Maleah Joi Moon: From Broadway to A Different World

With a Tony and a Grammy already won, Maleah Joi Moon takes on Netflix as Deborah Wayne in A Different World. For the actress, joining the beloved television legacy means finding her own place within a story that has shaped generations.

In conversation with IRK, Moon discusses Debbie Allen’s belief in her, the friendships formed on set and the moment she heard her name at the Tony Awards. She also shares her style favourites and why access to education matters to her.

Joining A Different World

IRK: To begin, what were your first thoughts during auditions for such an iconic role?

Maleah Joi Moon: When I first got the read for interest, I was extremely curious as to how they were going to develop Deborah. Being the love child of a beautiful legacy, in both our reality and the Hillman universe, how would she translate as the offspring of two beloved figures in television history? And how would I play a part in that translation if I landed this insane role?

IRK: You’re starring in the sequel to one of television’s most iconic shows. Debbie Allen is a legend both on and off the stage. How excited were you when you landed the part?

Maleah Joi Moon: Excited doesn’t even scratch the surface. Debbie Allen is a beacon of light and wisdom. I had the honour of meeting her one night backstage at Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway after I finished a show in 2024.

She later told me in 2025, around the end of my time on Broadway, when I was signing the NDA to audition for A Different World, that seeing me as Ali was when she pictured me as Deborah.

I owe everything to Ma’D, her warmth and her God-given gift of vision. Two years later, I’ve learned so much from her, and I am so grateful that she saw something in me.

Finding family at Hillman

IRK: Meanwhile, the cast seems like a close family. What was it like having that feeling on set?

Maleah Joi Moon: From the first time I met the contemporary cast at the chemistry read to the day our show premiered, I have felt the constant embrace of our connection. Every day with Alijah, Kennedi, Cornell, Chib and Jordan is full of laughter and warmth.

We are very intentional and disciplined about keeping each other. Being close and forging friendships built on trust and mutual admiration takes work, and it was work we were willing to do to protect our relationships with one another. I’m blessed to work with people I can genuinely call family.

IRK: So, who is Deborah Wayne?

Maleah Joi Moon: Deborah Gilbert-Wayne is the youngest daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne. Deborah is an incoming freshman at Hillman College. She is written as the messy, free-spirited, well-meaning artist child living under the pressure of a legacy.

In her journey at Hillman, we get to watch her learn who she really is and stumble through becoming a young Black woman as she’s thrown into the cultural deep end.

I’ve watched her evolve as she met her brilliant new friends on campus, and I’m so excited to see where she goes. In all her chaotic glory, Deborah is a huge piece of me.

The significance of A Different World

IRK: Furthermore, A Different World holds such an important place in Black culture. How are you approaching that responsibility?

Maleah Joi Moon: A Different World is a cultural titan, and sometimes I still can’t believe I am now part of the legacy that shaped generations, especially for Black people.

Even with the inevitable pressure I felt as we were gearing up to share this project with the world, I am starting to ground myself in the higher purpose I serve by being a piece of this show.

I’ve been gifted an opportunity to bring back a familiar sense of hope and reintroduce it to young people. That in itself gave me the courage to step boldly into whatever plan God had for this sequel. He does not call the prepared; He prepares the called.

IRK: Similarly, the filming location carries its own history. What was it like filming at the Atlanta University Center?

Maleah Joi Moon: When you walk around the AUC, even as a bystander, you can feel the deep historic energy where you’re standing. Pretty cool that nearly 60 per cent of our background actors were HBCU alumni and students.

As someone who went to a predominantly white institution for my college experience, I spent a lot of time marvelling at the community, my community.

I often wondered how I would have been shaped as a young person had I attended a school where my skin colour wasn’t the first thing people noticed about me. I felt engulfed and embraced.

Working with the original cast

IRK: In addition, the original cast are legends themselves. What was it like working alongside them?

Maleah Joi Moon: The legacy family is exactly that, our family. First of all, Jasmine, Cree, Kadeem and Darryl are all so technically amazing to learn from on set.

I’ve watched them reprise these iconic roles after all these years with such ease, bringing the experience they’ve had as humans into the humanity of their characters.

Not only are the OGs beasts at their craft, but they are extremely generous. They treat us like their nieces and nephews. They take us to dinner and call us to check in. Jasmine and I are on the phone for two hours at a time, every time. They know when to hold our hands and when to push us into deep water.

