Janelle Monáe Robinson (born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor, and model from Kansas City, Kansas. She began her musical career in 2003, and released her debut album 'The ArchAndroid' in 2010 which was met with critical acclaim and gained her international recognition. Monáe made her live action acting film debut in the Academy Award winning 2016 film 'Moonlight'. The same year she starred in the biographical drama film 'Hidden Figures' alongside Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer. For her musical work, Monáe has earned eight Grammy Award nominations.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 1, 1985 (40)
- Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- Actor and producer, also writer
- 17 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Janelle Monáe's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 15
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 5 · Dark 4
Grounded 7 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 4 · Intense 5
Steady 10 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1
Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 4 of 9 analyzed roles.
Show the 9 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Mary Jackson in Hidden Figures (2016)
- Allyas Teresa in Moonlight (2016)
- Heroas Jane 57821 in Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018)
- Heraldas Jackie in Homecoming (2018)
- Heroas Veronica in Antebellum (2020)
- Allyas Helen Brand in Glass Onion (2022)
- Tricksteras Andi Brand / Helen Brand in Glass Onion (2022)
- Tricksteras Twin sisters in Is God Is (2026)
- Heroas Twin sisters in Is God Is (2026)
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet9
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Janelle Monáe's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Janelle Monáe's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 33 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Bass X Machina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Is God Is(2026)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Fitting In(2023)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Glass Onion(2022)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Human Resources(2022)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
We the People(2021)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
The Glorias(2020)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Antebellum(2020)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Lady and the Tramp(2019)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Harriet(2019)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
UglyDolls(2019)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Welcome to Marwen(2018)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Homecoming(2018)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Electric Dreams(2017)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
Hidden Figures(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Moonlight(2016)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all filmsJanelle Monáe: Live at Lowlands 2014 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Rio 2(2014)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all filmsJanelle Monáe: Live at iTunes Festival 2013 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Don't Look (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Golden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Never Saw Me Coming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles, 19 of them dated from 2013 to 2026; peak year 2019.
Biggest box office
Hidden Figures (2016)
Highest rated
Hidden Figures (2016)
Most popular right now
Glass Onion (2022)
Film career
Peak 2019 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2014Screen debut· Rio 2
- 2016Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Moonlight
- 2016Screen Actors Guild Award win· Hidden Figures
- 2018First top-billed film· Dirty Computer
- 2020Career best· Antebellum
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
a Screen Actors Guild Award and 2 other major awards from 16 major nominations, 2009–2024.
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Progressive R&B Album
- Critics Choice Award, won
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Music Video
- Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Independent Spirit Award, won
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
- Grammy Award, nominated · Record of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Contemporary R&B Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Urban/Alternative Performance
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Janelle Monáe's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Janelle Monáe's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Janelle Monáe work with?
People who share at least 2 of Janelle Monáe's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Leslie Odom Jr. shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Leslie Odom Jr.Shared titles: Glass Onion (2022), Harriet (2019), BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Leslie Odom Jr.
- Tessa ThompsonShared titles: Is God Is (2026), Lady and the Tramp (2019), Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Tessa Thompson
- Bebe RexhaShared titles: We the People (2021), UglyDolls (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Bebe Rexha
- Kiersey ClemonsShared titles: Antebellum (2020), Lady and the Tramp (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kiersey Clemons
Composers
- Nate 'Rocket' WonderShared titles: Antebellum (2020), Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Nate 'Rocket' Wonder
Producers
- Chuck LightningShared titles: Fitting In (2023), Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Chuck Lightning
- Mikael MooreShared titles: Fitting In (2023), Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Mikael Moore
Mixed roles
- Barack ObamaShared titles: We the People (2021), BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Barack Obama
- Michelle ObamaShared titles: We the People (2021), BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Michelle Obama
