Before Rhoyle Ivy King was ruling the campus as Nathaniel on All American: Homecoming, he was a theater kid from Texas with a work ethic that would put most adults to shame. Honestly, a lot of people think he just appeared out of thin air when the CW spinoff launched. That's not the case. Not even close.
The road to becoming the first Black nonbinary series regular on the network was paved with years of "no" and a relentless grind in the New York theater scene. It’s a story about a kid who used fashion as a shield and a stage as a sanctuary.
The Texas Roots and a Shakespearean Spark
Rhoyle was born in Fort Worth but spent his formative years in Houston and Kansas City. Growing up in a house full of Black women, he was surrounded by a specific kind of strength and glamour from day one. His mom, a nurse who attended an HBCU herself, was a huge influence. You can see that connection in how he talks about the "Black excellence" culture of Bringston University—it isn't just a script to him; it’s family history.
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But the real shift happened in middle school.
A teacher basically forced him to go to a Shakespeare camp. Most middle schoolers would rather do literally anything else, but for Rhoyle, it clicked. Hard. By the time he was 16, he wasn't just doing school plays; he was making his theatrical debut in Sister Act: The Musical. Imagine being a teenager and stepping onto a professional stage with that much weight on your shoulders. It set the tone for everything that came later.
The New York Grind: "You Need to Change"
After high school, Rhoyle moved to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). This is where the story gets kinda heavy. New York is a tough city for any actor, but for a Black, gender-nonconforming performer in the mid-2010s, the industry wasn't exactly rolling out the red carpet.
He’s mentioned in interviews that he was told—repeatedly—that he’d have to "change" or "shrink" himself to get work. Basically, the industry wanted him to fit into a box that didn't exist for him.
He didn't listen.
Instead, he dove into musical theater. He toured with FAME: The Musical! and played the Tinman in The Wiz. But if you ask him which role changed his life before the TV cameras started rolling, he’ll tell you it was Angel in RENT. Playing Angel at the Redhouse Art Center in 2019 was a massive turning point. It was a role that required high-level vulnerability and allowed him to explore gender expression in a way that felt authentic. It was the "proof of concept" he needed to know he could lead.
The Pose Connection and the Ryan Murphy Era
A lot of fans don't realize Rhoyle was actually a day player on FX’s Pose. It was a small role, sure, but the impact was massive. Being on that set, surrounded by Black queer excellence and seeing people like Billy Porter and M J Rodriguez live their truths, gave him the permission he needed to stop trying to fit the "traditional" mold.
Shortly after, he caught the eye of the Ryan Murphy machine again.
He was cast in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Working alongside Evan Peters was basically a masterclass in commitment for him. While Dahmer was a dark, intense project, it proved Rhoyle had the dramatic chops to move beyond the "stylish best friend" trope that many queer actors get stuck in. He was building a resume that showed range, from the high-energy belts of musical theater to the quiet, heavy tension of a Netflix true-crime drama.
The Audition That Changed Everything
When the All American: Homecoming backdoor pilot was being cast, the role of Nathaniel wasn't even supposed to be a big deal. It was written as a guest spot with maybe eight lines.
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Then Rhoyle walked in.
Well, technically, the showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll says he "strutted" in. He didn't just read the lines; he brought a whole vibe that didn't exist on the page. He was "fly AF," confident, and deeply human. Carroll was so blown away that she didn't just hire him; she expanded the character into a series regular.
He wasn't just a "token" addition. He worked with the writers and GLAAD to make sure Nathaniel’s journey at an HBCU felt real. He wanted to show a character who was already "grounded" in her identity, rather than someone just "discovering" themselves for the sake of a plot point.
Why the "Before" Matters
If you look at Rhoyle’s life before the fame, you see a pattern of self-belief. He’s a Capricorn—a self-proclaimed workaholic who quotes Beyoncé’s "If I can bet on anything, it’s myself."
Beyond the acting, he was already building a brand. He’s a fitness enthusiast and a "fashion maven" who even appeared in social media promos for Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Rodeo line. He even started his own company, Kingdom City Entertainment, because he wanted to create his own projects rather than waiting for permission.
What you can learn from Rhoyle's journey:
- Don't shrink for the room: If he had listened to the New York casting directors who told him to tone it down, he never would have stood out in that All American audition.
- The "small" jobs are seeds: That day player role on Pose didn't pay much or give him much screen time, but it gave him the mental blueprint for his career.
- Master your craft in different mediums: He studied why film is an "image-based" medium versus theater being "language-based." That technical knowledge is why he can command a room without saying a word.
Rhoyle Ivy King didn't just get lucky. He spent a decade becoming the person who was ready when the right door finally opened. If you’re looking to follow a similar path, his career is proof that being "too much" for some people is exactly what makes you "just right" for the world.
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To really understand his impact, take a look at his early creative directing work on his social channels—it's where you can see the raw vision he had for himself long before the CW came calling. Focus on building your own "safe spaces" just like he did in that high school production of Stand and Deliver. That's where the real work happens.