What The Cast Of Orange Is The New Black Is Doing Today
When "Orange is the New Black" premiered in 2013, it was one of the first Netflix Originals. The show initially focused on Piper Chapman, a white woman sentenced to prison, but the scope immediately widened to tell stories about all sorts of people. Creator Jenji Kohan told NPR this was all intentional. "You're not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of Black women, and Latina women, and old women and criminals," she said. "But if you take this white girl, this sort of fish out of water, and you follow her in, you can then expand your world and tell all of those other stories."
By the show's end in 2019, the actors at the center of all those other stories had become incredibly close. Kohan told Vanity Fair that filming the finale was an emotional experience, recalling, "When you're on set, and you know it's the last time you're shooting one of those scenes with someone, and ... they burst into tears, it's intense."
Fans likely felt the same way. After seven emotional seasons, it can be hard to say goodbye to an actor you've loved watching. Though they're no longer shooting the show that made most of them famous, the cast of "Orange is the New Black" is mostly still around. If you're looking to check in on the ladies of the Litchfield Penitentiary, read on to see what the cast of "Orange Is The New Black" is doing today.
Taylor Schilling's Piper Chapman helped kick off the streaming era
Taylor Schilling played Piper Chapman, the lead who is sentenced to prison as the series begins. Chapman's prison term wasn't the only thing that began when the show premiered; it was also the dawn of a new era in television, one of the very first streaming shows. "It felt really nice to not have anybody talking about numbers, and no one is talking about ratings," Schilling told Collider in 2013.
By the time the show concluded, it felt like the industry had changed. Speaking with The Independent, Schilling reflected, "That moment feels like it was on a different planet, doesn't it? It was like trying to describe TV to folks that had only had the radio." She also noticed audiences turning against her character, preferring storylines about people of color. "I started to feel like my job in that show was just as a space-holder, to provide a steady middle so that other people could really shine," she said.
Despite playing a queer character on "OITNB," Schilling herself wasn't publicly out until the year after the show ended. In 2022, she played queer adult film star Erica Gauthier on Hulu's "Pam & Tommy." In 2023, Schilling starred in "Dear Edward," an Apple TV+ show about a kid who survives a plane crash. She told Out, "I really care so much about being useful in some capacity to myself and to other people. We need stories to understand ourselves."
Laverne Cox was a major breakout
Laverne Cox was one of the biggest breakouts from the "Orange is the New Black" cast, skyrocketing to fame for playing trans prisoner Sophia Burset. Speaking with ET Canada, Cox revealed that she was nearly about to quit acting before the role came along. "When 'Orange is the New Black' premiered in 2013, there were no transgender actors with recurring roles on television," she said. Nowadays, there are many more. She added, "The entire culture has really sort of changed because of Netflix. To have been at the precipice of that feels like this incredible honor." She would go on to be nominated for an Emmy four times for her role on the show.
After "Orange is the New Black," Cox has been in films like "Bad Hair," "Promising Young Woman," and "Charlie's Angels." In 2022, Cox starred as Kacy Duke on "Inventing Anna," the Shonda Rhimes series about fake heiress Anna Delvey. She told Glamour that the experience made her reflect on her own fame, noting that she used to be interested in fame by proximity. Now, she sees celeb-filled events like the ones Delvey worked her way into as part of her job.
"I'm clear that a red carpet is a moment, and a potential moment to advance the brand, to have a fashion moment, to inspire people," she said, adding, "We need escapism, we need glamour, we need fabulousness. We really need it desperately."
Natasha Lyonne 'grew up' on OITNB
Natasha Lyonne played no-nonsense inmate Nicky Nichols on "Orange is the New Black." The character's journey with addiction mirrored Lyonne's own much-publicized experience; after finding fame in films like "But I'm A Cheerleader" and "American Pie," Lyonne began using heroin. She landed in the hospital. "When you go as deep into the belly of the beast as I went, there's a whole other world going on," she told Entertainment Weekly, also admitting that she didn't think she'd ever return to Hollywood: "Something like show business becomes the dumbest thing on planet Earth."
The year after that interview, she landed the role on "Orange is the New Black." The show's stability helped Lyonne's career recover. "I really grew up there in many ways," she told Indiewire as the series came to an end. She added, "I couldn't have known that then, but there was something about that show and being in that group of women that was a very supportive, healing environment."
