Jen Richards

Jen Richards is a transgender writer, actress, producer and activist.

Life and career

Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina.[1] She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford University.[2]

In 2015, she appeared as a supporting cast member of Caitlyn Jenner's reality show I Am Cait. In 2016, she co-starred, co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the web series Her Story, which was nominated for an Emmy Award.[3][4] Richards also co-produced the series More Than T and wrote the Trans 102 series.[5]

Richards joined the cast of the television series Nashville in 2017.[1] She became the first openly transgender person to appear on a CMT show, playing the first transgender character to appear on that network.[6] Richards also appeared in the 2017 film Easy Living.[7]

In June 2017, Richards wrote and appeared in a video open letter, presented by ScreenCrush and GLAAD, featuring trans actors asking for better representation in film and television.[8][9]

In August 2018, HBO announced a series pickup of Tom Perrotta's Mrs. Fletcher, a half-hour comedy based on Perrotta's 2017 novel of the same name; Richards is cast as Margo Fairchild, a transgender community college writing teacher, as a series regular.[10]

Personal life

Richards is bisexual.[11] In August 2020, she announced her engagement to Rebekah Cheyne, a professor from Arizona State University.[12][13]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2015 I Am Cait Self 7 episodes
2016 Her Story Violet Main role, also writer and producer. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
2016–2017 Nashville Allyson Del Lago 3 episodes
2017 Doubt McKayla Episode: "Clean Burn"
2017–2019 Better Things Jaia 3 episodes
2018 Take My Wife Naomi Episode 2.1
2018–2019 Blindspot Sabrina Larren 2 episodes
2019 Tales of the City Anna Madrigal 2 episodes
2019 Mrs. Fletcher Margo Fairchild 7 episodes

References
  1. Betts, Stephen L. (September 13, 2016). "Transgender Actress Jen Richards Joins Cast of 'Nashville'". Rolling Stone.
  2. Heinichen, Claire (September 13, 2016). "Emmy Nominated Writer, Producer and Actress Jen Richards Joining Cast of Nashville". CMT News. CMT. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  3. Anderson, Tre'vell (January 19, 2016). "'Her Story' creators Jen Richards and Laura Zak highlight dating while transgender". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  4. Stafford, Zach (August 10, 2016). "Her Story: the transgender-themed web series up for a 'shock' Emmy". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  5. Petski, Denise (September 13, 2016). "'Nashville' Casts Transgender Actor Jen Richards In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood.
  6. Yohannes, Alamin (September 13, 2016). "Actress Jen Richards Is Headed to 'Nashville'". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  7. Valentini, Valentina (March 23, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Jen Richard Pushes Hollywood Forward With 'Easy Living' and 'Nashville'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  8. Reynolds, Daniel (June 20, 2017). "Trans Actors Ask Hollywood for Roles With Dignity and Depth in Open Letter". The Advocate. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  9. ScreenCrush (June 20, 2017). "Why Hollywood Needs Trans Actors". Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via YouTube.
  10. Travees, Ben (21 August 2018). "'Mrs. Fletcher': HBO Orders Tom Perrotta's Comedy Series Starring Kathryn Hahn, Directed by Nicole Holofcener". Indiewire.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  11. Reddish, David (2019-12-09). "Transgender star Jen Richards of 'Mrs. Fletcher' on Jared Leto, Hollywood life & "Tales of the City"". Queerty. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  12. "Jen Richards on Instagram: "I posted an ad on @lex.app one evening, and it just so happened that @bekahdc couldn't sleep that night, and had unknowingly turned off…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  13. "Rebekah Cheyne". herbergerinstitute.asu.edu. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-11-03.


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