Biography
Malik Yoba (2026)
Table of Contents
Malik Yoba is renowned as an American actor. He is known for his character as NYPD Detective J.C. Willams on Fox’s TV show New York Undercover, Cool Runnings, Alphas, Revolution, and Empire.
| Quick Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Malik Yoba |
| Date of Birth | 17 September, 1967 |
| Birth Place | USA |
| Father | Erutan Abdullah Yoba |
| Mother | Mahmoudah Young Lanier |
| Profession | Actor |
| Age | 59 years old |
| Weight | 83 KG |
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac | Virgo |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Body Measurement | N/A |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Spouse | Cat Wilson (m. 2003) Trisha Mann |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
Early Life and Age
Malik Yoba was born in 1967, on September 17, in the Bronx, New York, in the United States of America. He was born with the birth name Abdul-Malik Kashie “Malik” Yoba. As of 2026, he is 59 years, and his zodiac sign is Virgo. Yoba is the son of Mahmoudah Young Lanier (mother) and Erutan Abdullah Yoba (father).
Malik Yoba grew up with a brother named Abdul Rahman Yoba. Abdul is renowned as an actor, writer, and producer. Yoba has been interested in acting since his childhood days. Malik holds American nationality and belongs to the African-American ethnicity.
Talking about his educational background, he gathered his high school diploma from City-as-School in Manhattan, New York. After that, he studied acting at the HB Studio in New York and was also a Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity member.
You might also want to know about Andrew Joblon.
Career
Malik Yoba began his acting career in 1993 with the movie “Cool Runnings.” After two years, he featured in the movie Smoke in 1995 and played Detective Carson in The Creeper. After that, he played in the movie “Ride in 1998. From 1999 to 2015, he featured in several films like Personals, His Woman, His Wife, Dreaming in Black and White, Rockaway, The Assault, Brotherly Love, etc.
However, in 2010, he featured along with Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson in “Why Did I Get Married Too? Yoba also has various TV credits. He played the character of Fisher in the American sitcom “Where I Live” in 1993. However, Yoba earned his breakthrough in 1994 when he played Detective Julius Williams in New York Undercover till 1999.
Malik Yoba also played in the TV drama series Bull in 2000. He also featured as Bill Harken an Agents and Jim Hudson in Revolution. However, he played featuring as Vernon Turner in Empire.
On the big screen, Yoba has appeared in Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too?, The Assault, Daddy Don’t Go, The Good Nurse, and other films. His more recent credits include Love After Holidays and Jonesing: When Love Is a Habit in 2024–2025.
A significant recent addition to his résumé was Season 3 of Netflix’s Kings of Jo’Burg, which premiered on June 13, 2025. Yoba played Isador, an American character and the on-screen love interest of Connie Ferguson’s character.
As of 2026, Yoba continues to be described as an actor while also working as an entrepreneur and advocate. Yoba Development, which he founded and leads, focuses on real estate, education, media, and community development. A 2026 Goodwin University announcement also identified him as an educator and social-justice advocate and named him as the university’s 2026 commencement keynote speaker and honorary degree recipient.
Relationships/ Dating/ Kids
Malik Yoba is a happily married man. Yoba married Cat Wilson. She is popular as an actress, known for her work in Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1–12, Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 13–22, and Oh Happy Day. The duo dated for a while before getting married. In 2003, on December 21, the duo got married.
You might also want to know about Malik Yoba.
The couple has not shared children till now. Previously, Malik was married to Trisha Mann. The duo has not shared their marriage date and divorce date. The duo shared three children named Josiah, Dena, and Priya.
Rumors and Controversies
Malik Yoba unintentionally published in an interview that Jussie Smollett was gay in 2015. She had kept his personal life private and had said nothing about his sexual orientation. However, Malik was criticized by several after he published that he was attracted to transgender people in 2019. Moreover, Yoba was pulled into more controversy after an activist called Ebony claimed that Yoba paid for sex work 20 years ago when Jussie was still a minor.
You might also want to know about Tyler Nolan.
Jussie also claimed that the actor drove around New York City’s Meatpacking district and looked for Black transgender sex workers who were Black trans girls. Smollett claimed that he begged for unprotected sex and was sure she was not the first underage sex worker he had been with.
In March 2025, Yoba again became the subject of widespread discussion after an Instagram statement in which he said he was no longer identifying himself as a Black man but as a “non-white man.” In a subsequent CNN interview, he explained that his comments were intended to make a broader point about identity and bringing people together, and he stated that he still identifies as a Black man of African descent.
Body measurement
Malik Yoba stands at 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 83 kg. Yoba has black hair and dark brown eyes. Malik has not shared his body measurement yet.
You might also want to know about Sapnap.
Social Media
Malik Yoba is active on her social media accounts. In addition, he is active on his social media accounts like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Malik has an username of @malikyoba on Instagram.
His account has been used to promote acting projects, public appearances, and community and business initiatives. Recent coverage of Kings of Jo’Burg also embedded posts from his Instagram account.
Net Worth
Malik Yoba is renowned as an actor. He has done a great job and amassed a decent amount of money throughout his career. Yoba’s estimated net worth is around $3 million, and he has an average annual salary of around $485k.
Check out some interesting facts about Celebrities’ Careers, Lifestyles, Relationships, Latest Net Worth, Height, Weight, Age, Rumors, and many more on Global Stardom.
