She won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the strong-willed maid Minny in The Help. As a television Actress, she appeared in Wizards of Waverly Place, ER, and Grounded for Life. In 2016 she voiced Mrs. Otterton in the animated film Zootopia and appeared in the drama Hidden Figures.
She worked as an intern on Whoopi Goldberg's film The Long Walk Home.
She made a guest appearance on the Emmy Award-winning show The Big Bang Theory.
She was raised with six siblings and she received a Bachelor's degree from Auburn University in Liberal Arts. She has expressed her decision not to have children. At the 2015 SAG Awards, her date was her good friend and fellow actor Josh Hopkins.
She was in the film Never Been Kissed, which starred Drew Barrymore.