After "OITNB," Lyonne led the cast of another Netflix show, one she also helped co-create. On "Russian Doll," she played a woman who keeps dying and re-living the same day, over and over again. In 2023, she anchored Peacock mystery series "Poker Face," created by "Knives Out" director Rian Johnson. "I've had a very weird path, and I'm very aware that this is a very special time for me," Lyonne told Deadline. "I'm very grateful that it's finally here."
Kimiko Glenn is open about how much she makes
Kimiko Glenn joined the cast of "Orange is the New Black" in Season 2, playing Brook Soso. Glenn told Bleeding Cool that the show was her first real television gig, and she was especially nervous about joining a show already in progress. "I was highly intimidated and moving forward through that, like learning how to be confident in myself, learning my voice, and everything," she reflected. "That whole experience, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It was so monumental to my growth as a person."
In 2020, years before the SAG-AFTRA strike brought renewed attention to the low residuals received by actors on streaming shows, Glenn posted a TikTok showing off an earnings statement. Despite appearing in several seasons of one of the most popular Netflix Originals ever, Glenn took home a paltry $27.30 on that paycheck. In 2023, she spoke with The New Yorker about her experience taking public transportation to work. "So many of my friends who have nearly a million followers, who are doing billion-dollar franchises, don't know how to make rent," she reflected.
Since "OITNB" ended, Glenn has worked primarily as a voice actor; she's been on shows like "Baby Shark's Big Show" and "DuckTales." She told ComingSoon.net that she likes voiceover work because it doesn't depend on her looks. "It's very based off of what you have to offer and your energy and it's very expressive vocally," she said, "which is my number-one thing."
Laura Prepon got close with her co-stars
Laura Prepon played Alex Vause on "Orange is the New Black," the former girlfriend of Piper Chapman who is the one responsible for the incident that lands Piper in jail. Despite their initial animosity, the two become very close as the show goes on, and it appears that Prepon became close with Schilling too. "It was really special that Taylor and I both had our last day of filming, on the same day," Prepon told Collider, noting that while they didn't film together that last day, they were emotional nonetheless. She added, "It was really wonderful. I cried and got to hug everybody, and it was lovely."
While she was at one point a notable member of Scientology, alongside former "That '70s Show" co-star Danny Masterson, Prepon announced in 2021 that she hadn't been part of the church for years. "I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life," she told People.
In 2023, Prepon returned to the role that made her famous, reprising Donna for Netflix series "That '90s Show." She told Us Weekly that she cried on set. "The nostalgia is so strong and it was such an incredible time in my life," she reflected. Prepon even directed two episodes of the revival, earning praise from her former costars. "Laura has always been so bossy and mean that it was just easy to accept," Kurtwood Smith joked to Yahoo.
Uzo Aduba won awards for Crazy Eyes
Uzo Aduba's "Orange is the New Black" character Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren was a major breakout from the early seasons of "Orange is the New Black." Aduba won two consecutive Emmys for playing the character and was nominated for a third, bumped up from guest actress to supporting actress for her second win. In her first acceptance speech, Aduba shouted out Netflix "for putting something like this on television so that everyone can be represented in such a beautiful way" (via YouTube).
Suzanne eventually receives mental health treatment and is able to grow just a bit by the end, which Aduba discussed with The Hollywood Reporter. "She was somewhat more well-rooted by the end of this," Aduba reflected, noting that her character had gone from "childlike" to "teenager." She added, "This is the first season I felt like Suzanne was in full possession of herself."
Aduba has had a successful career since the show ended, including another Emmy win (for her role in "Mrs. America") and another nomination (for HBO's "In Treatment"). In August 2023, she starred in "Painkiller," a Netflix show about the pharmaceutical industry's role in the opioid crisis. In an interview with the streamer, Aduba discussed learning that a family friend had an opioid-related death shortly before she began production on the show. She said, "There was no face to it that I knew of until that moment, and suddenly it was a whole different other story in my head."
Kate Mulgrew fought for Red in the end
On "Orange is the New Black," Kate Mulgrew played Red, an inmate who runs the kitchen. Piper inadvertently insults her cooking in the show's premiere, causing much tension, but throughout the series the two become close. Tragically, Red is thrown in solitary confinement toward the end, a traumatic experience that leads to her developing early onset dementia. Mulgrew told The Hollywood Reporter that she pushed for the storyline to be tweaked, afraid they wouldn't be able to do a condition like Alzheimer's justice in a limited number of episodes.
