Introduction
Skai Jackson (born April 8, 2002) is an American actress best known for playing Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie (2011–2015) and its spin-off series Bunk'd (2015–2018). Jackson appeared on Time's list of the "Most Influential Teens" in 2016, and was nominated for Best Influencer at the Shorty Awards in 2017.
Jackson began acting as a child with the independent film Liberty Kid (2007), and made cameos in films such as The Rebound (2009) and The Smurfs (2011). She has since had voice roles in the Marvel Rising franchise (2018–2019) and DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019–2022), and starred in the film Sheroes (2023). She also made her writing debut with Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback (2019), and was a semi-finalist on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars (2020).
Early life
Jackson was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City. She is of Afro-Honduran and African-American descent. She began her career as a child model, appearing in numerous national commercials, including for Band-Aid, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Old Navy.
Career
Jackson's first major acting role was in the 2007 independent film Liberty Kid, which was followed by a guest appearance in a 2008 episode of Rescue Me. In 2009, Jackson made a cameo in the film The Rebound, and was cast as Little Fish in the Nickelodeon pre-school animated series Bubble Guppies. She followed this with minor roles in the television series Team Umizoomi, Royal Pains and Boardwalk Empire, and the 2011 films Arthur and The Smurfs.
In 2011, Jackson was cast as Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, which aired for four seasons and ended in 2015. For the role, she received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2013, she appeared as Joetta Watson in the Hallmark Channel television film The Watsons Go To Birmingham. In 2014, she guest-starred in an episode of Disney XD's animated series Ultimate Spider-Man. From 2015 to 2018, she reprised the role of Zuri in the series Bunk'd. She was included on Time magazine's list of "Most Influential Teens" in 2016, and was nominated for Best Influencer at the Shorty Awards in 2017.
In 2018, Jackson made a guest appearance in Marvel Rising: Initiation as Glory Grant, a role she reprised in Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts, and Marvel Rising: Battle of the Bands. In 2019, she appeared in the music video for Lil Nas X's "Panini", which went viral and spawned several memes due to her character being unable to escape the rapper.
In 2019, Jackson made her writing debut with the book Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback, and began voicing Summer on the Netflix animated series DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders, which ended in 2020.
In 2020, Jackson was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars with Alan Bersten. The pair made it to the semi-finals, and finished at 10th. In 2023, Jackson appeared in the action film Sheroes, her first feature film role in 10 years. Also in 2023, Jackson received scrutiny for hosting a $5 raffle with a MacBook as a prize through CashApp, and was accused her of scamming her followers in order to gain money. Jackson said in response: "It is not that serious, for a damn $5. It is called a raffle."
Personal life
In March 2020, Jackson filed court papers for a restraining order against rapper Bhad Bhabie claiming that she had harassed her. The petition was temporarily granted, and later dropped by Jackson.
On August 8, 2024, Jackson was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Liberty Kid | Young Destiny | Independent film |
| 2008 | Rescue Me | Little Girl | Short film |
| 2009 | The Rebound | Museum Little Girl #1 | |
| 2011 | Arthur | Little Girl | |
| The Smurfs | Kicking Girl | ||
| 2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Roadblock's daughter | |
| 2014 | My Dad's a Soccer Mom | Lacy Casey | |
| 2023 | Sheroes | Daisy | |
| 2024 | The Man in the White Van | Patty | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Sesame Street | Herself | |
| 2010 | Team Umizoomi | Kayla | Voice role; episode: "The Rolling Toy Parade" |
| Royal Pains | Maddie Phillips | Episode: "Big Whoop" | |
| 2010–2012 | Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | Madison | Recurring voice role |
| 2011 | Boardwalk Empire | Aneisha | Episode: "What Does the Bee Do?" |
| 2011–2013 | Bubble Guppies | Little Fish | Main voice role |
| 2011–2015 | Jessie | Zuri Ross | Main role |
| 2012 | Austin & Ally | Zuri Ross | Episode: "Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year" |
| 2012–2014 | Dora the Explorer | Isa the Iguana | Recurring voice role |
| 2013 | Good Luck Charlie | Zuri Ross | Episode: "Good Luck Jessie: NYC Christmas" |
| The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Joetta Watson | Television film | |
| 2014 | Ultimate Spider-Man | Zuri Ross | Voice role; episode: "Halloween Night at the Museum" |
| 2015–2018 | Bunk'd | Zuri Ross | Main role |
| 2015 | K.C. Undercover | Zuri Ross | Episode: "All Howl's Eve" |
| 2018 | Marvel Rising: Initiation | Glory Grant | Voice role; episodes: "Floor Toms and Spider Webs", "Ghost Hunter" |
| 2019 | Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts | Glory Grant | Voice role |
| Marvel Rising: Battle of the Bands | Glory Grant | ||
| 2019–2022 | DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders | Summer | |
| 2019 | Marvel Rising: Operation Shuri | Glory Grant | |
| 2020 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant with Alan Bersten; eliminated 10th |
| 2021 | Muppets Haunted Mansion | Singing Bust | TV special |
Music videos
- "Panini" (2019), by Lil Nas X
Bibliography
- Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback (2019)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAACP Image Awards | 2016 | Outstanding Performance by a Youth - Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-series | Jessie | Nominated | |
| Shorty Awards | 2017 | Best Influencer and Celebrity | Herself | Nominated | |
| Young Entertainer Awards | 2018 | Best Young Ensemble in a Television Series | Bunk'd | Won |