Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBTQ advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, becoming in 2014 the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category, and the first to be nominated for any Emmy Award since composer Angela Morley in 1990. In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, making her the first trans woman to win the award.

Cox appeared as a contestant on the first season of VH1's reality show I Want to Work for Diddy, and co-produced and co-hosted the VH1 makeover television series TRANSform Me. In April 2014, Cox was honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her work as an advocate for the transgender community. In June 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Cox is the first transgender person to appear on the cover of a Cosmopolitan magazine, with her February 2018 cover on the South African edition. She is also the first openly transgender person to have a wax figure of herself at Madame Tussauds.

Early life Cox was born in Mobile, Alabama, and was raised by a single mother and grandmother within the AME Zion church. She has an identical twin brother, M Lamar, who portrayed the pre-transitioning Sophia (as Marcus) in Orange Is the New Black. Cox has stated that she attempted suicide at the age of 11, when she noticed that she had developed feelings for her male classmates and had been bullied for several years for not acting "the way someone assigned male at birth was supposed to act".

She is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama, where she studied creative writing before switching to dance. She then studied for two years at Indiana University Bloomington before transferring to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she switched from dancing (specifically classical ballet) to acting. She also studied as a Fashion Merchandising Management major at the Fashion Institute of Technology. During her first season on Orange Is the New Black, she was still appearing at a restaurant on the Lower East Side as a drag queen (where she had applied initially to work as a waitress).

Career Laverne Cox at PaleyFest 2014 representing Orange is the New Black. Cox appeared as a contestant on the first season of I Want to Work for Diddy; afterwards she was approached by VH1 about show ideas. From that came the makeover television series TRANSform Me, which made Cox the first African-American transgender person to produce and star in her own TV show. Both those shows were nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding reality program, and when Diddy won in 2009, Cox accepted the award at the ceremony, giving a speech described by the San Francisco Sentinel as "among the most poignant because [it] reminded us how important it is to tell our stories, all of our stories." She has also acted in a number of TV shows and films, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bored to Death, and Musical Chairs.

In 2013, Cox began her recurring role in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black as Sophia Burset, a trans woman sent to prison for credit-card fraud. In that year, she stated, "Sophia is written as a multi-dimensional character who the audience can really empathize with—all of the sudden they're empathizing with a real Trans person. And for Trans folks out there, who need to see representations of people who are like them and of their experiences, that's when it becomes really important." Cox's role in Orange is the New Black provides her a platform to speak on the rights of trans people.

In January 2014, Cox joined trans woman Carmen Carrera on Katie Couric's syndicated show, Katie. Couric referred to transgender people as "transgenders", and after being rebuffed by Carrera on the subject of her surgeries, specifically what genital reconstruction she had done, turned the same question to Cox. Cox responded,

News outlets such as Salon, The Huffington Post, and Business Insider covered what was characterized by Salon writer Katie McDonough as Couric's "clueless" and "invasive" line of questioning.

Cox was on the cover of the June 9, 2014, issue of Time and was interviewed for the article "The Transgender Tipping Point" by Katy Steinmetz, which ran in that issue and the title of which was also featured on the cover; this makes Cox the first transgender person on the cover of Time.

Later in 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black. She also appeared in John Legend's video for the song "You & I (Nobody in the World)".

Cox joined a campaign in 2014 against a Phoenix, Arizona, law which allows police to arrest anyone suspected of "manifesting prostitution", and which she feels targets transgender women of color, following the conviction of activist (and transgender woman of color) Monica Jones. Cox stated, "All over the country, trans women are targeted simply for being who they are. Laws like this manifestation law really support systematically the idea that girls like me, girls like me and Monica, are less than [others] in this country." But when Cox learned that Blast was found guilty of the 1993 rape and murder of a 13-year-old child, she wrote on her Tumblr, "I was not aware of the charges for which she was convicted. If I had been aware of those charges, I would have never agreed to read the letter." For the issue, V asked celebrities and artists to nominate who they saw as their personal rebels, and Natasha Lyonne nominated Cox.

On October 17, 2014, Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, an hour-long documentary executive-produced and narrated by Cox, premiered on MTV and Logo simultaneously. That same year, Cox was featured on the fifth anniversary cover of C☆NDY magazine along with 13 other transgender women—Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, Geena Rocero, Isis King, Gisele Alicea, Leyna Ramous, Dina Marie, Nina Poon, Juliana Huxtable, Niki M'nray, Pêche Di, Carmen Xtravaganza (House of Xtravaganza), and Yasmine Petty.

