| Birth date | c. 1997[1] |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Staten Island, New York, US |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) |
Joy Sunday (born c. 1997) is a Nigerian-American actress. She has performed in television, notably in Wednesday and Dear White People. In film, she is known for side roles in Bad Hair, Shithouse, and Dog. As of its March 2026 premiere, she is starring in the HBO limited series DTF St. Louis.
Early life and education
Sunday was born in Staten Island, New York, to Nigerian parents.[2] Her mother worked as a nurse’s assistant and her father was a social worker.[3]
Sunday is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City, where she studied theatre. Sunday states that her time at LaGuardia discouraged her from acting, as "conservatories aren't always kind to Black and Brown actors [or] to poor actors." She chose to pursue filmmaking instead and enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.[4] There she studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and earned a degree in critical studies.[5]
Outside of academia, she worked as a filmmaker with Tribeca Film Institute on the side, working on several shorts.[6]
Career
Sunday made her television debut in an episode of MacGyver in 2018, where she appeared in one episode. She joined the Screen Actors Guild in 2020 with her performance in Bad Hair.[7] She had a side role as Sophia in Cooper Raiff's 2020 directorial debut film Shithouse.[8] She had an appearance in one episode of the Netflix series Dear White People.[9] Sunday followed that up with side roles in the film The Beta Test and Dog.[10]
Her breakout role came in 2022 in the Netflix series Wednesday, produced by Tim Burton. She portrays siren Bianca Barclay, the rival to the titular character, Wednesday Addams. She stars alongside Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Gwendoline Christie. The show opened to rave reviews and became the most viewed English language series on Netflix.[11][12]
In 2024, Sunday became a global ambassador for the cosmetics house Lancôme.[13] In 2025, she joined the HBO limited dark comedy series DTF St. Louis, alongside Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, Richard Jenkins, and Chris Perfetti.[14][15]
Personal life
Sunday credits Nigerian actors Genevieve Nnaji and Nkem Owoh as her childhood inspiration in the film industry.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Beautiful Hair | Short film Director and writer | |
| 2015 | Embody | Sasha | Short film |
| 2017 | Darling | Unnamed role | Short film Also director and writer |
| 2018 | Joy | Joy | Short film Also featured in Her Mind in Pieces anthology film |
| Alive, Again | Sage | Short film | |
| 2019 | Callback | Sarah | Short film |
| Her Mind in Pieces | Joy | Anthology film Segment: "Joy" | |
| 2020 | Bad Hair | Cynthia | |
| Shithouse | Sophia | ||
| Take My Heart | Mac | Short film | |
| Limelight | Didienne | Short film | |
| 2021 | The Beta Test | Celia | |
| 2022 | Dog | Dr. Gray | |
| 2023 | Rise | Rayowa | |
| 2024 | Under the Influencer | Rachel |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MacGyver | Abina | Episode: "Scavengers + Hard Drive + Dragonfly" |
| Yas Kween | Ria | 5 episodes | |
| 2019 | Carol's Second Act | Macy | Episode: "Therapy Dogs" |
| Good Trouble | Janella | Episode: "A Very Coterie Christmas" | |
| 2021 | Dear White People | Claire | Episode: "Volume 4: Chapter VII" |
| 2022–present | Wednesday | Bianca Barclay | Main role |
| 2026 | DTF St. Louis | Jodie Plumb | Main role HBO limited series |
References
- ^ Lee, Anna Grace (7 January 2023). "Along for the Ride With Joy Sunday". New York Times. Archived July 24, 2025 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ White, Brooklyn (9 December 2022). "Joy Sunday Has Us Under Her Spell". Essence
- ^ Loffhagen, Emma (2025-08-06). "Wednesday's Joy Sunday: ‘I am so tired of this industry being underhanded with folks who look like me’". Glamour UK. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
- ^ Baker, Jessica (2025-09-03). "Joy Sunday Has Us Under Her Spell". Who What Wear. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Carter, Ashleigh (2025-09-20). "'One Piece's Iñaki Godoy Says He Uses Fan Art As His Phone". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Jones, Rendy (25 November 2022). "Meet Joy Sunday, the Scene-Stealing Siren in Netflix's "Wednesday"". Teen Vogue
- ^ "Fans Love Jenna Ortega But Joy Sunday Stole Our Hearts In Netflix's 'Wednesday' Series". Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. 5 December 2022.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (16 October 2020). "'S—house' Review: Cooper Raiff's Tough-Love Debut Is More Tender Than It Sounds"
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (2 December 2022). "'Wednesday': Joy Sunday On Heeding The Siren's Call To Play Bianca, Working With Tim Burton & Possible Season 2"
- ^ Lang, Brent (22 March 2021). "IFC Films Buys Jim Cummings Thriller 'The Beta Test' (EXCLUSIVE)"
- ^ Lee, Anna Grace (2023-01-07). "Along for the Ride With Joy Sunday". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ McCartney, Claire Valentine (2022-12-07). "Joy Sunday Finds the Heart of Bianca Barclay in ‘Wednesday’". W Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Segal, Lindy (2024-04-15). "Joy Sunday Is Ready to Share Her Vision of Beauty With the World". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (2025-02-18). "Chris Perfetti & Joy Sunday Board HBO Limited Series ‘DTF St. Louis’". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (2025-02-18). "HBO Limited Series ‘DTF St. Louis’ Casts ‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Chris Perfetti, ‘Wednesday’ Star Joy Sunday". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
External links
- Joy Sunday at IMDb