Jasmine Guy and Daughter Imani Guy Duckette Announce New Memoir A Different Girl

We Are Excited!!!

For generations of viewers, Jasmine Guy will forever hold a special place in television history. But behind the performances, dancing, directing and unforgettable characters is a woman whose journey stretches far beyond what audiences have seen on screen.

Now, she is ready to tell that story — and she is bringing her daughter along to help tell it.

The legendary actress, dancer, singer and director has co-authored a new memoir, A Different Girl, alongside her daughter and confidante Imani Guy Duckette. The 320-page memoir is set for release on February 9, 2027, through Black Privilege Publishing in partnership with Atria.

And while the title may immediately bring memories of a certain beloved television series, A Different Girl promises to introduce readers to the woman beyond the character.

Before Whitley, There Was Jasmine

Guy’s story begins in Atlanta, where she grew up mixed-race near the campuses of Morehouse and Spelman, with a father who taught philosophy. Her creative ambitions eventually took her from Atlanta to New York at just 17 years old, where she trained with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Dance would become one of the foundations of a career that continued expanding into theater, television, film, music and directing.

Guy eventually made her Broadway debut before appearing in Spike Lee’s School Daze, but it was her arrival as the unforgettable Whitley Gilbert on A Different World that would turn her into one of the defining faces of Black television during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Running from 1987 to 1993, A Different World brought HBCU life, Black excellence, relationships, friendship and social issues into homes across the country. Guy’s portrayal of Whitley became an essential part of that legacy, creating a character whose voice, style and evolution remain instantly recognizable decades later.

A Different Girl, however, goes beyond the television history audiences already know.

The Chapters Behind the Spotlight

The memoir also explores some of the more difficult chapters of Guy’s life.

She opens up about experiences with depression, struggles surrounding self-image, racism encountered throughout her career in Hollywood, and the ongoing desire to create work that felt meaningful.

Along the way, Guy revisits moments and relationships involving several major cultural figures of her generation, including Whitney Houston, Debbie Allen and Tupac Shakur.

The result is positioned as more than a collection of Hollywood memories. It is a personal examination of what it took to become Jasmine Guy while navigating identity, ambition, creativity and an industry that did not always make that journey easy.

A Mother’s Story Through Her Daughter’s Eyes

Perhaps the most personal element of A Different Girl is that Guy isn’t telling the story by herself.

Imani Guy Duckette joins her mother as co-author, creating an opportunity for two generations to explore one life from different perspectives.

There is Jasmine Guy, the performer and public figure millions have watched for decades. Then there is Jasmine, the woman Imani has always known simply as her mother.

Through their collaboration, Duckette helps capture the woman who existed before motherhood while participating in the preservation of her mother’s history for another generation.

That makes A Different Girl a story not only about celebrity, but also about motherhood, family, legacy and the stories we choose to pass down.

A Different Kind of Story

Described as frank, unfiltered and often funny, A Different Girl speaks to dancers, mixed kids, dreamers and anyone who has ever had to find confidence while figuring out exactly where they belong.

For Guy, whose career has already touched generations through dance, theater, film and television, the memoir offers another opportunity to leave something behind — this time in her own words and alongside her daughter.

Audiences may know Whitley Gilbert.

They may know the actress, dancer, director and entertainer.

But on February 9, 2027, Jasmine Guy and Imani Guy Duckette are inviting readers to meet A Different Girl.

The memoir is available for pre-order ahead of its February 2027 release through Black Privilege Publishing and Atria.