Aisha Tyler

Aisha Tyler (born September 18, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. She is known for playing Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer, Dr. Tara Lewis in Criminal Minds since 2015, Mother Nature in the final two The Santa Clause films, and voicing Lana Kane in Archer. She also had recurring roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and Friends.

She co-hosted seasons two through seven of CBS's The Talk, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. She has hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway? since 2013. She also hosted Ubisoft's E3 press conferences and has lent her voice to the video games Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, and Watch Dogs.

Early life Tyler was born on September 18, 1970, in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Robin Gregory, a teacher, and James Tyler, a photographer. The family spent one year in Ethiopia and later spent time living in an ashram in Oakland, California. Her parents separated when she was ten years old, after which her father raised her. Her maternal great-grandfather was Thomas Montgomery Gregory, a dramatist and educator, and her great-great-grandfather was Howard University professor James Monroe Gregory.

She pursued an early interest in comedy at McAteer High School in San Francisco, which had a special program called School of the Arts, now named Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Tyler attended high school with Sam Rockwell and Margaret Cho. She had a crush on Rockwell and followed him into acting class one day, leading to her interest in improv and sketch.

Tyler graduated from Dartmouth College in 1992. She was a member of The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity. At Dartmouth, she co-founded and sang in the Dartmouth Rockapellas, an all-female a cappella group devoted to spreading social awareness through song. then moved to Los Angeles in 1996.

Career

Tyler's career in television took off in 2001 with jobs as the host of Talk Soup and the reality-dating series The 5th Wheel, although Talk Soup was canceled the following year and Tyler left The 5th Wheel in 2002 to pursue other interests. Tyler has devoted a significant amount of her time to independent projects, including a role in the play Moose Mating, for which she received an NAACP Image Award. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the independent short film The Whipper. Moving into acting, Tyler featured in Friends as Dr. Charlie Wheeler where she was Joey's and then Ross's girlfriend in the ninth and tenth seasons. She followed this up with guest spots on CSI: Miami and Nip/Tuck, as well as balancing season-long recurring roles on both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24 during the 2004–2005 television season. She also filmed her own talk show pilot for ABC and a sitcom pilot for CBS, neither of which was picked up. She has guest-starred on MADtv.

Following her regular role on the CBS series Ghost Whisperer during its first season, Tyler appeared in several films, including The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.45, the comedy Balls of Fury and the Lifetime drama film For One Night alongside Raven-Symoné. In 2007, she filmed the thriller Death Sentence and the crime drama Black Water Transit. She also continues to appear on television, with appearances on Boston Legal, Reno 911!, The Boondocks, and as a guest film critic on several episodes of At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, filling in for the absent Roger Ebert while he recuperated from surgery.

Tyler has moved into print media as a regular contributor to Glamour, Jane, and Entertainment Weekly magazines. Her first book, Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls, was released in January 2004. Tyler plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Futures Without Violence charity. She also made a guest appearance on Kanye West's single "Slow Jamz", which featured Twista and Jamie Foxx. Philanthropy and charity work are very important to Tyler, and she regularly does volunteer work for the American Red Cross, The Trust for Public Land, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the International Rescue Committee.

Tyler appeared in a nude pictorial, along with other celebrities, in the May 2006 issue of Allure. The annual Nude Issue raises money to combat skin cancer.

In May 2009, it was announced that ABC had given Tyler her own talk show pilot, The Aisha Tyler Show. In early May 2010, she presented the "Welcome to the Beta" video for Halo: Reach. She also voiced a minor character in the game.

In 2009, she began her starring role voicing Lana Kane in the FX series Archer, which premiered on January 14, 2010 and ran for a total of 14 seasons, ending in 2023. In August 2010, Tyler began appearing in a recurring guest spot on The Stephanie Miller Show. The segment is named "Tuesdays With Tyler". Tyler appears either in-studio or via phone when she is not otherwise committed to one of her acting roles. While Hal Sparks was out of the country, Tyler filled in as the third member of the Stephanie Miller Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour on three shows in August 2011.

Also in 2009, Tyler performed her stand-up comedy routine live at the Fillmore Theatre.

