Noël Kristi Wells (born December 23, 1986)^[1][2] is an American actress, writer, director, and musician. She is known for her television roles as Rachel Silva in the Netflix comedy-drama Master of None (2015–2017), as the voice of Kelsey Pokoly in the Cartoon Network animated television series Craig of the Creek (2018–present), as the voice of Ensign D'Vana Tendi in the Paramount+ animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present), and her brief tenure as a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 39th season between 2013 and 2014. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the film Mr. Roosevelt (2017). She has also ventured into music; her debut album It's So Nice! was released in 2019.

Wells was born in San Antonio, Texas.^[3] Her father is a Tunisian immigrant, and her mother is of Mexican descent.^[4][5][6] She says her parents named her Noël because she was born two days before Christmas.^[7]

Wells attended Memorial High School in Victoria, Texas, where she was active in speech and debate and graduated as salutatorian.^[8] She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010^[9] with degrees in Plan II Honors and Radio-Television-Film.^[10] While attending college, she was a cast member of Esther's Follies,^[11] Austin's long-running musical satire show, where she performed in sketches and as a magician's assistant.^[12] Before becoming an actress, she worked as an editor and did motion graphics.

In 2010, Wells moved to Los Angeles and performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre with the sketch team "New Money".^[13][14] She appeared in numerous Cracked.com and CollegeHumor videos,^[15] and was known for her own sketch and parody videos, which have over 18 million views on YouTube.^[16]

In 2013, Wells joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during its 39th season as a featured player along with fellow Upright Citizens Brigade performers John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett, as well as writer Mike O'Brien and stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan.^[17][18][19] On July 15, 2014, it was announced that Wells would not be returning for a second season.^[20][21]

Wells is an avid photographer. Her photography has been featured in exhibitions and the literary magazine Oxford American.^[32] She has lived in Los Angeles and New York City.^[33][34]