The night of the Tony Awards

IRK: Tell us about the moment you accepted your Tony. Also, who were you wearing?

Maleah Joi Moon: Nothing could have prepared me for that. I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants during the Hell’s Kitchen awards season. I was 21, and every single day was a first for me and I was overwhelmed with ambition and some imposter syndrome.

I was lying in bed the night before the Tonys when it started to click that being nominated also came with the possibility I could win. God told me to think of an acceptance speech so I wouldn’t go blank should the unbelievable happen. I wrote a speech on a piece of journal paper and ripped it out.

I blinked, and the next thing I knew, my name was being called and I was onstage. Needless to say, I blacked out. But I remember being there with the award in my hand and feeling every age of myself. The seven-year-old dance-group enthusiast, the high-school perfectionist in West Side Story and the college dropout who thought she had nothing anyone wanted. All in awe of where I was standing that day.

I was wearing Marc Bouwer, who used to design for the late, beautiful Whitney Houston. My best friend said I looked like the physical Tony Award, so maybe we all manifested it.

Maleah Joi Moon’s style favourites

IRK: Favourite lipstick?

Maleah Joi Moon: Gucci 519 in Pauline Red, or MAC Powder Kiss 991 in Devoted to Chili. A Black-girl-friendly red is hard to find!

IRK: Next, what is your favourite bag?

Maleah Joi Moon: It’s between two Steve Madden bags I just bought on a trip to California. The black Luxxar shoulder bag holds so much in such a chic package, but my big blue denim Leilani is my go-to for the airport.

IRK: Favourite shoes?

Maleah Joi Moon: My stylist, Jason Rembert, got me hooked on Louboutins this year. But I have not graduated to So Kate yet. I need some more training for her!

IRK: Your rise feels like it has only just begun. Local theatre, a Tony, a lead on Netflix. What’s next?

Maleah Joi Moon: My bed. Or an island. Then hopefully an Emmy! Hahaha.

Creativity, rest and giving back

IRK: What charities do you align with?

Maleah Joi Moon: I have not found my go-to charity yet, but I’m searching for a nonprofit that helps connect inner-city and suburban kids to artistic and mental wellness resources. Like the ones I needed! My hope is to start my own one day.

IRK: What three things help you unwind after that kind of busy schedule?

Maleah Joi Moon: Pen sketching, Pinterest boarding, and taking my dog to the nearest park and sitting in the grass.

IRK: We’re shedding light on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Which goals do you align with, and why?

Maleah Joi Moon: The 17 goals cover a lot of ground in human rights development on a global scale. It angers me that we live in a world where issues such as access to clean water and healthcare are life-threatening realities for innocent children.

That said, education makes the deepest impression on me. Books are being banned across the country as we speak. People have a right to know the truth, the whole truth.

Without access to accurate information about the state of our political systems, our environment and our social dynamics, we’re at a loss to create policy.

To put it simply, knowledge is power, and it is the best tool young people have to inspire change.

IRK: Finally, what advice do you have for young performers, particularly performers of colour and those in the LGBTQ+ community?

Maleah Joi Moon: We live in a world constantly inundated with psychic information. Everyone’s life and expectations are accessible at your fingertips. That can be a great tool, but also a huge pressure for the young artist who is finding themselves.

Stay in tune with your journey by expressing yourself creatively, emotionally, and spiritually. It’ll keep you grounded in your individuality when waters get murky.

No matter who you are or where life takes you: your purpose is your plan. The journey you take as an artist and as a human being will be your most meaningful project and greatest testimony.

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TALENT: Maleah Joi Moon @maleahjoimoon
PHOTO: Steven DeVilbiss  @stevendevilbiss 
CREATIVE DIRECTION: CANNON @thecannonmediagorup @ateliermgmt
STUDIO: @northlightny
MAKEUP ARTIST: @estabrookartistry Rachel Roberts @Revlon @NYXCosmetics
HAIR: @cheryltbergamyhair Cheryl Bergamy @exclusiveartists
DIGITAL TECHNICIAN: Robin Takami @robintakami
PHOTO ASSIST: @khdphoto Kira Daley
FASHION: Ann Wood @ann.woodd Jillie Yager @jillieyager Langley Faulkner @langleyanne
SPECIAL THANKS TO: @kyla.chalmers, Juliet Cassidy, Chloe Corkery, and the team @jillfritzopr