Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Donald Glover
How Donald Glover built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, is a multifaceted American entertainer. Rising to prominence as a writer for 30 Rock, he gained wider recognition for his role as Troy Barnes in the sitcom Community. Glover is also the creator, star, and occasional director of the acclaimed FX series Atlanta, earning him Emmy and Golden Globe awards. He is known for his work in acting, music, comedy, and filmmaking, demonstrating versatility in the entertainment industry.
1994: Release of Original The Lion King Movie
In 2019 Donald Glover starred in the remake of the 1994 film 'The Lion King'.
2005: Glover Remixes Sufjan Stevens' Album
In 2005, Donald Glover, under the moniker MC DJ, remixed Sufjan Stevens' album Illinois.
2006: Glover Joins Derrick Comedy
In 2006, Donald Glover became a member of the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy.
June 2008: Sick Boi Mixtape Release
In June 2008, Childish Gambino released the independent mixtape Sick Boi, marking the beginning of his musical career.
2008: Unsuccessful SNL Audition
In 2008, Donald Glover unsuccessfully auditioned to play President Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live.
September 2009: Poindexter Mixtape Release
In September 2009, Childish Gambino released his second mixtape, Poindexter.
September 2009: Glover Stars in Community
In September 2009, Donald Glover starred as Troy Barnes on Dan Harmon's NBC sitcom Community.
2009: Glover Ends Writing for 30 Rock
In 2009, Donald Glover ended his writing duties for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, in which he also had occasional appearances.
2009: Glover Joins Community
In 2009, Donald Glover gained fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community.
2009: Mystery Team Premieres
In 2009, Mystery Team, a feature-length film written and starring Donald Glover and Derrick Comedy, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
March 2010: Comedy Central Presents Performance
In March 2010, Donald Glover performed a 30-minute set on the stand-up showcase program Comedy Central Presents.
May 2010: #donald4spiderman Campaign
In May 2010, a fan suggested Donald Glover for the role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man film, sparking the viral hashtag campaign "#donald4spiderman".
2010: #donald4spiderman Campaign
In 2010, Glover had a campaign to play Spider-Man.
March 2011: EP Release and Woodie Awards Hosting
In March 2011, Childish Gambino released his first extended play, titled EP, as a free digital download. A music video for the song "Freaks and Geeks" was released and Glover hosted the MTVU Woodie Awards at South By Southwest.
November 15, 2011: Camp Album Release
On November 15, 2011, Childish Gambino's album titled Camp was released, backed by the singles "Bonfire" and "Heartbeat".
November 2011: Weirdo Stand-up Special Airs
In November 2011, Childish Gambino's one-hour stand-up special, Weirdo, aired on Comedy Central.
2011: Glover Signs with Glassnote Records and Releases Camp
In 2011, Donald Glover, under the name Childish Gambino, signed with Glassnote Records and released his debut studio album, Camp.
March 2012: Camp Gambino Tour Postponement
In March 2012, Childish Gambino's Camp Gambino tour was scheduled to commence but was postponed to April after he fractured his foot.
May 2012: Royalty Mixtape Tracks Premiered
Throughout May 2012, Childish Gambino premiered tracks from his sixth mixtape, Royalty, which was released as a free digital download in July.
November 2012: Next Album Idea Generation
In November 2012, Ludwig Göransson stated that he and Childish Gambino were in the studio generating new ideas for the next album which was to be 'bigger' and 'with more people involved'.
October 2013: Because the Internet Album Recording Finished
In October 2013, Childish Gambino finished recording his second studio album, Because the Internet.
2013: Because the Internet Album Release
In 2013, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) released his second album, Because the Internet, supported by the single "3005".
2013: Atlanta Deal Signed and Other Roles
In 2013, Donald Glover signed a deal to create Atlanta for FX, had a supporting role in The To Do List, and guest starred in Girls.
May 2014: The Deep Web Tour
From February to May 2014, Childish Gambino embarked on The Deep Web Tour.
October 2, 2014: STN MTN Mixtape and Kauai EP Release
On October 2, 2014, Childish Gambino released a mixtape titled STN MTN and the next day an EP titled Kauai. Proceeds from Kauai went to law enforcement policies as well as the maintenance and preservation of Kauai island.
2014: Glover Leaves Community
In 2014, Donald Glover ended his role as Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community.
October 2015: Atlanta Season Announced
In October 2015, FX announced a 10-episode season of Atlanta.
2015: Glover Appears in Several Films
In 2015, Donald Glover appeared in 'The Lazarus Effect', 'Magic Mike XXL', and 'The Martian'.
September 6, 2016: Atlanta Series Premieres
On September 6, 2016, the Atlanta series premiered on FX to widespread critical acclaim.
September 2016: Pharos Experience Musical Performances
In September 2016, Childish Gambino held three musical performances, known as the "Pharos Experience", in Joshua Tree, California, where he debuted songs from his third studio album "Awaken, My Love!".
2016: Atlanta Series Created
In 2016, Donald Glover created the FX series Atlanta, where he starred in and occasionally directed episodes.
2016: Redbone and "Awaken, My Love!" Release
In 2016, Donald Glover's (Childish Gambino) single "Redbone" peaked on the charts and his album "Awaken, My Love!" was released.
June 2017: Childish Gambino Retirement Announcement
In June 2017, Childish Gambino announced his intention to retire the Childish Gambino stage name after his next album.
2017: Glover Stars in Spider-Man: Homecoming
In 2017, Donald Glover played Aaron Davis in the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming.
January 2018: Signing with RCA Records
In January 2018, Childish Gambino signed with RCA Records.
February 2018: Guava Island Project
In February 2018, Donald Glover approached New Regency about a project that would eventually become Guava Island.
