Kim Coles is best known for playing the lovable, somewhat ditzy Synclaire on the sitcom Living Single, which ran from 1993 to 1998. Before that, she was part of the cast of the sketch series In Living Color, but her stint there was a short one. She was fired by series creator Keenen Ivory Wayans after one season, but Coles didn’t let that setback hold her down. Not long after, she scored her role on Living Single and went on to appear in many more shows. Now, Coles is 60 and still involved in comedy, but she’s found a passion in recent years.
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Coles now dedicates her time to motivational speaking. On LinkedIn, she writes that she mixes humor and authenticity in her speeches to help people see their true selves. “I have taken my experiences as an actress and comedian to speak life into company culture so you can create an environment where employees can shine and grow,” she says on her profile. She adds that she’s spoken at the American Heart Association, Bank NY Mellon, Cisco, and other such companies.
In addition to booking herself for speaking gigs at companies looking to change their culture, Coles runs The Kim Coles Academy, where you can sign up for courses in self-love, self-actualization, and general self-acceptance. You can sign up for an online classes, including one called “Rock Your Flawsome,” where she talks about accepting your flaws and loving yourself, and another called “Speak Your Gifts.”
Spreading all of that love around has also led to Coles finding love herself. Having been married twice before, once to Aton Edwards from 1985 to 1995 and then again to Reggie McKiver from 2015 to 2019, Coles is dating again. On Instagram, she shares photos with herself and her boyfriend, Dr. E. Jaye Johnson, another entrepreneur and public speaker. The two seem to be blissfully in love; in one caption, Coles writes, “He brings me JOY! Aaaaand I work on being JOYFUL on my own! He shares so much LOVE! Aaaaand I allow myself to RECEIVE & RECIPROCATE!! He is open to COMMUNICATION! I get to be seen & heard and LISTEN to him as well! ANNNNNDDDD even though he likes SUGAR in his Grits… WHY??!!!! We are doing just fine!”
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Although motivational speaking and life coaching seem to be her main gigs these days, that doesn’t mean that Cole has stopped accepting acting roles. After Living Single, she continued to work frequently on TV, taking on guest roles in shows including Six Feet Under, Frasier, The Parkers, and My Wife and Kids. Her most recent projects as an actor are the movie, A Jenkins Family Christmas, and an episode of A Black Lady Sketch Show, both in 2021. Her IMDB profile also indicates that she’s in the process of filming a TV series called BFF’S.
As for a Living Single reboot? Coles said on The Real in 2020 that, while there are no definite plans yet for a revival of the sitcom, most of the cast is behind it, save for one hold-out, who she didn’t name. So, there’s a chance that the actor could grace our screens as Synclaire again, but it’s not looking super likely.
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