Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • WeLoveUs.shop
  • 2026 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Celebrity

Hint, Hint: 10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See

Documentaries on Mary J. Blige and ballerina Misty Copeland will premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival later this month. Plus. a Nina Simone documentary is coming to Netflix on June 26. We can't wait! While Hollywood is at it, we'd like to suggest a few more celebrities whose lives deserve a documentary. Ever wonder why Prince's favorite color is purple? Or what it would be like to sit at the Obamas' dinner table? A good documentary gives you an exclusive look inside the lives of some of the most fascinating celebs and public figures of our time. Here are 10 documentaries we'd love to see come to life. (PBS, can you get a jump on this, please?)
By Jolie A. Doggett · Updated October 27, 2020
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
01
Lauryn Hill

What really happened after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill? Why hasn’t Ms. Hill released any new albums since? What’s she like as a mom? We’re curious to see way more of Ms. Hill’s life story, both before and after her rise to fame.

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage
02
Prince

Wouldn’t be nice to find out exactly what makes Prince…well, Prince? A documentary with interviews from The Purple One’s family and friends would be the definition of must-see TV.

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
03
Kanye West

Who knows Kanye better than Kanye? Give that man a camera and let him give us a show. He can take it anywhere he goes and we’re sure to be entertained.

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Jacopo Raule/GC Images
04
Oprah Winfrey

It’s hard to believe that there has never been an Oprah documentary considering she has spent most of her career in front of the camera. We’d love an inside look into how Oprah became the Queen of Daytime and how (or if) she relaxes at home.

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Michael Rowe
05
Jay Z and Beyonce

We know, we know: There’s already been a Beyoncé documentary. But we want a closer look at her marriage to hip-hop mogul Jay Z. Give us inside access to a romantic getaway with the reigning king and queen of hip-hop. We’re already packed!

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Kevin Mazur/VF15/WireImage
06
Missy Elliott

Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot is sure to have a compelling story about how she came up in the music game to become one of the great female emcees. Plus, we’ll get to see how she formed a bond with Timbaland and Aaliyah. So many secrets will be revealed!

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
07
Aaliyah

Though VH1’s Behind the Music briefly touched on the princess of R&B’s life, we’d still like a more in-depth look at her days growing up in Brooklyn and hear about her life from the people who knew her best.

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
RJ Capak/WireImage
08
Andre 3000

Why hasn’t there been a long, in-depth look into the life and music of André Benjamin? We could call it: 3000 Things You Didn’t Know About André 3000. Or something like that…

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
Getty Images
09
Nina Simone

Thankfully there’s a documentary already on the way. What Happened, Miss Simone? will be available for streaming June 26 on Netflix. We can’t wait!

10 Celebrity Documentaries We'd Love to See
GAB Archive/Redferns