set on late-night". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. Loni Love & John Roy, CBS Broadcasting Inc., retrieved November 16, 2009
  14. "Loni Love | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  15. https://www.phillytrib.com/entertainment/loni-love-does-comedy-her-way/article_f14b4282-8b34-525c-9d7d-1bff60a8987b.html
  16. https://people.com/tv/the-real-loni-love-gets-candid-about-her-path-to-success-this-is-my-american-story/
  17. "COMEDY CENTRAL® GETS PATRIOTIC WITH THE WORLD..." Comedy Central Press. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  18. "Interview: Loni Love: American Sister". The Trades. April 20, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  19. "It's Official: 'The Real' Talk Show Begins Four-Week Test Run July 15". Deadline Hollywood. June 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  20. Block, Alex Ben (October 31, 2013). "'The Real' Gets National Syndication and Cable Pick Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  21. "Loni Love Lands A New Role In 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2′!". April 9, 2014.
  22. Erdos, Joseph. "Exclusive Interview with the Winner of Worst Cooks Celebrity Edition". Television Food Network. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  23. Kiefer, Halle (April 30, 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 Daytime Emmy Award Winners". Vulture. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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