Akil is a native of Los Angeles, but her childhood was primarily spent in Kansas City. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University, marking the beginning of her academic and professional journey.
Akil's writing career started on the critically acclaimed Fox series "South Central." She later moved on to write for the UPN series "Moesha," where she earned the title of Producer after four seasons. Her work on "Moesha" earned her the 1999 SHINE Award for her episode "Birth Control," presented by The Media Project.
Akil then served as Supervising Producer on the comedy series "The Jamie Foxx Show." For the 2000-01 television season, she created her first show, "Girlfriends," which she and Kelsey Grammer executive produce. "Girlfriends" was honored with a 2001 SHINE Award for "The Burning Vagina Monologues" episode, as well as receiving nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2002 and 2003 NAACP Image Awards.
Akil draws inspiration for her storylines from her close-knit group of friends, including Felicia D. Henderson, creator of Showtime's "Soul Food," and Gina Prince-Bythewood, writer/director of New Line Cinema's "Love & Basketball."
Akil is married to Executive Producer/Director Salim Akil. Her accomplishments have been recognized by various organizations, including being listed on VIBE's "Top 100 Hottest People List" and Honey magazine's "Top 25 Hottest Women in Urban Entertainment." She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and a board member of Center Theatre Group, which includes the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. Akil is also passionate about mentoring young people, particularly aspiring writers.
In her personal life, Akil recently gave birth to her first child.
