Jelani Cobb

Acting

Jelani Cobb

Born

1969-08-21 (57)

Place of birth

Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

24 titles

William Jelani Cobb is an American writer, author and educator. The Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, Cobb was previously an associate professor of history and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, from 2012 to 2016.

Known for

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster
6.1

Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

Frontline poster
6.5

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

Frontline

1983

Meet the Press poster
4.6

Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program airing on NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. Meet the Press is the highest-rated of the American television Sunday morning talk shows. It has been hosted by 11 moderators, beginning with Martha Rountree. Meet the Press and similar shows specialize in interviewing national leaders on issues of politics, economics, foreign policy and other public affairs.

Meet the Press

1947

Marvel's Luke Cage poster
6.9

Given superstrength and durability by a sabotaged experiment, a wrongly accused man escapes prison to become a superhero for hire.

Marvel's Luke Cage

2016

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates poster
5.4

Join visionary philanthropist Bill Gates as he delves into pressing global issues and uncovers cutting-edge technologies that will transform the world.

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates

2024

Film credits

2020s · 10 titles

Heightened Scrutiny poster
4.5

Amid the surge in anti-trans legislation that Chase Strangio battles in the courtroom, he must also fight against media bias, exposing how the narratives in the press influence public perception and the fight for transgender rights.

Heightened Scrutiny

2025

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

One Person, One Vote? poster
5.0

An in-depth look at the Electoral College, its slavery origins, and its impact on society today. The film features four dynamic electors from different parties offering insight into the inner workings of this often-misunderstood institution. A timely, nonpartisan film that will fill a stark information gap in American presidential elections.

One Person, One Vote?

2024

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story poster
7.0

The history of the East Lake Meadows public housing project in Atlanta and the people who lived there from 1970 to its demolition in 2000, with special emphasis on the activism of Eva Davis asserting the rights of the tenants.

East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story

2020

America After 9/11 poster
NR

From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.

America After 9/11

2021

Policing the Police 2020 poster
NR

George Floyd’s killing triggered mass demonstrations nationwide calling for racial justice and police accountability in the United States. In the wake of those protests, New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb returns to a troubled police department he first visited four years ago (Policing the Police) to examine whether reform can work, and how police departments can be held accountable.

Policing the Police 2020

2020

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union poster
4.0

Reviewing the pursuit of democracy within the U.S. on the anniversary of the 2021 Capitol riot.

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union

2022

Lies, Politics and Democracy poster
7.0

Frontline’s season premiere investigates American political leaders and choices they’ve made that have undermined and threatened democracy in the U.S. In a two-hour documentary special premiering ahead of the 2022 midterms, Frontline examines how officials fed the public lies about the 2020 presidential election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.

Lies, Politics and Democracy

2022

No artwork available
NR

“Looks at the impact key movements throughout U.S. history have had in shaping our society, laws and culture. From the labor movement of the 1880s, women's suffrage and civil rights, to the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements, protest is in the American DNA and this documentary gives an unfiltered look at the ways it has evolved the world in which we live.”

Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America

2021

McCarthy poster
8.0

"McCarthy" chronicles the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who came to power after a stunning victory in an election no one thought he could win. Once in office, he declared that there was a vast conspiracy threatening America — emanating not from a rival superpower, but from within. Free of restraint or oversight, he conducted a crusade against those he accused of being enemies of the state, a chilling campaign marked by groundless accusations, bullying intimidation, grandiose showmanship and cruel victimization. With lawyer Roy Cohn at his side, he belittled critics, spinning a web of lies and distortions while spreading fear and confusion. After years in the headlines, he was brought down by his own excesses and overreach. But his name lives on linked to the modern-day witch hunt we call “McCarthyism.”

McCarthy

2020

2010s · 4 titles

Series credits

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster
6.1

Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

Frontline poster
6.5

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

Frontline

1983

Meet the Press poster
4.6

Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program airing on NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. Meet the Press is the highest-rated of the American television Sunday morning talk shows. It has been hosted by 11 moderators, beginning with Martha Rountree. Meet the Press and similar shows specialize in interviewing national leaders on issues of politics, economics, foreign policy and other public affairs.

Meet the Press

1947

Marvel's Luke Cage poster
6.9

Given superstrength and durability by a sabotaged experiment, a wrongly accused man escapes prison to become a superhero for hire.

Marvel's Luke Cage

2016

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates poster
5.4

Join visionary philanthropist Bill Gates as he delves into pressing global issues and uncovers cutting-edge technologies that will transform the world.

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates

2024

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union poster
5.3

President Obama's personal story and his vision for America, set against the backdrop of the country's racial history.

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

2021

America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump poster
NR

A deep look into the growing divide in America from the Barack Obama era through the presidency of Donald Trump.

America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump

2020

Behind the camera