Ultimately, Mulgrew supported the storyline, noting that it's a realistic side effect of the treatment many prisoners receive. "Our prison system is so screwed up. ... The entire thing needs to be gutted, re-thought, and completely re-governed," she reflected.
Before "Orange is the New Black," Mulgrew was best known for playing Captain Kathryn Janeway on "Star Trek: Voyager." After "OITNB," Mulgrew brought Captain Janeway back for "Star Trek Prodigy," an animated series. She told Nerds and Beyond that it took her a few days to decide whether to accept the role. "That was a decade of my life that never ended," she said. "It just keeps going on and on. So the significance of Janeway is very apparent to me." After pondering the opportunity, she recalled: "I said, 'I'd love to do it.' And it's been great."
Danielle Brooks was Tony-nominated while playing Taystee
On "Orange is the New Black," Danielle Brooks played a pivotal character named Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson. She's the first inmate that the audience ever meets, and she's one of the last we see in the finale. Initially, Brooks told The Hollywood Reporter, the character was only supposed to be part of the show for two episodes. "I had no idea this was going to change my life but, at the time, I felt like if this is what's being presented to me, I'm going to make sure I don't make this character a stereotype," she recalled. Brooks added, "I always say that in the course of 13 hours, our lives changed."
Since 2022, Brooks has played Leota Adebayo on the superhero series "Peacemaker." She was especially excited about the opportunity because she gets to play Viola Davis' daughter, and she also discovered that she loves filming action scenes. "I really actually like stunts and action work and stuff," she told Awards Radar, adding that it was especially cool to film alongside an action star like John Cena. "To get to watch him work, just handle guns and kind of be his puppet ... that was fun," she said.
While on "OITNB," Brooks was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in "The Color Purple." She reprises the role in the 2023 film version. "It's a dream come true, one that I hoped and prayed [for]," she told People.
Brad William Henke enjoyed playing Desi Piscatella
Brad William Henke joined the cast of "Orange is the New Black" in Season 4, playing Desi Piscatella, the man in charge of the prison guards. By Season 5, Piscatella was a major antagonist of the show; after all, that season deals with the prison riot that spirals out of control after Poussey's death. Henke's character is quite brutal, which the actor told The Hollywood Reporter he enjoyed getting to play up. One scene in particular involves a character being scalped, and Henke recalled the mood on the small set being irritable ... which he liked. "It was a tiny little box and it was hot, and it was f***ing awesome," he said.
After Piscatella met his fate on "Orange is the New Black," Henke moved on to other projects. He acted in an adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand," starred on "Manhunt" and "Law & Order: SVU," and was in films like "Arkansas" and "Block Party."
Unfortunately, the former NFL star died in December 2022. His cause of death was not made public, but an obituary in The New York Times noted that Henke had recently been open about having surgery on his heart. Talking with Backlot Magazine the year before his death, Henke said he was glad to be in a good place in his career. He said, "It's nice to finally be working with top actors, top writers, top directors, and roles that challenge me."
For Selenis Leyva, Gloria was just the start
On "Orange is the New Black," Selenis Leyva starred as Gloria Mendoza. She's a sidekick and a maternal figure to a number of the other women incarcerated at the prison, and Leyva told Essence that she appreciated the way the final season was able to give Gloria a fitting ending. In other words, it allowed Leyva to assist others just as her character had. "It's not just about one character, it's about the entire story," Leyva said. "So whatever makes the story as a whole feel right is exactly what happened here." She also noted that "Orange is the New Black" was at the forefront of shows bringing wider representation to airwaves, and she said she hoped that would continue. "Knowing that I was part of the show that embraced difference the way it did, that's such a gift," she said.
Since 2022, Leyva has had a starring role on "Lopez vs. Lopez," an NBC sitcom centering around comedian George Lopez. The "OITNB" star told Awards Radar that this role allows her to portray a wider scope of what it means to be Latina. "I get to be funny, smart, sexy, and powerful on primetime television," she said. "That's a big deal, especially for Latinas."
In 2023, she acted in "Creed III." Leyva told The San Antonio Current that her character was an anomaly, explaining, "It's great to play a Latina who is dominating in the world of the men."
