# Whitney Avalon
**Whitney Avalon** (born Whitney Sara Cohen, 1981) is an American actress, singer, writer, and YouTube creator based in Los Angeles, best known for creating and starring in the *Princess Rap Battle* video series and for co-writing songs for Disney's Emmy-winning animated series *Phineas and Ferb*.[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) • [2](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Whitney Sara Cohen, 1981, United States[3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621236640) |
| Education | B.A. in Theater Arts, Brandeis University, summa cum laude, graduated 2003[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) • [1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) |
| Signature series | *Princess Rap Battle* (2014– ), conceived by Avalon; first video Snow White vs. Elsa with Katja Glieson[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) |
| Series reach | 700+ million views across the series; the first video alone passed 130 million views by 2017[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) • [5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles) |
| Television | Recurring on *Days of Our Lives*; guest and co-star roles on *The Big Bang Theory*, *Jane the Virgin*, *Speechless*, *Girl Meets World*, and *St. Denis Medical* (2024)[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) |
| Music | RIAA-certified Gold music artist; co-wrote songs for *Phineas and Ferb*[2](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/) |
| Audience | About 2 million YouTube subscribers, with billions of views on the comedy she has written[2](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/) |
## Early life and screen work
Avalon studied Theater Arts at [Brandeis University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandeis-university), graduating in 2003, and began pursuing screen acting while still a student. Her film debut came with small parts in *The Gray Man* (2002) and *Mona Lisa Smile* (2003).[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) Her resume lists a B.A. in Theater Arts from Brandeis, summa cum laude, along with Los Angeles training at the Groundlings and with Stuart K. Robinson and Warner Loughlin.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html)
Her television credits span network, cable, and streaming comedy and drama: a recurring role on *Days of Our Lives* as Nurse Courtney, co-star parts on *The Big Bang Theory*, *Jane the Virgin*, *Speechless*, *Girl Meets World*, *Perception*, and *Happily Divorced*, a guest role on *Outlaw*, and a 2024 guest appearance as Jen on the NBC sitcom *[St. Denis Medical](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-denis-medical)*.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/whitney-avalon/) Film work includes a supporting role opposite [Whoopi Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/whoopi-goldberg) in *Nine Eleven* (2017) and the lead in *WTF 2020s* opposite [Thomas Lennon](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-lennon), which played multiple Academy Award-qualifying film festivals.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html)
## Princess Rap Battle
**Origin of the series.** Avalon began making original shorts and songs on YouTube in 2010 while continuing commercial, television, and film work.[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) • [5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles) In 2014 she conceived the *Princess Rap Battle* series, in which she and a second performer rap in character as famous princesses and other figures from fiction and pop culture. The first video featured Avalon as [Snow White](https://www.edgepedia.org/snow-white) opposite Katja Glieson as Elsa from *Frozen* (2013).[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) Avalon has said the idea grew from years of being called Snow White because of her light skin and dark hair; she paired the oldest Disney princess with the newest at the time, and the video went viral, passing 130 million views by 2017.[5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles)
**Guest stars and production.** The series has featured performers including [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-michelle-gellar), Eliza Dushku, Laura Marano, Molly C. Quinn, and [Yvonne Strahovski](https://www.edgepedia.org/yvonne-strahovski).[5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles) • [4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) The March 2015 *Cinderella vs. Belle* battle, with Gellar as [Cinderella](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinderella) and Avalon as Belle, was the fourth installment and drew coverage from *TIME*.[7](https://time.com/3745057/cinderella-belle-rap-battle/) Avalon produces the series with filmmaker Steve Gossett, whom she met at the Los Angeles short-film festival Channel 101. Each video is a substantial production: the Katniss vs. Hermione battle followed eight weeks of research across the *Harry Potter* and *The Hunger Games* books and films, shoots run two full days with custom sets, and post-production takes three to four weeks depending on visual effects.[5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles) Avalon also creates the series logo, thumbnails, and promotional photos.[5](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles)
The series has run for more than a decade, with 13 episodes listed from 2014 to 2026 on IMDb, where Avalon's characters include Snow White, Leia, Mary Poppins, Belle, Maleficent, Katniss, Anna, Dorothy, the [Wicked Witch of the West](https://www.edgepedia.org/wicked-witch-of-the-west), and Ariel.[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1309645/) Later entries include *Ariel vs. Moana* (2026).[9](https://www.patreon.com/whitneyavalon/sitemap)
## Web series and theater
Attention from *Princess Rap Battle* led to a role as [Mary Shelley](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-shelley) in the comedy web series *Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party*, which debuted in 2016 from Shipwrecked Comedy.[1](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1309645/) Other web work includes series-regular roles in *[IKEA Heights](https://www.edgepedia.org/ikea-heights)* ([Channel 101](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-101)), *Comic-Con the Musical* (Nerdist), and *BREAK: The Musical*, a 2016 YouTube series in which she starred with Ian Harding.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Whitney-Avalon/)
On stage, Avalon is an Actors' Equity performer whose theater credits include the world premieres of *Pope Joan* (title role, Stella Adler Theatre, 2009), *Carnevil* at Sacred Fools Theater Company, and *Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Musical* (as Mary Shelley and [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie)), plus *A New Brain* at Celebration Theatre in 2023, *Jesus Christ Superstar* at North Shore Music Theatre, and [Lady Macbeth](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-macbeth) in *Macbeth*.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Whitney-Avalon/)
## Music and songwriting
Avalon co-wrote songs for Disney's Emmy-winning *Phineas and Ferb* and is an RIAA-certified Gold music artist.[2](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/) Her original comedy music, including the *Princess Rap Battle* songs, has been viewed billions of times across platforms.[2](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Whitney-Avalon/) She releases singles such as *Tragedy* (2026) and *Ariel vs. Moana (Princess Rap Battle)* on Apple Music, and runs a Patreon offering sheet music, karaoke tracks, behind-the-scenes videos, and bonus song covers.[3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621236640) • [9](https://www.patreon.com/whitneyavalon/sitemap)
## Recognition
Her resume lists Cosmopolitan's Internet's Most Fascinating People list, Variety's Comedy Impact Report, and Buffer Festival's first-ever double award win, for Excellence in Comedy and Excellence in Music.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html) Press coverage of the rap battles has included [MTV News](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-news), E!, People, Nerdist, and Cosmopolitan.[4](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html)
## References
1. [Whitney Avalon, Apple TV (GB)](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/whitney-avalon/umc.cpc.1obkvg4amm1mnwmwuh8tawfpe)
2. [WHITNEY AVALON – About](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/)
3. [Whitney Avalon, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621236640)
4. [Whitney Avalon – Acting resume](https://www.whitneyavalon.com/acting.html)
5. [The Making of Princess Rap Battles, Adobe Blog (2017)](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/03/17/the-making-of-princess-rap-battles)
6. [Whitney Avalon, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/whitney-avalon/)
7. [Watch This Princess Rap Battle Between Cinderella and Belle, TIME (2015)](https://time.com/3745057/cinderella-belle-rap-battle/)
8. [Whitney Avalon, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1309645/)
9. [Whitney Avalon on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/whitneyavalon/sitemap)
10. [Whitney Avalon, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Whitney-Avalon/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 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