# Skai Jackson
**Skai Jackson** is an American actress, author, and content creator best known for playing Zuri Ross on the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) sitcom *[Jessie](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessie-2011-tv-series)* (2011–2015) and its spin-off *Bunk'd* (2015–2018). Born in New York City in 2002, she began working as a child model in infancy and entered acting before the age of two, building a career that has spanned Disney Channel comedy, voice acting, feature films, reality competition, and livestreaming.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/skai-jackson/) • [2](https://www.moseleypark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/English-work-Magazine-Jaya-Khakh-7CN-2.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2002, New York City, New York[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/skai-jackson/) |
| Signature roles | Zuri Ross on Disney Channel's *Jessie* (2011–2015) and *Bunk'd* (2015–2018, 58 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655) |
| Early start | Began modeling at nine months old; first film, *Liberty Kid*, in 2007[2](https://www.moseleypark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/English-work-Magazine-Jaya-Khakh-7CN-2.pdf) • [4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) |
| Honors | NAACP Image Award nomination (2016, Outstanding Performance by a Youth); Time's Most Influential Teens of 2016; Shorty Award[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Skai-Jackson/) • [6](https://time.com/4532104/most-influential-teens-2016/) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/skai-jackson/umc.cpc.3sojhyo3s5p84gq9p556p1qf8) |
| Author | *Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback* (Random House, 2019)[8](https://www.rhcbooks.com/authors/2192053/skai-jackson/about) |
| Voice work | Isa on *Dora the Explorer*, Little Fish on *Bubble Guppies*, Gloria Grant in *Marvel Rising*, Summer in *Dragons: Rescue Riders*[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655) |
| Recent work | *Sheroes* and *The Man in the White Van* (2023); Ashleigh on Starz's *BMF* season 4 (2025)[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) • [9](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/19447/skai-jackson) |
| Social media | About 8 million Instagram followers, 19.5 million on TikTok, 1.6 million on YouTube[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) |
## Early career
Jackson started in front of the camera as a baby. By her own account, she began modeling at nine months old and was acting by age two.[2](https://www.moseleypark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/English-work-Magazine-Jaya-Khakh-7CN-2.pdf) Her first movie role came in 2007 with the independent film *Liberty Kid*, followed by small parts in *[The Rebound](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-rebound)* (2009) and television appearances on HBO's *Boardwalk Empire*, USA's *Royal Pains*, and the pilot of FX's *Louie*.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) • [5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Skai-Jackson/) She also appeared in the films *The Smurfs* (2011), *Arthur* (2011), and *G.I. Joe 2*.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) As a young child she appeared in Band-Aid commercials.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655/bio)
## Disney Channel years
**Zuri Ross.** At age nine, Jackson was cast as Zuri Ross, the youngest child in the household cared for by the title nanny on *Jessie*, starring alongside [Debby Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/debby-ryan), Peyton List, Karan Brar, and the late [Cameron Boyce](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-boyce).[11](https://www.etonline.com/skai-jackson-gets-real-about-being-a-child-actor-and-the-effects-of-bullying-exclusive-133812) The series ran from 2011 to 2015, and Jackson carried the character into the spin-off *Bunk'd*, appearing in 58 episodes through 2018.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655) • [12](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/exestrella-de-disney-skai-jackson-arrestada-por-violencia-domestica-tras-pelear-en-publico-con-su-novio-n/) Her performance as Zuri earned a 2016 NAACP Image Award nomination in the category Outstanding Performance by a Youth.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Skai-Jackson/) She also voiced the animated version of Zuri in a 2012 episode of *Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man*.[13](https://www.filmnoir.app/links/tmdb/person/569452)
**Voice acting.** Before and alongside her Disney live-action work, Jackson built an extensive voice résumé: Isa the Iguana on *Dora the Explorer*, a Little Fish on *Bubble Guppies*, characters on *[Team Umizoomi](https://www.edgepedia.org/team-umizoomi)* and *Kick Buttowski*, Gloria Grant in the [Disney XD](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-xd) miniseries *Marvel Rising*, and Summer in DreamWorks' *Dragons: Rescue Riders* for Netflix.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/)
## Meme fame and advocacy
In 2016, Time named Jackson, then 14, to its list of the 30 Most Influential Teens of the Year. The magazine traced the recognition to a photograph she tweeted of herself sitting primly on a chair, which became an internet meme; Jackson joined in on the joke and used the attention to speak out against cyberbullying, including a public exchange that shut down the Twitter troll [Azealia Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/azealia-banks). Time also noted that a comic-book artist had revealed Jackson as an inspiration for Marvel's hero Riri Williams.[6](https://time.com/4532104/most-influential-teens-2016/) In February 2020 she was granted a temporary restraining order against the rapper Danielle "Bhad Bhabie" Bregoli over death threats on social media.[14](https://thegrio.com/topics/skai-jackson/)