On July 26, 2011, Tyler premiered her own weekly podcast, Girl on Guy, where she interviews her favorite celebrity friends and discusses topics guys love. The show launched as the No. 4 comedy podcast on iTunes. The first weekly installment of Girl on Guy featured guest H. Jon Benjamin (her costar on Archer); the second featured the host of Current TV's former show InfoMania, Brett Erlich, on August 1, 2011; and the third featured Archer creator Adam Reed on August 9, 2011. She hosted the show until 2017.

In October 2011, it was announced that Tyler would join the cast of The Talk as a permanent co-host, replacing Holly Robinson Peete. Her first full week as a co-host was from October 24 through October 28, 2011. This caused Tyler to respond with a poem about how she has been playing video games "since you were a twinge in the left side of your daddy's underoos." She returned to host the publisher's press conference the following year. Tyler's second book, Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation, debuted in July 2013, later becoming a New York Times bestseller; it was inspired by questions asked of guests on Girl on Guy.

In March 2013, Tyler was confirmed to be the new host of the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. She also appears briefly as herself in the video game Watch Dogs and is featured in the music video for the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Tacky". Tyler was also the original voice for the character Daisy Fitzroy in the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite, but her recordings were not used and the role went to Kimberly Brooks. She was nominated for Personality of 2014 in Golden Joystick Award 2014.

In June 2015, it was announced that Tyler landed a recurring role on the eleventh season of Criminal Minds as Dr. Tara Lewis. her status was elevated to a main cast member in season 12.

In 2016, Tyler started a Kickstarter campaign to fund her directorial feature film debut, Axis. The film was shot over seven days in May 2016. Axis premiered at the 2017 Sarasota Film Festival and was an official selection at seven other major US festivals, winning Outstanding Achievement at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Axis was released via video-on-demand on April 10, 2018.

On the June 15, 2017, episode of The Talk, Tyler announced that she would be leaving the show at the end of the seventh season due to her busy schedule with three other television shows and directing films. She said she would return as a guest host and promote her various projects.

In 2023, she co-starred in the hit Apple TV+ limited series The Last Thing He Told Me, opposite Jennifer Garner.

Personal life Tyler married attorney Jeff Tietjens in 1992 (sources differ). The pair separated in January 2015 and Tietjens filed for divorce in April 2016. The divorce was finalized in May 2017.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2000 Dancing in September Woman with Weave 2001 Moose Mating Josie 2002 The Santa Clause 2 Mother Nature Cameo 2003 One Flight Stand Alexis 2004 Never Die Alone Nancy 2006 The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause Mother Nature 2006 .45 Liz 2007 Death Sentence Detective Wallis 2007 Balls of Fury Mahogany 2007 The Trap! Angela 2008 Meet Market Jane 2008 Bedtime Stories Donna Hynde 2009 Black Water Transit Casey Spandau 2010The Babymakers Karen 2017 Axis Louise (voice) Also director and producerNewport Beach Film Festival for Feature FilmNewport Beach Film Festival for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – FeatureNominated – Nashville Film Festival for New Directors CompetitionNominated – Portland Film Festival for Best Feature FilmNominated – Sarasota Film Festival for Best Film 2020 Bad Therapy Roxy 2020 Friendsgiving Lauren 2021 Untitled Horror Movie Bobbie Brower

