Retta

Barbara

Retta, stars as Barbara on the hit Bravo series “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” and can also be seen playing Ruby Hill in the NBC drama “Good Girls.”  Retta spent seven memorable seasons playing beloved office mate Donna Meagle on NBC’s critically acclaimed comedy “Parks and Recreation.”  Her memoir, So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know hits bookstores on May 29, 2018. 

Retta, born Marietta Sirleaf to immigrant parents from Liberia, grew up in New Jersey. Upon graduating pre-med from Duke University with a degree in sociology, Retta decided to take a year off before medical school to work as a contract chemist. She quickly decided drugs and medicine were not her calling and decided to pursue her dream of having her own show. Realizing there were several sitcom stars that began as comedians (Roseanne, Drew Carrey, Tim Allen, Brett Butler), she began doing stand-up in Raleigh, N.C., and soon decided to make the move to Los Angeles.

Retta started performing in Los Angeles was Comedy Central’s first winner of their Laugh Riots standup competition, which led to an appearance on the New Faces Showcase at Montreal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival. This performance led to a development deal with ABC/Disney.

Retta’s television appearances include “The Kroll Show,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Key & Peele,” “Premium Blend” and “Comedy Central Presents … Retta.” Her film credits include:  “Father Figure,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” “Other People,” “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life,” “Bastards,” “Fracture,” “First Sunday,” “Sex & Death 101,” and “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.” She also created her own starring role as Twitter Queen, thrilling her fans with live interpretations of the television shows she loves.

She currently resides in Los Angeles.