May 2018: "This Is America" Release and SNL Performance
In May 2018, Childish Gambino released the single "This Is America" while performing as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
July 2018: Summer Pack Extended Play Release
In July 2018, Childish Gambino released the Summer Pack extended play containing the songs "Summertime Magic" and "Feels Like Summer".
2018: "This Is America" Release and Success
In 2018, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) released "This Is America", which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and later won multiple Grammy Awards.
2018: Glover Plays Lando Calrissian
In 2018, Donald Glover played Lando Calrissian in the space western Solo: A Star Wars Story.
2018: Deadpool Animated Series Cancellation
In 2018, Donald Glover's animated series featuring the Marvel Comics character Deadpool was canceled due to creative differences.
April 2019: Donald Glover Presents Adidas Sneakers
In April 2019, Donald Glover partnered with Adidas Originals to launch a line of reimagined classic Adidas sneakers under the "Donald Glover Presents" line.
April 2019: "Algorythm" Song Premiere
In April 2019, days after headlining Coachella, Childish Gambino premiered a new song, "Algorythm", through the mobile app Pharos AR.
December 2019: Endorsement of Andrew Yang
In December 2019, Donald Glover endorsed 2020 Democratic candidate Andrew Yang.
2019: Glover Voices Simba in The Lion King Remake
In 2019, Donald Glover provided the voice for adult Simba in The Lion King remake.
2019: Glover Voices Simba and Produces Guava Island
In 2019, Donald Glover voiced adult Simba in The Lion King and produced the short film Guava Island.
March 15, 2020: Surprise Album Stream
On March 15, 2020, Childish Gambino streamed his surprise fourth album on his website Donald Glover Presents for twelve hours. The album featured 21 Savage and Ariana Grande.
November 2020: Atlanta and Musical Project Tease
In November 2020, Donald Glover opined that seasons 3 and 4 of Atlanta would be on the caliber of The Sopranos and that his next musical project would be his "biggest by far".
2020: 3.15.20 Album Release
In 2020, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) released his fourth album, 3.15.20.
2020: Joined Andrew Yang's Campaign
In 2020, Donald Glover joined Andrew Yang's campaign as a creative consultant.
April 2021: Feature Film Trilogy Announcement
In April 2021, Donald Glover tweeted that he was in the midst of writing a trilogy of feature films.
February 2022: Atlanta Seasons 3 and 4 Filming Complete
In February 2022, both seasons 3 and 4 of Atlanta had completed filming, with season 3 premiering on March 24, 2022, and the final season on September 15, 2022.
March 2022: Disney+ Star Wars Series Announcement
In March 2022, Glover announced that he was working on a Disney+ Star Wars series based on Lando Calrissian.
March 24, 2022: Atlanta Season 3 Premiere
On March 24, 2022, season 3 of Atlanta premiered. Seasons 3 and 4 had completed filming in February 2022.
September 15, 2022: Atlanta Final Season Premiere
On September 15, 2022, the final season, season 4, of Atlanta premiered. Seasons 3 and 4 had completed filming in February 2022.
October 2022: Community Film Speculation
In an October 2022 interview with Variety, Community creator Dan Harmon expressed his belief that Donald Glover would be in the upcoming Community film produced by Sony Pictures and Peacock.
December 2022: Spider-Man Universe Film Announcement
In December 2022, it was announced that Glover would star and produce a feature set in Sony Pictures' Spider-Man universe, revolving around the Hypno-Hustler.
April 2023: Community Movie Return Confirmation
In April 2023, Donald Glover confirmed that he would be returning for the Community movie.
July 2023: Lando Series Head Writer Replacement
In July 2023, it was announced that Donald Glover and his brother Stephen would replace Justin Simien as the head writers of the upcoming Star Wars series Lando.
2023: Glover Co-Creates Swarm
In 2023, Donald Glover co-created the comedy thriller television series Swarm.
2023: Reprising Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
In 2023, Glover reprised his role as Aaron Davis in a live-action cameo in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
January 8, 2024: 21 Savage Biopic Announcement
On January 8, 2024, it was announced that Donald Glover would star in the biopic of rap artist 21 Savage, titled American Dream: The 21 Savage Story, alongside Caleb McLaughlin. Glover was expected to play 21 Savage.
April 2024: Atavista Album and New Album Announcement
In April 2024, Donald Glover revealed plans to re-release 3.15.20 as a "finished" album called Atavista, as well as announcing the existence of a new album that would be the final Childish Gambino album and act as a soundtrack to an upcoming film called Bando Stone & the New World. Glover previewed a track featuring a Kanye West verse on his Gilga Radio show.
May 13, 2024: Release of Atavista
On May 13, 2024, Donald Glover released the album Atavista.
July 2024: Announcement of The New World Tour and Release of Soundtrack
In July 2024, Donald Glover announced The New World Tour to support his albums. He also released the soundtrack to Bando Stone & the New World that month.
September 2024: Abrupt Cancellation of Tour
In September 2024, Donald Glover abruptly cancelled his tour.
October 4, 2024: Cancellation of Remaining Shows for The New World Tour
On October 4, 2024, Donald Glover announced on Twitter the cancellation of the remaining shows for The New World Tour due to surgery and recovery after experiencing a stroke following the New Orleans concert. He was also featured on Jennie's "Damn Right" from Ruby, alongside Kali Uchis.
2024: Atavista and Bando Stone & the New World Albums Release
In 2024, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) released Atavista, a reworking of 3.15.20, and later his fifth album Bando Stone & the New World.
2024: Glover Creates and Stars in Mr. & Mrs. Smith
In 2024, Donald Glover created and starred in the Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
March 9, 2026: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Yoshi Voice Role
On March 9, 2026, it was announced that Donald Glover will be voicing Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
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