Karen Malina White was born on July 7, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for her roles in Lean on Me (1989), Monsters (2022), and Malcolm & Eddie (1996).

She studied at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and later graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University. During her senior year, she won the title of "Miss Howard University".

Her career began to take off in 1989 when she starred in Lean on Me alongside Morgan Freeman. She was nominated for the 1990 Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her performance in the film.

Throughout the 1990s, she made many guest appearances in various television shows, including The Cosby Show, where she portrayed Charmaine Brown during the final two seasons, and its spin-off A Different World. She also appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Malcolm & Eddie, and The Proud Family, where she voiced Dijonay Jones.

In addition to her television and film work, Karen Malina White has had several theater roles, most notably playing Camae in Katori Hall's The Mountaintop and Arlene/Lacy in Eight Nights.

She reprised her role as Dijonay Jones in the revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder in 2022, for which she was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Television Production.

She also played Shirley Hughes on Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a role that allowed her to utilize American Sign Language, which she has been learning since she was 15. Her lifestyle reflects her dedication to her craft and her passion for acting.

She has been active on social media, sharing updates about her projects and engaging with her fans. She has also been involved in teaching, serving as a guest speaker in the online acting class "Mastering the Business of Acting," which teaches acting students the business side of the industry.

In 2023, she appeared in a FanDuel commercial alongside former American football player Rob Gronkowski. In her personal life, Karen Malina White was in a long-term relationship with actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, but they never married. She has never married and has no children.