Trivia

Received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in cinema and television arts from Columbia College Chicago (CCC) (2006).

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 (2012) showed that Lena's mtDNA is Native American.

Attended and graduated from Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois (2002).

She became the first African-American woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Thanksgiving (2017).

Was on the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, with an homage penned by U.S. senator and Vice President Kamala Harris. (2018)

Announced separation from her wife of two months Alana Mayo. (January 22, 2020)