Quantcast

Laverne Cox is finally embracing her age. The Inventing Anna actress became a breakout star for her role as Sophia in Orange Is the New Black and she’s openly talked about her experience as a transgender woman. She even made history as the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in the Netflix series. But while she was proud to be trans, she struggled to accept that she was aging.


Laverne made the reveal during a sit-down with Ellen DeGeneres on her eponymous talk show. “I started lying, being elusive about my age in the year 2000," she said. “I was 28 years old and I was dating a guy that was 21 and he broke up with me because he said I was too old.”

“And I was like, 'Oh if I'm too old, I'll just be 22, and so for the next two years on my dating apps and online I was 22 everywhere and then I didn’t feel comfortable lying so over 21 became my age.”

She continued, "So I was 'over 21' from 2002 to like 2019. And then IMDb figured out my real age, and then, so it started appearing places and it was freaking me out. I was having such anxiety."

Her anxiety about her age being exposed led her to open up to her therapist about it. "I started unpacking these stories about being older," she said. "The stories were that I wasn't hireable, I wasn't datable, I wasn't ‘f-able’ over a certain age – apparently the age was like 27 [or] 28 — and then I worked through all that."

Now, the actress isn’t ashamed to say that she is turning 50 this year. Laverne reflected on the first time she said her real age out loud. “I was at a speaking engagement in Texas in January 2019 and I thought the sky was gonna fall and it was nothing,” she said.

That experience was a reminder for her that some things are just all in your head. “I am proudly 49 about to turn 50 and I am so happy and excited to be able to own it,” she shared.

Watch the full interview below:

Why Laverne Cox Isn't Lying About Her Age Anymore

Featured image by The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards/Getty Images for GLAAD

 

RELATED

 
ALSO ON XONECOLE
Love Is The Muse: How Skylar And Temi Built A Creative Life Together

When Temitope Ibisanmi DM’d the word “muse” to Skylar Marshai, he knew he was shooting his romantic shot. He didn’t realize, however, that he was connecting with his future business and creative partner, too.

“I was the boyfriend,” Temi says. “Everybody out there knows, you’re the cameraman at that point.”

KEEP READINGShow less
We All Mess Up Sometimes. But Can You Trust A Friend's Apology?

Although what I mostly deal with when it comes to the clients that I have is romantic relationships, there are definitely times when other topics come up. For instance, recently, someone was talking to me about some drama that they were going through with a friend of theirs. Emotionally, they felt like they were in a bit of a bind because while, on one hand, they had been friends with this individual for over 15 years at this point, on the other, there were certain things that they had done, more than once, that were starting to take its toll.

When I asked my client if they had clearly articulated their feelings, concerns, and boundaries to that individual, they admitted that they hadn’t.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS