Since leaving Community, Donald Glover has gone from strength to strength - here's a summary of everything he's done and accomplished in recent years. While studying at New York University, Glover got his start with the popular sketch group Derrick Comedy. Together, the group even produced a feature-length film, Mystery Team. Around the same time, Glover sent out spec scripts to shows like The Simpsons. In 2006, those efforts caught the attention of David Miner and Tina Fey, who subsequently hired him to write for 30 Rock. He also made multiple cameo appearances.
After three years of writing, Glover turned back towards acting. Though he failed to land the role of Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live, he received his big break playing Troy Barnes on Community. Glover starred as the loveable jock for four full seasons. During his time on the show, Glover also delved into the world of stand-up comedy and further established his rap persona of Childish Gambino. As the latter, he signed with Glassnote Records in 2011 and released his first studio album later that same year. A second album followed in 2013. Having decided to leave before production began, the character was written out partway through Community season 5.
A year later, Glover moved to the big screen. He starred as Niko in the Blumhouse horror film, The Lazarus Effect, working opposite Olivia Wilde and Evan Peters. Glover followed those up by playing Andre in Magic Mike XXL and Rich Purnell - the astrodynamicist who devises the plan to rescue Matt Damon's character - in The Martian. In 2017, he briefly appeared as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The casting was a meta one given that Glover himself helped to inspire the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man - Miles being the nephew of Aaron Davis in Marvel Comics continuity. Glover also played a younger version of Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018 and voiced Simba in Disney's 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King. Between those, he had an uncredited cameo in Men in Black: International and voiced Deni Maroon in the animated folk tale Guava Island. The latter was written by his brother, Stephen Glover, and directed by frequent collaborator, Hiro Murai.
Glover didn't completely eschew the small screen, however. As well as voicing characters on Adventure Time and Adult Swim's China, IL, he voiced Miles Morales for two episodes of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series. Glover also tried to develop an animated series of his own - one centered on Marvel's Deadpool character. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition. Fans were able to read the script for an episode, though, after Glover released it online. More successfully, he created the FX series Atlanta, which premiered in 2016. The second season followed in 2018. Critically acclaimed and winning a host of awards, the series has already been renewed for a third and fourth season. Glover not only stars in and produces Atlanta, but frequently writes and directs episodes. He also finally made it onto Saturday Night Live in the end, serving as the host of a 2018 installment.
As if that wasn't enough, Glover's work as Childish Gambino has continued to thrive. He followed up his 2016, Grammy-nominated third album by debuting a surprise fourth (3.15.20) on his Donald Glover Presents website back in March 2020. No single would resonate quite as much as 2018's This Is America, however, which became a global phenomenon after the music video was released on Youtube. This Is America also served as the title of a tour in 2018 - which was followed up with performances at such events as Coachella in 2019.
Glover would return briefly to the world of Community, however, taking part in an online table read and virtual Q&A to raise funds for Covid-19 relief efforts. During the event, Glover actually pitched an idea for the long-awaited Community movie. Besides the coming seasons of Atlanta, what projects Glover has lined up next currently remain firmly under wraps. However, much like the aforementioned Community movie, fans will likely be waiting for the future fruits of Glover's labor with bated breath.