She became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Thanksgiving (2017).
Her paternal great-grandfather, Winston Waithe, moved from Barbados to Boston in 1921. He was descended from sugar plantation slaves. A DNA test by the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) showed that Lena's mtDNA is Native American.
(January 22, 2020) Announced separation from wife of 2 months Alana Mayo.
