# Devale Ellis
**Devale Ellis** (born 1984) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster who played wide receiver in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) before moving into entertainment. He is known for playing [Zac Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/zac-taylor) on [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s BET series *Sistas* and its BET+ spinoff *Zatima*, for the 2024 Netflix rom-com *Meet Me Next Christmas*, and for co-hosting, with his wife Khadeen Ellis, the Webby Award-winning podcast formerly called *Dead Ass* and now titled *Ellis Ever After*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) • [2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, Brooklyn, New York City, New York[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) |
| NFL career | Wide receiver, Detroit Lions, 2006: 9 games, 4 receptions for 41 yards, 6 kick returns for 139 yards[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/stats/career) |
| College | Hofstra University[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/) |
| Signature TV roles | Zac Taylor on *Sistas* (2019–2026, 183 episodes) and *Zatima* (2022–2026, 70 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) |
| Film | Teddy in Netflix's *Meet Me Next Christmas* (2024), which reached No. 1 on Netflix within 24 hours of release[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-is-netflixs-new-breakout-star/) |
| Podcast | Co-host with Khadeen Ellis of the Webby Award-winning *Dead Ass*, relaunched as *Ellis Ever After*[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/) • [6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235598) |
| Family | Married Khadeen Ellis on July 4, 2010; four sons, Jackson, Kairo, Kaz, and Dakota[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) |
## Football career
Ellis played college football at [Hofstra University](https://www.edgepedia.org/hofstra-university) on [Long Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island) and entered the NFL as a wide receiver.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/) His recorded professional statistics come from the 2006 season with the [Detroit Lions](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-lions): 9 games played, 2 rushing attempts for 3 yards, 4 receptions for 41 yards with a long of 19, 6 kick returns for 139 yards (23.2-yard average), and 4 punt returns for 61 yards.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/stats/career) The Lions' media guide lists him as a Hofstra product who was with the team in 2006 and 2007.[7](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DET.pdf) A Muscle & Fitness profile also places him with the Cleveland Browns during his playing days.[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-is-netflixs-new-breakout-star/)
His exit from football came through injury. In a 2020 interview with TheGrio he described being cut by the NFL as the pivot point that pushed him toward acting: "Me getting cut by the NFL was when God was like 'Yo, you are going to have to do something else.'"[8](https://thegrio.com/2020/05/06/devale-ellis-on-shocking-sistas-finale-and-pursuing-his-dream-job/) [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-atlanta-journal-constitution) dates his departure from the league to 2009.[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
## Transition to acting
Ellis has said that acting was his first love and that he used football as a means to reach it. Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1990s, he saw few paths into theater for young Black men, so he took the sports route to a free college education, studying speech communication and performance.[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-is-netflixs-new-breakout-star/) • [9](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-spirited-actor-50423909/episode/the-spirited-actor-devale-ellis-84478053/) After leaving the NFL he moved back to Brooklyn from Detroit, completed a two-year conservatory program, and worked as a physical trainer while going on auditions and booking commercials.[9](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-spirited-actor-50423909/episode/the-spirited-actor-devale-ellis-84478053/) • [2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
The gap between his football retirement and his first series regular role was long. In his own account, he retired from the NFL and did not book a series regular part until 2019, nine years of auditions, craft-building, and providing for his family in between.[9](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-spirited-actor-50423909/episode/the-spirited-actor-devale-ellis-84478053/) Along the way he built a public profile through family content: he and Khadeen posted viral videos of everyday life with their sons on Instagram and YouTube, and he told Essence that his goal was a sitcom in which his own family played themselves.[10](https://www.essence.com/love/dad-behind-funny-instagram-videos-devale-ellis-family-photos/) Apple's profile notes that he secured a contract with [Tyler Perry Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry-studios) in 2015.[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235598)
