Daughter of Jesse Jackson lands role on Netflix’s ‘A Different World’

Ashley Laverne Jackson, daughter of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, is stepping into her own spotlight after landing a coveted role as a staff writer on the upcoming A Different World reboot on Netflix. For Jackson, the opportunity is more than just a career milestone—it’s the fulfillment of a longtime dream to help shape stories that reflect the richness, humor, and complexity of Black college life.

“This is truly my dream job. I watched Denise Huxtable’s journey to Hillman College as a kid glued to ‘The Cosby Show’… by my late teens, when I fell in love with ‘A Different World,’ I was already imagining what the characters were doing after the finale,” said Jackson. “[The show] reinforced everything I was raised to value. With two HBCU graduates as parents, I grew up understanding the pride, purpose, and community that these institutions hold, but Hillman gave me a visual language for it. To work on this sequel and help build the next chapter of the universe is a professional honor. In some ways, I’ve been working toward this my entire life.”

The reboot follows Deborah Wayne, the youngest daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, as she follows in her parents’ footsteps and attends their alma mater, Hillman College. The popular streaming service has ordered 10 episodes, and production is already underway.

Originally airing on NBC from 1987 to 1993, A Different World was a groundbreaking spin-off of The Cosby Show and remains one of the most influential depictions of HBCU life on television. The series is widely credited with inspiring a surge in enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide—a cultural impact that deeply influenced Jackson’s own path to becoming a writer.

Among her greatest inspirations are trailblazing Black women in television, including Yvette Lee Bowser, Mara Brock Akil, and Debbie Allen, who served as both director and producer on the original series. Jackson also credits her professors at Spelman College for shaping her creative foundation. Enrolling in 2018 while already acting professionally, she built an independent major centered on Black storytelling in film and television under the mentorship of Julie Dash and Elyce Strong Mann. She has also cited the impact of Professor Anjanette Levert and Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall in expanding her vision of narrative as both art and activism.

In addition to earning her bachelor’s degree from Spelman, Jackson received her Master of Fine Arts in production for film, television, and new media from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California. From a Disney apprenticeship to founding her own production company, Jackson says each step has led her to this moment.

Landing in the A Different World writers’ room is especially meaningful given her being an HBCU alumna and her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. It also carries personal resonance: her father made a guest appearance on the original series during the “Citizen Wayne” episode in season two.

As production continues, anticipation is building among longtime fans and a new generation of viewers eager to return to Hillman.

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