Joy Sunday
Joy Sunday (born) 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.
Also recorded as Joy Okon Sunday
Joy Sunday
- Name
- Joy Sunday
- Birthplace
- Staten Island, New York, US
- Occupation
- Actress
- Education
- University of Southern California (BA)
- Born
- 1995 · Staten Island.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Joy Sunday (born) 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.
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Joy Sunday (born 1995) is an actor, actress and film director, of American nationality. The actor was born in Staten Island. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 29 September 2026
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wikidata · Q115411205 · wikipedia · Joy Sunday
In this article
Biography
Biography
Louis, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Joy Sunday • Birthplace — Staten Island, New York, US • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 2014–present • Education — University of Southern California (BA)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Sunday was born in Staten Island, New York, to Nigerian parents. Her mother worked as a nurse’s assistant and her father was a social worker. 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 was difficult, 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. There she studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and earned a degree in critical studies. Outside of academia, she worked as a filmmaker with Tribeca Film Institute on the side, working on several shorts.
Career
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. She had a side role as Sophia in Cooper Raiff's 2020 directorial debut film Shithouse. She had an appearance in one episode of the Netflix series Dear White People. Sunday followed that up with side roles in the film The Beta Test and Dog. 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. In 2024, Sunday became a global ambassador for the cosmetics house Lancôme. 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.
Personal life
Personal life
Sunday credits Nigerian actors Genevieve Nnaji and Nkem Owoh as her childhood inspiration in the film industry.
Television
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 — 15 episodes • 2026 — DTF St. Louis — Jodie Plumb — 7 episodes
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
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Joy Sunday”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q115411205: Joy Sunday
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and nominations
• Award — Year — Category — Nominated work — Result • Primetime Emmy Awards — 2026 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — DTF St. Louis
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Lee, Anna Grace. Along for the Ride With Joy Sunday. New York Times. 7 January 2023.
- 2.White, Brooklyn. Joy Sunday Has Us Under Her Spell. Essence. 9 December 2022.
- 3.Loffhagen, Emma. Wednesday's Joy Sunday: 'I am so tired of this industry being underhanded with folks who look like me'. Glamour UK. 2025-08-06.
- 4.Baker, Jessica. Joy Sunday Has Us Under Her Spell. Who What Wear. 2025-09-03.
- 5.Carter, Ashleigh. 'One Piece's Iñaki Godoy Says He Uses Fan Art As His Phone. Teen Vogue. 2025-09-20.
- 6.Jones, Rendy. Meet Joy Sunday, the Scene-Stealing Siren in Netflix's "Wednesday". Teen Vogue. 25 November 2022.
- 7.Fans Love Jenna Ortega But Joy Sunday Stole Our Hearts In Netflix's 'Wednesday' Series. Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. 5 December 2022.
- 8.Debruge, Peter. 'S—house' Review: Cooper Raiff's Tough-Love Debut Is More Tender Than It Sounds. 16 October 2020.
- 9.Cordero, Rosy. 'Wednesday': Joy Sunday On Heeding The Siren's Call To Play Bianca, Working With Tim Burton & Possible Season 2. 2 December 2022.
- 10.Lang, Brent. IFC Films Buys Jim Cummings Thriller 'The Beta Test' (EXCLUSIVE). 22 March 2021.
- 11.Lee, Anna Grace. Along for the Ride With Joy Sunday. The New York Times. 2023-01-07.
- 12.McCartney, Claire Valentine. Joy Sunday Finds the Heart of Bianca Barclay in 'Wednesday'. W Magazine. 2022-12-07.
- 13.Segal, Lindy. Joy Sunday Is Ready to Share Her Vision of Beauty With the World. Harper's BAZAAR. 2024-04-15.
- 14.Cordero, Rosy. Chris Perfetti & Joy Sunday Board HBO Limited Series 'DTF St. Louis'. Deadline. 2025-02-18.
- 15.Otterson, Joe. HBO Limited Series 'DTF St. Louis' Casts 'Abbott Elementary' Star Chris Perfetti, 'Wednesday' Star Joy Sunday. Variety. 2025-02-18.
- 16.Joy Sunday Emmy Awards. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,604 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Joy MukherjeePerson
- Joy NashPerson
- Joy OdietePerson
- Joy PagePerson
- Joy TannerPerson
- Joyce BarbourPerson
- Joyce BorensteinPerson
- Joyce BrothersPerson
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