In 2015, Cox won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as Executive Producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.

Cox is the cover subject for the June 11, 2015, "totally not-straight issue" of Entertainment Weekly, the first issue of the magazine in 15 years to focus exclusively on gay, lesbian, and transgender entertainment.

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Cox and others told the stories of the people killed there.

In 2017, Cox began her role as transgender attorney Cameron Wirth on Doubt on CBS. It was the first official cancellation of the 2016–17 season, following weak viewership. CBS later announced that the remaining 11 episodes would be broadcast on Saturday, beginning July 1.

Cox was nominated in 2017 for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Orange Is the New Black.

Also in 2017, Cox collaborated with the ACLU, Zackary Drucker, Molly Crabapple, and Kim Boekbinder, in making a video about transgender history and resistance, called "Time Marches Forward & So Do We", which Cox narrated. That year Cox became one of the four faces of the fall campaign for the Ivy Park line of clothing.

In February 2019, Cox headlined the New York Fashion Week show for 11 Honoré, a luxury e-retailer focused on plus-sized designer fashion.

Cox was featured in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video, which was released June 17, 2019.

She was one of fifteen women chosen by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue; this made Cox the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of British Vogue.

In September 2019, Cox brought ACLU attorney Chase Strangio as her date to the 2019 Emmy Awards, and carried a custom rainbow clutch featuring the phrases "Oct 8", "Title VII", and "Supreme Court". This action was in reference to the U.S. Supreme Court case R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which Strangio was one of the lawyers representing Aimee Stephens, a trans woman who was fired from her job at a funeral home. Cox and Strangio spoke to reporters on the red carpet about the upcoming court case. Cox executive produced the documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, which premiered on Netflix on January 27, 2020.

In May 2021, E! announced that Cox would become the host of Live from the Red Carpet starting in January 2022, replacing Giuliana Rancic. In December 2021, she was cast in Netflix's dystopian fantasy film The Uglies directed by McG, based on a book of the same name by Scott Westerfeld.

In 2024, Cox competed in season twelve of The Masked Singer as "Chess Piece" where Nikki Glaser (who performed "Snowstorm" in season eight) served as her Mask Ambassador. She was eliminated on "Barbie Night".

In April 2025, Cox hosted Billboard's Women in Music.

In June 2025, Cox served as one of WorldPride DC's grand marshals alongside Reneé Rapp.

In November 2025, Cox announced her upcoming memoir, Transcendent. The book was released in June 2026.

In a June 2026 interview, Cox noted that she depends on public speaking engagements and brand ambassadorships in addition to acting, but has lost 90% of her income over the past two years due to actions by the Trump administration targeting things deemed as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), or to "gender ideology". and has won numerous awards for her activist approach in spreading awareness. Her impact and prominence in the media has led to a growing conversation about transgender culture, specifically transgender women, and how being transgender intersects with one's race. She is the first transgender person to be on the cover of Time magazine,

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2000 Betty Anderson Deirdre Short film 2004 Girl 2008 All Night Layla Short film 2009 Uncle Stephanie Stephanie 2010 Bronx Paradise Hooker 2011 Carla Cinnamon Musical Chairs Chantelle 2012 Migraine Lola Short film Blithe Stargazer 2013 36 Saints Genesuis 2014 Grand Street Chardonnay Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word HerselfDaytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Special Class Special (2015)Nominated - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary (2015) 2015 Grandma Deathy 2017 Freak Show Felicia 2019 Can You Keep a Secret? Cybill Charlie's Angels Bomb Instructor Cameo 2020 Bad Hair Virgie Promising Young Woman Gail Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen Herself Also executive producer 2021 Jolt Detective Nevin 2024 Uglies Dr. Cable 2025 Animal Farm Snowball Voice A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Stacy 2026 Outcome Virginia Allen Green

Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Candace Episode: "Closet" I Want to Work for Diddy Herself 6 episodes Law & Order Minnie Episode: "Sweetie" 2009 Bored to Death Transsexual prostitute Episode: "Stockholm Syndrome" 2010 TRANSform Me Herself Also producer8 episodes 2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Sophia Burset Recurring role; 40 episodesScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–2016)Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2014)Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2015–2017)Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2014) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2017, 2019–2020) 2014 Faking It Margot Episode: "Lying Kings and Drama Queens" Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce Adele Northrop Episode: "Rule No. 426: Fantasyland: A Great Place to Visit" 2015–2017 Sheena 3 episodes 2016 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again Dr. Frank-N-Furter Television movie 2016–2019 Lip Sync Battle Herself 2 episodes 2017 America's Got Talent Herself; Guest Judge 1 episode; S12E10 Doubt Cameron Wirth 13 episodes 2018 Who Do You Think You Are? Herself Episode: "Laverne Cox" 2019 Weird City Liquia Episode: "Smart House" Tuca & Bertie Ebony Black (voice) Episode: "The Sex Bugs" Dear White People Cynthia Fray Episode: "Chapter VII" A Black Lady Sketch Show Kiana Episode: "Angela Bassett Is the Baddest Bitch" 2020 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens God (voice) Episode: "Pilot" Curb Your Enthusiasm Herself Episode: "Artificial Fruit" One World: Together at Home Herself Television special 2021 The Blacklist Dr. Laken Perillos Episode: "Dr. Laken Perillos" 2022 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Herself Season 2 Episode 13 Inventing Anna Kacy Duke Series regular Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter Herself Television special If We're Being Honest with Laverne Cox Herself Talk show host 2024Password Herself Season 2 Episode 6 The Daily Show Herself Segment: "In My Opinion" The Masked Singer Herself/Chess Piece 5 episodes, Season 12 2025 Clean Slate DesireeMain role, co-creator, and executive producer

Accolades Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. Daytime Emmy Awards 2015 Outstanding Special Class Special Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word

NAACP Image Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2015 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Orange Is The New Black 2016 2017

Miscellaneous awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2013 Massachusetts Independent Film Festival Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Musical Chairs Anti-Violence Project Courage Award Herself Out Magazine's OUT100 Gala Readers Choice Award 2014 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Orange Is The New Black GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics We're Wilde About You! Rising Star of the Year Herself GLAAD Media Awards Stephen F. Kolzak Award Gold Derby Awards Comedy Guest Actress Orange Is The New Black International Online Cinema Awards Best Guest Actress in a Drama or Comedy Series Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Herself Gold Derby Awards Breakthrough Performer of the Year Online Film & Television Awards Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Orange Is The New Black 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2016 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2017 Gold Derby Awards Drama Guest Actress Online Film & Television Awards Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Queerty Awards Badass Herself 2018 British LGBT Awards LGBT+ Celebrity Transgender Law Center Claire Skiffington Vanguard Award 2019 Gold Derby Awards Drama Guest Actress Orange Is The New Black 2020 2021 Queerty Awards Film Performance Promising Young Woman 2022 Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University The W. E. B. Du Bois Medal Herself iHeart Podcast Awards Best Overall Host - Female The Laverne Cox Show Webby Awards Advocate of the Year Herself 2025 Queerty Awards Style Icon 2026 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding New TV Series Clean Slate Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode The View: "Laverne Cox and George Wallace Star In Norman Lear’s Final Show, ‘Clean Slate'"

Honors 2014 – Included in the annual Root 100; this list honors "standout black leaders, innovators and culture shapers" aged 45 and younger. 2014 – Topped the British newspaper The Guardians third annual World Pride Power List, which ranks the world's most influential LGBTQ people. 2014 – Named to the EBONY Power 100 list. 2015 – Named to the 2015 OUT Power 50 List. 2015 – Included in the People World's Most Beautiful Women List. 2015 – Three Twins Ice Cream in San Francisco renamed its chocolate orange confetti ice cream Laverne Cox's Chocolate Orange is the New Black for Pride weekend. 2015 – Named in the 2015 Time 100 Most Influential People List; her entry was written by Jazz Jennings. 2015 – Named by Forum for Equality as one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month. 2016 – Awarded Honorary Doctorate from The New School. 2017 – Named to the 2017 OUT Power 50 List.

Discography Soundtrack albums Title Album The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again(with Various Artists) Released: October 21, 2016 Format: Digital download Label: Ode Sounds & Visuals

Singles Title Year Peak chart positions USDanceClub USDance/Elec. "Beat for the Gods" 2018 22 — "Welcome Home" 2019 6 30 "America the Beautiful" 2020 — —