Poussey led Samira Wiley to an acclaimed career
Like much of the cast of "Orange is the New Black," Samira Wiley hadn't acted much on screen before winning the role of Poussey. The character was shockingly killed off about halfway through the show's run, her death kicking off the prison riot that dominates Season 5. She told ABC News that while she appreciated the show giving her career a leg up, it was difficult to be written off. "This job is really given me my life, it's made me who I am, it's given me my career," she said. She added, "I have become sisters with every single person on that show and the set is really fun so it's going to be hard not being able to go back."
Since she left "OITNB," Wiley has been on to arguably bigger and better things. She joined the cast of "The Handmaid's Tale;" she even won an Emmy for her role, having been nominated numerous times. "It never, ever, ever gets old," she told GoldDerby.
"Orange is the New Black" gave Wiley something besides a career; the show also led to her finding the love of her life. Wiley married "OITNB" writer Lauren Morelli in 2017, and in 2021, they welcomed a child together. "We love you and we thank you for giving us the best 1st Mother's Day two ladies could ask for," Wiley wrote on Instagram.
Dascha Polanco stuck with Netflix after OITNB ended
When Dascha Polanco joined the cast of "Orange is the New Black," she never expected that her character, Dayanara Diaz, would become an important part of the show's ensemble. She told Uproxx, "I see the moments when I wasn't that confident onscreen because everything was brand new, and how I grew into owning it and knowing that I'm up for the challenge." As the show drew to a close, Polanco reflected on how she'd grown personally as well as professionally thanks to "OITNB." She explained, "I'm so happy that there's a new me, and as cliché as it sounds, I'm entering a new phase in my life where I know where my career should go."
After she said goodbye to Daya, that new phase led Polanco right back to streaming television. She starred on both "Russian Doll" and "When They See Us," reuniting with her "OITNB" co-star Natasha Lyonne for the former and staying with the Netflix family for the latter. In 2022, Polanco starred in "Samaritan," an Amazon Prime Video superhero movie with Sylvester Stallone. For that film, Polanco got to be heavily involved in the action sequences. "My favorite part was being able to do my own stunts," she reflected to Movieweb.
In September 2023, she announced that, even though she's only 40, she will soon be a grandmother. Polanco posted a photo with her pregnant daughter to Instagram and wrote, "I just got a promotion."
Lea DeLaria loved representing lesbians on OITNB
"Orange is the New Black" received a lot of praise for telling stories about a wide range of people, not just of varying ethnicities, but also a spectrum of sexualities. One such character was Big Boo, a lesbian played by out actor Lea DeLaria. The character was mostly written out after Season 5, though she appeared in one episode each of the last two seasons. DeLaria felt that the show contributed to changing social acceptance of queer people, and she was grateful to be able to play her part. "Now people see [butch lesbians] as human beings," she told Indiewire. She added, "My whole career has been dedicated to that. So being able to do that in 'Orange [Is the New Black]' was like I had died and gone to lezzie heaven. It was fantastic."
After leaving "OITNB," DeLaria popped in on "The Blacklist," "Physical," and "East New York." In 2023, she had a recurring role on "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" as Alfur the Elf.
In 2022, DeLaria returned to Broadway in "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive," a show about women trying to help a president through a PR kerfuffle. She seems to have had a blast with her fellow castmates, who included Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Williams, and Julianne Hough. "Everyone is so funny," she told Go Mag. "We spend so much time laughing backstage at everything."
Taryn Manning doesn't like playing characters like Pennsatucky
On "Orange is the New Black," Taryn Manning played the abrasive Pennsatucky. This was the show that finally made Manning come to terms with the fact that she's a character actor, she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I wanted to be the girl next door," Manning said. "One fine day I accepted that I was a character actor and that it wasn't bad to be that, and that I could make a good career."
Manning has indeed made a good career of it; she's been prolific since "OITNB." She was in six movies in 2021, including "Karen," a horror movie where she played an evil white lady. The next year brought four more roles, and in 2023, Manning appeared in three films. However, she told Salon that she's become more judicious, tired of playing characters like Pennsatucky. "My life's so full and so rich, and I've traveled the world," she said. "I'm a lot more well-read than people know. I've just had to say no to paychecks, because I just can't do it anymore."
Her personal life has kept Manning in the pop culture eye more than her film roles. She made headlines in August 2023 for a series of Instagram posts in which she revealed that she had been having an affair with a married man. "I was deeply hurt and handled things on a public platform when I should've just dealt with them quietly," she wrote in an apology.