USA TODAY Crossword · 44-Across · 5 letters
"Hidden Figures" star Janelle USA TODAY Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed August 20, 2026
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Identity cue
She portrayed NASA engineer Mary Jackson and also released the album “Dirty Computer.”
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Answer
Why this is the right reference
The clue gives the performer's first name and a film credit. Janelle Monáe appears in “Hidden Figures” as Mary Jackson, so her five-letter surname supplies MONAE in the grid.
Continue this puzzle"___ corte de rosas y espinas" (Sarah J. Maas novel translated by Margara Averbach) →Reference to identify
A quoted film title plus the performer's given name asks for the missing surname.
Who or what the answer is
Janelle Monáe is an actor and musician who played NASA engineer Mary Jackson in “Hidden Figures.”
Where this clue appeared
44-Across in USA TODAY Crossword puzzle for August 20, 2026.
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