Nigerian-American actress and comedian, Yvonne Orji, has teamed up with Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo to develop a 30-minute autobiography comedy series for Disney+.
The forthcoming project titled First Gen is co-produced by Oprah and Oyelowo.
Written and produced by Orji, the series follows her personal experiences growing up as a Nigerian immigrant in America.
“As a child, she’s caught between trying to honor her parents and culture while simultaneously trying to assimilate to American life,” Deadline reports.
Speaking on the series, Yvonne Orji noted on Instagram: “The trailer I shot in 2015 for this family sitcom I desperately wanted to create, is what helped me get an audition for @insecurehbo. FIVE YEARS LATER (after being told “NO” SEV. ER. AL. Times), my lil engine that could, finally has a home with the @disneyplus family. Thank you @davidoyelowo for believing in the dream FROM JUMP, and Lady @oprah for coming on board as our Fairy Godmother.
“I’ve been very vocal about my desire to highlight stories from the Continent, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity to do so”.
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Yvonne Orji is best known for her role in the television series Insecure for which she has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three NAACP Image Awards.
In 2020, she earned a Supporting Actress in a comedy series Emmy nomination and won a Black Reel Award for her role as “Molly” in the HBO series.
