Aisha Tyler is an American actress, comedian, author, director, and talk show host born on September 18, 1970, in San Francisco, California. She plays Dr. Tara Lewis on Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Evolution, and she voices Lana Kane on Archer. She co-hosted The Talk on CBS and later took over Whose Line Is It Anyway? Her early break came as host of Talk Soup, and she went on to build a wide résumé that includes Friends, Ghost Whisperer, and a New York Times bestselling book. She also runs losophē, a cocktail brand. She studied at Dartmouth College and won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.
Who Is Aisha Tyler? (Quick Facts)
| Detail | Information |
| Real Name | Aisha Nilaja Tyler |
| Date of Birth | September 18, 1970 |
| Place of Birth | San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Height | 6 feet (1.83 m) |
| Spouse | Jeff Tietjens (1992–2017) |
| Parents | Robin Gregory, Jim Tyler |
| Sibling | Feri Tyler |
| Net Worth | Around $4 million |
| Known For | Friends, Archer, Criminal Minds, The Talk |
| Major Award | Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host |
Early Life and Family Background
Aisha Tyler grew up in San Francisco. Her mother, Robin Gregory, worked as a teacher. Her father, James “Jim” Tyler, worked as a photographer and spent time in Ethiopia living at an ashram before settling in Oakland, California.
Her parents divorced when she was ten years old. The split stayed amicable, and Tyler and her sister, Feri Tyler, kept a close, friendly bond with both parents afterward.
Tyler’s family background traces back further than most profiles mention. Her maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Montgomery Gregory, worked as a dramatist and educator at Howard University. Her great-great-grandfather, James Monroe Gregory, taught there as well. That academic lineage runs through a family with mixed African-American and Afro-Cuban roots.
Education: McAteer High School to Dartmouth College
Tyler attended McAteer High School in San Francisco, home to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts program. She used the school’s theater track to get into improv and sketch comedy early. Comedian Margaret Cho and actor Sam Rockwell came out of the same arts program around the same period.
She then enrolled at Dartmouth College in 1992, joining The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity, and singing with the Dartmouth Rockapellas, an a cappella group. She graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Policy.
After college, Tyler took a job at an advertising firm. The corporate track didn’t hold her interest for long. She left in 1996 and moved to Los Angeles to chase comedy full time.
Career
Breakthrough: Talk Soup and Early TV (1996–2003)
Tyler’s first major break came in 2001, when she took over as host of Talk Soup on E! Entertainment Television. She became the first woman and the first African-American host of the show, and her sharp comedic timing made the transition look easy.
That same year, she also hosted The 5th Wheel, a reality dating series that got canceled after a short run. She followed it with a small role in Moose Mating, which earned an NAACP Image Award, and wrote, directed, and starred in a short film called The Whipper.
Acting Roles: Friends, Ghost Whisperer, CSI, and Beyond
Tyler joined the cast of Friends as Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a love interest caught between Joey Tribbiani and Ross Geller during the show’s ninth and tenth seasons. From there, her television resume expanded fast.
She appeared on CSI: Miami, Nip/Tuck, and 24, where she played Marianne Taylor between 2004 and 2005. She then landed the lead female role of Andrea Marino on Ghost Whisperer for its first season, from 2005 to 2006.
Her range showed up in smaller parts too. She played A.D.A. Taryn Campbell on Boston Legal, appeared on Reno 911!, and voiced a character on the animated comedy The Boondocks. She later showed up on Glee as Jake’s mother and on Modern Family in the episode “Spring-a-Ding-Fling,” playing Wendy, a former law school classmate of Mitchell Pritchett.
Voice Acting: Archer and Video Games
In 2009, Tyler began voicing Lana Kane on FX’s animated series Archer, created by Adam Reed. The role ran for 143 episodes through 2023 and became one of her most recognized parts, earning the show Emmy recognition along with Critics’ Choice and Annie Award nods.
Her voice work extended into video games. She voiced Dr. Catherine Halsey in Halo: Reach in 2010 and Marcie in Gears of War 3 in 2011. She returned for additional voices in Watch Dogs in 2014 and won a Golden Joystick Award for Personality of the Year that same year. She also voiced Millie on Monsters at Work from 2021 to 2024.
Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Evolution
Tyler joined Criminal Minds in 2015, taking on the role of Dr. Tara Lewis during the show’s eleventh season, stepping in while Jennifer Love Hewitt was on maternity leave. By season 12, she had become part of the main cast.
The role continued into the revival series, Criminal Minds: Evolution, which follows the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they track a network of serial killers. Tyler has appeared alongside Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, and Paget Brewster through seasons 16 through 19, with the show moving to Paramount+.
Season 19 premiered on May 28, 2026. In interviews around that release, Tyler talked about Tara Lewis studying serial killer Elias Voit, played by Zach Gilford, comparing the show’s profiling work to real interviews with figures like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy. Season 20 is currently in production.
Talk Shows and Hosting: The Talk and Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Tyler co-hosted The Talk on CBS from 2011 to 2017, sitting alongside Holly Robinson Peete and offering commentary on culture and current events. Her run there overlapped with her work on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
In 2013, she took over hosting duties on Whose Line Is It Anyway? for The CW, replacing longtime host Drew Carey on the rebooted improv series. Her work on The Talk earned her a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.
Directing Career
Tyler made her feature directorial debut with Axis in 2017. She shot the crowdfunded film in just seven days on location in Los Angeles back in 2015. The movie won Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Film Festival and took “Best of the Fest” honors at the Sarasota Film Festival before its wide video-on-demand release in April 2018.
Her television directing debut came earlier, on Criminal Minds in 2005. She has since directed episodes of Fear the Walking Dead, Roswell, New Mexico, The Walking Dead, and Evil, along with short films and music videos for bands including Minke, Clutch, and Silversun Pickups. She also directed the psychological thriller I Hope We Can Still Be Friends.
