Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress and model. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before regular role on the short-lived first African-American prime-time drama Under One Roof (CBS, 1995). Atkins is best known for her roles on television comedies. From 1997 to 1999, she starred as Tasha Yvette Henderson in The WB sitcom Smart Guy. She later went to star as Dee Dee Thorne in UPN sitcom Half & Half (2002–06) and TBS comedy series Are We There Yet? (2010–12) as Suzanne Kingston-Persons. In film, Atkins has appeared in Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Dance Flick (2009), A Haunted House (2013) and A Haunted House 2 (2014). In September 2009, Atkins married Puerto Rican collegiate football free safety Jaime Mendez. They met Valentine's Day 2008 through the online dating service Match.com. Her Half and Half co-star Valarie Pettiford performed during the reception. On August 9, 2011, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together. Essence gave birth to a son in December 2011. The couple announced the news via Twitter. Essence filed for divorce in 2016.

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