Skai Jackson (born April 8, 2002) is an American actress. With such accolades as a Shorty Award and a nomination for an NAACP Image Award, she was featured in Time's list of the most influential teens in 2016.
After early child acting roles in the independent film Liberty Kid (2007) and with cameos in The Rebound (2009) and The Smurfs (2011), Jackson gained recognition for her starring role as Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel comedy series Jessie (2011–2015) and its spin-off series Bunk'd (2015–2018). She received an NAACP Image Award nomination for the role.
Jackson has since voiced characters in the Marvel Rising franchise (2018–2019) and DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019–2022), and starred in the film Sheroes (2023). Her memoir Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback was released in 2019. Jackson was also a semi-finalist on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars (2020). She has also been recognized for her social media presence.
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Early life
Jackson was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised primarily by her mother. She is of Afro-Honduran and African-American descent. Jackson began her career as a child model, appearing in numerous national commercials, including for Band-Aid, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Old Navy.
