Michaela Coel Bio
Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson, known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British actress, writer, and television director born on 1 October 1987 in London, England. She is widely recognized for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom Chewing Gum (2015–2017) and the BBC One and HBO comedy-drama I May Destroy You (2020), both of which earned her major industry accolades and international recognition. Beyond television, Coel has built a reputation as a poet, playwright, and author, expanding her creative voice across stage, screen, and print.
Her work is defined by sharp humor, unflinching honesty, and a willingness to interrogate race, gender, and identity in contemporary Britain. Coel is regarded as one of the most singular storytelling talents of her generation, having set historic milestones for Black women in television writing.
Early Life and Background
Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson was born on 1 October 1987 in East London, England, to Ghanaian parents. She and her sister were raised primarily by their mother in the East London neighborhoods of Hackney and Tower Hamlets. Coel attended Catholic schools in East London during her early years and has spoken about the isolation of being among the few Black pupils in her primary school cohort, an experience she has said shaped her awareness of difference from a young age.
She went on to attend a comprehensive school for her secondary education, where her sense of community broadened. From 2007 to 2009, Coel studied English Literature and Theology at the University of Birmingham. During this period, she became active on the poetry open-mic circuit in London, performing at venues including the Hackney Empire and Wembley Arena under the name Michaela The Poet.
In 2006, Coel began performing at poetry open mics in Ealing. She has cited the actor, playwright, and director Ché Walker as a formative mentor after he saw her perform and encouraged her to apply to Guildhall. She has also released independent music projects, including the album Fixing Barbie in 2009 and the record We’re the Losers in 2011, reflecting her early range as a creative artist.
Path to Celebrity
Coel’s transition toward professional screen work began during her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was the first Black woman to enroll in five years. She joined the Talawa Theatre Company summer school program TYPT in 2009, appearing in the production Krunch directed by Amani Naphtali. Her time at Talawa and her poetry career gave her the performance foundation that would later support her transition into acting and writing for screen.
Her senior graduation project at Guildhall became her breakout stage work. The play Chewing Gum Dreams premiered at The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick in 2012 as a one-woman show and was later staged at the Bush Theatre, the Royal Theatre Holland, the Royal Exchange Theatre, and the National Theatre. The production received strong reviews and signaled Coel’s arrival as a distinctive theatrical voice. She graduated from Guildhall in 2012 and soon moved into television.
Michaela Coel Career
Early Career (2013–2015)
Coel’s first significant on-screen credit came in 2013 with a role in the Channel 4 drama Top Boy. She also took leading roles at the National Theatre, including the award-nominated production Home and the critically acclaimed staging of Medea. These early performances placed her within London’s most respected theatrical institutions and helped establish her reputation as a serious dramatic talent.
In August 2014, Channel 4 announced that Coel would write and star in a new sitcom titled Chewing Gum, inspired by her stage play Chewing Gum Dreams. Short comedy teasers aired in September 2014, and the full series premiered on E4 in October 2015. Her dual role as creator and lead earned her immediate industry attention.
Breakthrough (2015–2019)
Chewing Gum ran for two series, with the second season returning in January 2017. Coel starred as Tracey, a character whose journey from religious upbringing to adult independence anchored the show’s comedic voice. Her performance won her the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2016, and she also received the BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent for writing the series.
During this period, Coel expanded her television presence with appearances in BBC One’s London Spy in 2015, the E4 sci-fi comedy-drama The Aliens in 2016, and both the Nosedive and USS Callister episodes of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror. She also took a small role in the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In 2018, Coel starred as Kate in the BBC Two and Netflix co-production Black Earth Rising and as Simone in the Netflix musical-drama Been So Long.
Notable Works and Milestones
Coel created, wrote, produced, co-directed, and starred in I May Destroy You, a comedy-drama series for BBC One and HBO that premiered in June 2020. The series drew on her personal experience of sexual assault and was met with widespread critical acclaim. Her work on the show made her the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.
Michaela Coel Award Nominations
Coel has earned multiple award nominations across British and American television ceremonies throughout her career. Her nominations recognize her work as a writer, actress, and creator across both Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You. She continues to be a frequent presence on annual nomination lists for her performances and her writing.
Michaela Coel Awards Won
Coel has won several major awards, including the 2016 BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance and the 2016 BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent, both for Chewing Gum. In 2021, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series for I May Destroy You, becoming the first Black woman to receive that honor. She has also been recognized for her broader cultural impact, including inclusion in Time’s 100 Most Influential People list in 2020.
Michaela Coel Family
Coel was raised by her Ghanaian mother in East London alongside her sister. She has a cousin who is the rapper and author Guvna B. At the 2016 British Academy Television Awards, Coel wore a gown designed by her mother, made of Kente cloth, in tribute to her family’s heritage.
Personal Life
Coel has spoken openly about her religious upbringing as a Pentecostal Christian and a period of celibacy that mirrored elements of her Chewing Gum character Tracey. She later stopped practising Pentecostalism after attending Guildhall. In August 2018, she disclosed that she was drugged and sexually assaulted during the writing of Chewing Gum, an experience that later inspired I May Destroy You. Coel identifies as aromantic and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.