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996 Nash Bridges Reporter Episode: "High Impact" 1996 Grand Avenue Girl #1 Television film 1999 The Pretender Angela Somerset Episode: "PTB" 2001 Curb Your Enthusiasm Shaq's Girlfriend Episode: "Shaq" 2001 The Weakest Link Herself Episode: "Comedians Special" 2001 Talk Soup Herself (host) 19 episodes 2001 Off Limits Cast 2001-02 The 5th Wheel Herself (host) 5 episodes 2002 The Sausage Factory Jamie Episode: "Purity" 2003 Friends Dr. Charlie Wheeler 9 episodesNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star, Female 2003 CSI: Miami Janet Medrano Episode: "Body Count" 2004 My Life, Inc. Melanie Haywood Television film 2004 MadTV Bride of Frankenstein Episode: "9.14" 2004 Nip/Tuck Manya Mabika Episode: "Manya Mabika" 2004-05 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Mia Dickerson 13 episodes 2005 24 Marianne Taylor 7 episodesNominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2006) 2005-06 Ghost Whisperer Andrea Marino 23 episodes 2006 For One Night Desiree Howard Television filmNominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special 2007 Boston Legal A.D.A. Taryn Campbell Episode: "Trial of the Century" 2007 The Boondocks Luna (voice) Episode: "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch" 2008 Million Dollar Password Herself Contestant 2008 Reno 911! Befany Dangle Episode: "Befany's Secret Family" 2009 Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live at the Fillmore Herself Stand-up special 2009-23 Archer Lana Kane (voice) 145 episodesNominated – Behind the Voice Actors Awards for Outstanding Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series, Comedy/Musical (2013, 2014)Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2014)Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Theatrical) (2016)Nominated – Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Voice-Over Performance in an Animated Program (2017) 2010 Chelsea Lately Herself 1 episode 2010 The Forgotten Lydia Townsend Episode: "Designer Jane" 2011-12 XIII: The Series Major Jones 15 episodes 2011 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Season 3, Episode 6: "The Snatch Game" 2011-17 The Talk Herself (co-host) Won – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host (2017) Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host (2014)Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host (2015, 2016, 2018) 2011-17 Talking Dead Herself 4 episodes 2012 Glee Jake Puckerman's Mother Episode: "Glee, Actually" 2013-24 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Herself (host) Season 9–present 2013 Hawaii Five-0 Savannah Walker Episode: "Imi Loko Ka 'Uhane" 2013 The Getaway Herself Episode: "Aisha Tyler in Paris" 2014 Modern Family Wendy Episode: "Spring-a-Ding-Fling" 2014 The Mind of a Chef Herself 2014 Two and a Half Men Allison Episode: "The Ol' Mexican Spinach" 2014 Hell's Kitchen Herself Episode: "Winner Chosen" 2014-15 BoJack Horseman Sextina Aquafina (voice) 2 episodes 2015–2020; 2022–present Criminal Minds Dr. Tara Lewis 121 episodesRecurring role (season 11)Main cast (season 12–present) 2016 Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Shaquille O'Neal vs. Aisha Tyler" 2016 Supergirl Episode: "Falling" 2016-17 @midnight 2 episodes 2018 Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler Herself (host) 9 episodes 2020 Diary of a Future President Alicia Episode: "Hello World" 2021-present Monsters at Work Millie Tuskmon (voice) Recurring role 2021 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Herself (guest judge) Season 6, Episode 5: "Pink Table Talk" 2021 Robot Chicken Angela Abar, Carole Baskin (voice) Episode: "May Cause Random Wolf Attacks" 2021 Fear the Walking Dead Mickey Episode: "Till Death"Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Guest-Starring Performance in a Network or Cable Television Series (2022) 2022 The Boys Presents: Diabolical Nubia (voice) Episode: "Nubian vs Nubian"; also writer 2022 The Boys Herself Episode: "Herogasm"; cameo 2022 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself 2023 The Last Thing He Told Me Jules Miniseries2025-presentHarley QuinnLena Luthor (voice)

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2010 Halo: Reach Female Trooper #2 2011 Gears of War 3 Walker RAAM's Shadow DLC 2014 Watch Dogs Herself Also likeness

Web Year Title Role 2011-2016 Girl on Guy – Podcast Host 2012 E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo Ubisoft Press Conference Host 2013 E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo Ubisoft Press Conference Host 2014 E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo Ubisoft Press Conference Host The GameOverGreggy Show Guest 2015 Table Top: Cards Against Humanity Guest E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo Ubisoft Press Conference Host 2016 E3 – Electronics Entertainment Expo Ubisoft Press Conference Host 2020 Prime Rewind: Inside the Boys Aftershow Host

Music videos Year Title Artist Notes 2003 "Slow Jamz" Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx 2009 "Nowassitall" Herself From her DVD Aisha Tyler Is Lit 2013 "Simmer" Silversun Pickups Also director and editor "Crucial Velocity" Clutch Also director 2014 "Tacky" "Weird Al" Yankovic 2016 "Gone Cold" Clutch

Director

Awards and nominations

Published works