Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Brown has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, and films throughout her career. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC comedy series Community. She had a recurring role on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh as Helen Dubois, and voiced the character Cookie on the American-Canadian animated series Pound Puppies. Brown currently stars as Dani in the 2015 version of The Odd Couple on CBS.