Ariana DeBose (b. 1991) is a multi-award-winning actor who Time magazine named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
To kick off Pride Month in 2023, DeBose appeared in a social media video with Elmo stressing that everyone is always welcome on Sesame Street. [1] She also appeared in season 54 singing a song with Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Cookie Monster. (First: Episode 5401)
She voiced the character Mezzo for Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock's second season episode "Mezzo: Live in Concert."
On stage, DeBose was in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton (playing multiple roles), Alan Menken's A Bronx Tale, and Hairspray. On screen, she won an Academy Award for the role of Anita in West Side Story, appeared in a recurring role on the TV series Schmigadoon! (with Keegan-Michael Key and Kristin Chenoweth), and voiced Asha in the Disney animated feature, Wish.