Nkechi Okoro Carroll is a writer, producer, and actor. She is the executive producer for The CW drama All American ^{[1] [2] [3]} and the creator of its spinoff All American: Homecoming. ^[4]

Carroll was born in New York, but lived in many places while growing up, including Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, the United States, and the United Kingdom. ^{[1] [5] [6]} Her parents are Nigerian and came to the United States for college but decided to stay. ^{[7] [5]} Her dad was a lawyer, and when Carroll was four years old, her family moved to Nigeria for her father's job. ^[7] When she was eight, Carroll's parents split, and she moved with her mom to Côte d'Ivoire near her cousins. ^[7] When she was living in Nigeria, she watched a lot of television, which shaped her view of the US. ^[5] From the time she was young, she wanted to be a writer. ^[5] Carroll was later sent to boarding school in Oxford, England and began performing at the Oxford Youth Theater. ^[7]

Carroll attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a BA in economics and French in 1998. ^{[7] [6]} During her time at Penn, she was the president of the Pan African Student Association and acted in shows with the African American Arts Alliance. ^[7] After completing college, she worked as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve and acted in small theaters in the evening. ^[7] She speaks multiple languages. ^[1]

Carroll received a master's degree in international economics from New York University. ^[6]

In 2004, Carroll and her husband left New York and moved to Los Angeles to pursue Carroll's dream of writing in Hollywood. ^[7] Her first writing job was on The Finder. ^[7] When the show ended after one season, Carroll joined the writers on Bones. ^[7] Carroll worked as a co-executive producer on Rosewood and The Resident. ^{[1] [8] [6]}

In March 2014, Carroll launched the group Black Women Who Brunch alongside Lena Waithe and Erika L. Johnson. ^{[7] [9]} The group is designed to connect black female writers working in the film industry. ^[7] The group often meets at Carroll's house for potlucks. ^[9] They provide job recommendations and resources for their members. ^[9] The Hollywood Reporter did a story on the group's members in 2018. ^[10] There were sixty-two members at the time and it was The Hollywood Reporter's largest photo shoot at the time. ^[11]

In 2018, Carroll joined the crew of All American after the pilot episode, co-producing alongside April Blair, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter. ^{[12] [1] [13]} In October 2018, Carroll took over as executive producer of the show, replacing Blair after Blair had to step down for personal reasons. ^{[1] [5] [2]} Carroll was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series" for the All American episode "Hussle & Motivate", but ultimately did not win the award. ^{[14] [15]} More recently, she signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television Studios to start Rock My Soul Productions, with Lindsay Dunn serving as head of TV production. ^[16]

In January 2024 she was nominated for the 55th NAACP Awards for Screenwriter and producer, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, stands tall with a nomination in the Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series category for creating NBC’s Found ^[17]

Carroll is married to a high school teacher, Jonathan A. Carroll. ^{[7] [5]} The couple met briefly during their time at the University of Pennsylvania, but were not close. ^[7] In April 2000, they both went to see a mutual friend perform at the Soul Cafe in New York City, where fellow University of Pennsylvania alumnus John Legend was the opener. ^[7] Nkechi was there on a date with someone else, but soon after she and Jonathan began dating. ^[7] They have two sons and currently live in Los Angeles. ^{[7] [5]}

Carroll is a Christian. ^[18] She speaks multiple languages, ^[1] and favorite television show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ^[7] She was in the World Trade Center Annex when the planes hit the towers on September 11, 2001, and had to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. ^[18]

• Nkechi Okoro Carroll at IMDb