Stand-Up Comedy and Podcasting
Tyler built a stand-up career alongside her TV work, performing sets like Tuesdays With Tyler with comedian Hal Sparks and headlining the Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour at the Fillmore Theatre. She still performs regularly, including shows at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco.
She created and hosted Girl on Guy, a podcast that iTunes named Best New Comedy Podcast in 2011. The show passed 7 million downloads and featured guests like H. Jon Benjamin. She also hosted InfoMania on Current TV alongside Brett Erlich.
Video Game Hosting: E3 and Ubisoft
Tyler hosted Ubisoft’s press conference at E3 in 2012, one of the biggest stages in gaming. The appearance also included a memorable bit with “Weird Al” Yankovic performing his song “Tacky.”
Books and Bibliography
Tyler published her first book, Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls, through Plume in 2004. Her second book, Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation, came out through It Books in July 2013 and made the New York Times bestseller list.
Personal Life
Marriage and Divorce: Jeff Tietjens
Tyler married Jeff Tietjens, an attorney she met while both attended Dartmouth, in 1992. The two shared a hobby of homebrewing beer and stayed married for over two decades.
The couple went through fertility treatments during their marriage but did not have children. They separated in January 2015, and Tyler filed for divorce in April 2016. The divorce was finalized in May 2017, reportedly including a settlement involving a lump sum payment and ongoing spousal support for several years.
Relationship Status and Public Speculation
Since 2018, Tyler’s name has been linked to actress Emily Bett Rickards, known for Arrow, based on photos and posts on Instagram. Tyler has kept her personal life private and has not confirmed details about her current relationship status.
Physical Appearance
Tyler stands 6 feet tall, or 1.83 meters.
Net Worth and Earnings
Aisha Tyler’s net worth is estimated at around $4 million. That figure comes from decades of steady income across television, film, hosting work, and publishing.
Her salary from hosting gigs alone has been significant. She reportedly earned close to $450,000 per episode for hosting Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2022. Add in her Archer paycheck, her Criminal Minds role, and years on The Talk and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and her income streams stack up from multiple directions rather than one single show.
Business Ventures: Courage+Stone and losophē
In January 2020, Tyler launched Courage+Stone, a ready-to-drink cocktail line. The company donated a portion of its early sales to support bar and restaurant workers left without income during pandemic lockdowns. Tyler became one of a small number of women of color to found a brand in the spirits category.
That brand has since become losophē, a super-premium organic, ready-to-drink clarified margarita line. Tyler brought the brand to the 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo, held March 23 to 25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the event’s 40th year, she moderated a fireside chat with chef Roy Choi and hosted a guest bartending session for Questex executive Brandy Rand’s team. She also brought losophē to San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, hosting a fan appreciation event with free samples and autographs.
Philanthropy and Activism
Tyler has supported the American Red Cross, The Trust for Public Land, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the International Rescue Committee. She has also played in charity poker events tied to the World Poker Tour to raise money for Futures Without Violence. Her public advocacy has included support for LGBT rights and women’s rights, alongside her push for more diversity among founders in the spirits industry.
Awards and Recognition
Tyler’s biggest honor remains her Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. She also holds an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Joystick Award for Personality of the Year. Her voice work on Archer brought recognition from the Behind the Voice Actors Awards for Outstanding Vocal Ensemble, plus nods from the Critics’ Choice Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and Annie Awards. Axis picked up Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking honors at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Health Disclosure: Skin Cancer Awareness
In May 2006, Tyler posed nude for Allure magazine to raise awareness about skin cancer, using the shoot to talk openly about body image and self-acceptance.
Aisha Tyler in 2026: Current Projects and Public Appearances
Tyler stays busy in 2026. Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 premiered in May, and the cast is currently filming Season 20. She has also spent the year promoting losophē, appearing at the Bar & Restaurant Expo in March and hosting a fan event at San Diego Comic-Con in July. She continues to post updates on both her acting work and her cocktail brand through her Instagram account, @aishatyler.
Trivia and Lesser-Known Facts
Tyler speaks French and enjoys Korean pop music. She’s an avid gamer with a soft spot for peanut butter, and she and her ex-husband bonded for years over homebrewing beer as a shared hobby.
Conclusion
Aisha Tyler has built one of the more varied careers in Hollywood, moving between acting, voice work, directing, stand-up, writing, and now entrepreneurship without settling into one lane. From Talk Soup to Criminal Minds: Evolution and now losophē, she keeps adding new chapters instead of resting on old ones.
FAQ’s
How old is Aisha Tyler?
Aisha Tyler was born on September 18, 1970, in San Francisco, California, which makes her 55 years old as of 2026.
What is Aisha Tyler’s net worth?
Aisha Tyler has an estimated net worth of around $4 million, built from her acting, hosting, directing, and publishing career.
Who is Aisha Tyler married to?
Aisha Tyler was married to attorney Jeff Tietjens from 1992 until their divorce was finalized in 2017.
Is Aisha Tyler in a relationship now?
Aisha Tyler has been linked to actress Emily Bett Rickards since 2018, though she has not publicly confirmed her current relationship status.
How tall is Aisha Tyler?
Aisha Tyler is 6 feet tall, which converts to approximately 1.83 meters.
What college did Aisha Tyler attend?
Aisha Tyler attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1992 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Policy.
Is Aisha Tyler still on Criminal Minds?
Yes, Aisha Tyler still plays Dr. Tara Lewis on Criminal Minds: Evolution, which is currently filming its 20th season on Paramount+.
What does Aisha Tyler voice in Archer?
Aisha Tyler voices Lana Kane, one of the lead characters, on FX’s animated series Archer, which premiered in 2009.
