Akilah Hughes is a writer, comedian and podcaster residing in Los Angeles, CA. She’s been a digital correspondent for MTV, HBO, Fusion, Comedy Central and more. A Sundance Labs Fellow, Razorbill (an imprint of Penguin Random House) published a collection of her personal essays titled Obviously: Stories from my Timeline in the fall of 2019. Her comedic YouTube channel, “It’s Akilah, Obviously!” has garnered more than 150,000 subscribers and “What a Day,” her former daily news podcast from Crooked Media, debuted at number one on the charts. In 2024 Hughes released a podcast about America, history, and a local fight over a high school mascot for iHeart Podcasts titled, “Rebel Spirit.” The show has amassed a cult following and recently won a 2025 Webby Award. She is the host of Courier’s “How is This Better” podcast.