Ajiona Alexus

Ajiona Alexus Brown (born March 16, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She began her career starring in the TV One sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show (2012–2014), and later played Teenage Cookie Lyon in the Fox musical drama series, Empire (2016–2019). She starred in the Netflix teen drama series, 13 Reasons Why (2017–2018), the Hulu supernatural thriller, Light as a Feather (2018–2019), and the starz crime drama, BMF (2021). Alexus also starred in films Something Like Summer (2017), Acrimony (2018), and Breaking In (2018).

Early life
Alexus was born on March 16, 1996, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She studied Theater Arts at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She recited her first monologue on stage at age 8. She started her career in 2008, at the age of 12.

Career
From 2012 to 2014, Alexus was regular cast member in the TV One sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show. In 2015 she made guest starring appearances in the Grey's Anatomy and Code Black. She made her film debut appearing opposite Robin Givens in the 2014 drama Unspoken Words, and later had roles in My First Love (2015), Bad Girl (2016) and Something Like Summer (2017). From 2016 to 2019, Alexus played Teenage Cookie Lyon (played by Taraji P. Henson) in the Fox musical drama series, Empire. In 2018, she played Young Melinda Moore in the psychological thriller film, Acrimony also starring Taraji P. Henson. Also in 2018, Alexus starred in the horror film Family Blood, and the action thriller film Breaking In opposite Gabrielle Union.

From 2017 to 2018, Alexus starred as Sheri Holland in the Netflix teen drama series, 13 Reasons Why. In 2018 she was regular cast member in the Hulu supernatural thriller, Light as a Feather. In 2021, she starred in the first season of the Starz crime drama series, BMF. In 2023, Alexus went to star with her BMF co-star Da'Vinchi in Real Love and Strength of a Woman, the two Lifetime movies that were inspired by two of Mary J. Blige's songs.