## Book and adult career
In 2019 Jackson published her memoir, *Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback*, with [Random House](https://www.edgepedia.org/random-house). The book covers her lessons on life and rise to stardom, self-acceptance, and girl empowerment, along with her approach to responding to online attackers without being cruel.[8](https://www.rhcbooks.com/authors/2192053/skai-jackson/about) • [4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) That same year she appeared as a dancer in [Lil Nas X](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-nas-x)'s music video for "Panini".[15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-12/skai-jackson-pregnant-disney-channel)
**Competing and filming.** In 2020 she joined the celebrity dance competition *Dancing with the Stars* and reached the semifinals.[14](https://thegrio.com/topics/skai-jackson/) • [4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) In 2021 she appeared in the Disney+ special *Muppets Haunted Mansion* and guest-starred in HBO's *A Black Lady Sketch Show*.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655) She wrapped two 2023 feature films: *[Sheroes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheroes)*, an action thriller opposite [Isabelle Fuhrman](https://www.edgepedia.org/isabelle-fuhrman), and *The Man in the White Van*, a period thriller based on a true story about a serial killer in 1970s Florida.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) In 2025 she played Ashleigh in three episodes of season 4 of Starz's crime drama *BMF*, a role she filmed while pregnant.[9](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/19447/skai-jackson) • [16](https://www.bet.com/article/nwmiuw/skai-jacksons-bold-new-chapter-motherhood-maturity-and-moving-beyond-disney)
## Personal life and recent developments
In November 2024, a representative confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Jackson, then 22, was expecting her first child.[15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-12/skai-jackson-pregnant-disney-channel) In January 2025 she welcomed her son, Kasai.[14](https://thegrio.com/topics/skai-jackson/) In August 2024 she was arrested for domestic battery following a public dispute with her boyfriend; she was not charged.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/skai-jackson/) In May 2025 she requested a restraining order against her son's father, Deondre Burgin, alleging repeated assaults, including one as recently as [Mother's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/mothers-day).[14](https://thegrio.com/topics/skai-jackson/)
Her public activity has also expanded into streaming and controversy. In 2026 she joined [Kai Cenat](https://www.edgepedia.org/kai-cenat)'s Streamer University, a creator initiative combining networking, mentorship, and content production, and she drew criticism in Kenya for remarks during a visit claiming that many children in a Kenyan village had never seen their reflections because mirrors were expensive.[17](https://k24.digital/entertainment/celebrity/who-is-skai-jackson-everything-to-know-about-american-actress-who-angered-kenyans/amp) With a combined following in the millions across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, she has increasingly presented herself as an actress and content creator rather than a Disney Channel performer.[4](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/) • [17](https://k24.digital/entertainment/celebrity/who-is-skai-jackson-everything-to-know-about-american-actress-who-angered-kenyans/amp)
## References
1. [Skai Jackson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/skai-jackson/)
2. [Interview with Skai Jackson, Moseley Park magazine (school publication)](https://www.moseleypark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/English-work-Magazine-Jaya-Khakh-7CN-2.pdf)
3. [Skai Jackson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655)
4. [Skai Jackson, Rising Voices bio](https://risingvoicesfilms.com/bio/skai-jackson/)
5. [Skai Jackson, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Skai-Jackson/)
6. [The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016, Time](https://time.com/4532104/most-influential-teens-2016/)
7. [Skai Jackson Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/skai-jackson/umc.cpc.3sojhyo3s5p84gq9p556p1qf8)
8. [Skai Jackson, Random House Children's Books](https://www.rhcbooks.com/authors/2192053/skai-jackson/about)
9. [Skai Jackson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/19447/skai-jackson)
10. [Skai Jackson Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2857655/bio)
11. [Skai Jackson Gets Real About Being a Child Actor, Entertainment Tonight (2019)](https://www.etonline.com/skai-jackson-gets-real-about-being-a-child-actor-and-the-effects-of-bullying-exclusive-133812)
12. [Skai Jackson arrest report, AS/ Tikitakas](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/exestrella-de-disney-skai-jackson-arrestada-por-violencia-domestica-tras-pelear-en-publico-con-su-novio-n/)
13. [Skai Jackson, FilmNoir App (TMDB person record)](https://www.filmnoir.app/links/tmdb/person/569452)
14. [Skai Jackson Archives, TheGrio](https://thegrio.com/topics/skai-jackson/)
15. [Skai Jackson pregnant with first child, Los Angeles Times (2024)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-11-12/skai-jackson-pregnant-disney-channel)
16. [Skai Jackson's Bold New Chapter, BET (2025)](https://www.bet.com/article/nwmiuw/skai-jacksons-bold-new-chapter-motherhood-maturity-and-moving-beyond-disney)
17. [Who is Skai Jackson? Everything to know, K24 Digital (2026)](https://k24.digital/entertainment/celebrity/who-is-skai-jackson-everything-to-know-about-american-actress-who-angered-kenyans/amp)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2001 to 2005*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 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