Growing up in the spotlight! Kyla-Drew‘s breakout role came when the Nickelodeon series Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn premiered in 2014, but the actress actually started her career years prior. She may be known as a Nickelodeon-turned-Netflix star, but the Georgia native nabbed a few guest-starring roles before making her debut on the children’s network.
Before starring as the fan-favorite bestie Mae Valentine on Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Kyla appeared in episodes of How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy and more. In fact, her first credited role was in the 2013 film Prisoners alongside 13 Reasons Why alum Dylan Minnette. She also got a chance to star alongside Michelle Obama and the late Cameron Boyce on an episode of the Disney Channel series Jessie.
“I was rendered speechless when I first met her, but she was so sweet,” Kyla told Elite Daily in April 2021 about working alongside the former First Lady. During the same interview, she touched on working with the Descendants actor as well. “Cameron was very welcoming and made me feel a part of a family the first day I stepped on that set,” she recalled. “He was such a light. It was such a highlight being able to work with him on the show.”
After Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn came to an end in 2018, Kyla took her talents to Netflix where she nabbed a role on the short-lived series No Good Nick. She also starred in the internet series Crown Lake before getting cast as Jamie Foxx‘s daughter on the April 2021 Netflix original Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
“Every day I learned something from Jamie. He can tell the best stories,” she told Elite Daily. “The stories he would tell me really helped me, and it’s honestly the best education someone could give me. He would just always tell me life lessons, lessons about things that are going to happen in this industry, and I feel blessed and honored to be able to hear those stories firsthand from someone who is experienced in Hollywood.”
Aside from her successful acting career, Kyla also graduated high school at 15, attended community college and started virtually attending the University of Southern California. During her interview with the website, the Netflix star explained that “education has always been a top priority.”
“I do want to continue acting and being involved in the entertainment industry, and eventually I want to progress and start producing films and screenwriting,” Kyla added. “But I definitely want to have an education behind me so when I start my own production company, I know what the heck I’m doing.”
Scroll through our gallery to see Kyla’s transformation from Nickelodeon star to now!
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