## Television and film
**Sistas and Zatima.** Ellis's breakout came as Zac Taylor on Tyler Perry's BET series *Sistas*, a main role he has held since 2019, credited for 183 episodes through 2026.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) The character carried into the spinoff *Zatima* on BET+, which follows Zac and Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett) through their relationship; Ellis has played the lead there since 2022, with 70 episodes credited.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) He has described Zac's central flaw in early seasons as a lack of maturity, a character "trying to do the right thing but always f**king it up."[8](https://thegrio.com/2020/05/06/devale-ellis-on-shocking-sistas-finale-and-pursuing-his-dream-job/)
His other television credits include recurring roles as Ken on BET's *Bigger* (2019–2021, 7 episodes) and Gavin on *Makeup X Breakup* (2016–2023, 14 episodes), and guest appearances on *NCIS* (Dante Brown, 2019), *The Equalizer* (Preacher/Reggie Floyd, 2021), *The Blacklist* (Chuck Shaw, 2017), *Gotham*, *Master of None*, *Power*, *Everything's Trash*, and *61st Street* (Mason, 2023, 2 episodes).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/)
**Film.** His screen films include *Full Circle* (2013), *A Piece of Me: An Everyday Story* (2016), *Single Black Female* (2022, as Eric), *A Christmas Fumble* (2022), and an uncredited turn in *The Perfect Find* (2023).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/devale_ellis) In *Meet Me Next Christmas* (2024), a Netflix rom-com with [Christina Milian](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-milian) and Kofi Siriboe, he played Teddy; the film shot to No. 1 on Netflix within 24 hours of its release.[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-is-netflixs-new-breakout-star/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/)
## Podcasting, writing, and producing
Ellis and Khadeen Ellis, who began dating in college and married on July 4, 2010, built a media career around their marriage and parenting.[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) Their podcast *Dead Ass*, which discussed Black love, marriage, and family, won a Webby Award, and the couple also served as regular hosts for the *Black Love* docuseries.[12](https://ronda-isms.com/2022/01/devale-and-khadeen-ellis-on-a-flexible-financial-plan/) In 2025 they relaunched the show as *Ellis Ever After*, saying they had grown tired of "battle of the sexes" debates and wanted deeper conversations about relationships and society, with their producers appearing on air.[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
Ellis's work beyond performing includes a New York Times bestselling book credit and, in 2025, a co-producer credit on the Broadway production of *Othello* starring [Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington) and [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jake-gyllenhaal), which broke a box office record to become the highest-grossing play in Broadway history, according to Deadline.[13](https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-170000218.html) • [2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/) He has said he is working to produce more projects, motivated by the shortage of roles he feels have been available to him: "Most of Hollywood is not young, Black men, so how are they going to tell stories about a young, Black dad? I want to tell stories about a young, Black dad."[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
## Personal life
The Ellises live in metro Atlanta, a move Devale has explained by the lower cost of living relative to New York and California and by the flexibility of working for Tyler Perry Studios, where a season of television is filmed in about two weeks, leaving the rest of the year for family and their own projects.[2](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/) They have four sons: Jackson (born 2011), Kairo (born 2016), Kaz (born 2017), and Dakota (born 2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/) In a 2022 interview with Personal Finance Insider, the couple described the financial plan they built after his NFL salary ended, covering budgeting and life insurance as they moved into entertainment careers.[12](https://ronda-isms.com/2022/01/devale-and-khadeen-ellis-on-a-flexible-financial-plan/)
## References
1. [Devale Ellis, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019209/)
2. [Khadeen and Devale Ellis on balancing acting, a podcast and parenthood, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (July 9, 2025)](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/2025/07/khadeen-and-devale-ellis-on-balancing-acting-a-podcast-and-parenthood/)
3. [Devale Ellis Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/stats/career)
4. [Devale Ellis Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/devale-ellis/)
5. [Former NFL Player Devale Ellis Is Netflix's New Breakout Star, Muscle & Fitness](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-is-netflixs-new-breakout-star/)
6. [Devale Ellis, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235598)
7. [Detroit Lions Media Guide (2025), NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DET.pdf)
8. [Devale Ellis on shocking 'Sistas' finale and pursuing his dream job, TheGrio (May 6, 2020)](https://thegrio.com/2020/05/06/devale-ellis-on-shocking-sistas-finale-and-pursuing-his-dream-job/)
9. [The Spirited Actor, episode: Devale Ellis, iHeartPodcasts](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-spirited-actor-50423909/episode/the-spirited-actor-devale-ellis-84478053/)
10. [The Dad Behind Those Funny Instagram Videos Isn't Just Trying to Make People Laugh, Essence](https://www.essence.com/love/dad-behind-funny-instagram-videos-devale-ellis-family-photos/)
11. [Devale Ellis, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/devale_ellis)
12. [Devale and Khadeen Ellis on a flexible financial plan, Ronda-isms: Good-Bad-Ugly (January 2022)](https://ronda-isms.com/2022/01/devale-and-khadeen-ellis-on-a-flexible-financial-plan/)
13. [Former NFL Player Devale Ellis Opens Up About New Rom-Com, Plans to Win an Oscar and How His Kids Humble Him, PEOPLE via AOL (November 5, 2024)](https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/former-nfl-player-devale-ellis-170000218.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Do to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license