ABC Family (soon to be Freeform) and Nicki Minaj are scheduled to begin filming the pilot episode for her scripted comedy series “Nicki” tomorrow in Queens, NY with director Tim Story.




Ariana Neal (“Get Hard,” “Fruitvale Station”) will play Nicki, Selita Ebanks (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”) will play the role of Grace, Nicki’s mom; Wesley Jonathan (“The Soul Man”) will play Vincent, Nicki and Jaylen’s father; and McCarrie McCausland (“Army Wives,” “The Originals”) is cast as Jaylen, Nicki’s older brother. Whoopi Goldberg will guest star as Nicki’s neighbor, Miss Martha. Minaj is executive producer and will also appear in the show.




“Nicki Minaj is a force to be reckoned with at everything she touches,” said Karey Burke, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development at ABC Family. “We’re beyond thrilled to bring her one-of-a-kind story to our channel. Nicki is an international superstar, yet not everyone knows how inspiring and hilarious her true story is, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”

“This is one of the more unique adventures I’ve ever embarked on,” Nicki said in a release. “I couldn’t be more proud and excited to team up with an amazing group of people to give the world something really special.”