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Privately in Love? Find Out if Trailblazing Actress Laverne Cox is Single
Laverne Cox has taken Hollywood by storm the past few years by breaking records as a trailblazing actress. She was the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role of Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black. She also made history when she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast TV on the CBS drama Doubt.
While fans know a lot about her professional achievements, Laverne has kept her personal life mostly private.
Who Has Laverne Cox Dated?
The Alabama native’s first public romance was with Jono Freedrix, the president of Vancouver-based film and theater company The Virtual Stage. The pair began dating in 2016, though it is not clear when they split.
Laverne then dated Kyle Draper from 2017 until 2019. She confirmed they had broken up in a lengthy Instagram post in June 2019. “@thekyledraper and I have broken up. After much soul searching and tears from both of us, we have decided it’s time for us to go our separate ways. We decided we should make a public statement since our relationship was public in ways neither of us anticipated,” she wrote at the time.
“We know our relationship meant so much to so many people, especially trans folks, giving them hope that this kind of love is possible for them as well. That hope, the hope for love has not waned for me in the face of this breakup but rather is fortified. Knowing that we are both capable of giving and receiving love with this level of kindness, respect, trust, affection, depth, and intensity has been so healing and life affirming for us both,” Laverne continued. “I am so grateful we were open to love and for every moment we had together. We have both grown in innumerable ways as a result. Now it’s just time to move on separately. We both want a breakup that honors and respects the quality of our relationship and the love we shared.”
Is Laverne Cox Single?
The Mindy Project actress revealed she was dating again while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2021. She shared that she found love during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Laverne is in love again. It feels amazing. Love is an incredible thing. It’s literally this chemical thing that’s awesome,” she announced during the interview. “He’s a really great guy. I didn’t expect it. I thought he was just going to be this hot dude I was going to be hanging out with, and then it just kind of happened.”
She didn’t reveal her partner’s identity at the time, though shared that they were in love. “We’ve been hanging out for six months,” Laverne said at the time. “It went really slowly. The word love just sort of happened around November, December.”
Also during the interview, Laverne reflected on what it’s like to date as a trans woman. “The issue over the years for me as a trans woman and other trans women is that the womanhood of trans women is often disavowed,” she said. “A lot of people don’t see trans women as women. So, the men that are attracted to women, people think they are gay. And if you are a straight man, you don’t want people to think you’re gay. So a lot of the times they don’t want to disclose or want to let anyone know.”
In February 2021, Laverne continued to gush about her boyfriend while appearing on The View. She revealed that her boyfriend is 22 years younger than her, though said the age gap “has not been an issue.”
It is not clear if the pair are still dating, as Laverne has chosen to keep the romance private and off of social media.
The Emmy-winning actress shed more light on her love life while on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards in February 2023 following a flirty encounter with singer Omar Apollo.
After calling him “tall and sexy,” she said it wasn’t flirting because she has a boyfriend.
“I can acknowledge someone being sexy without flirting with them,” the correspondent laughed off. “I’m a professional.”
Laverne confirmed the ongoing romance while interviewing celebrities from the 2024 Grammys red carpet in January. While speaking with Billy Joel, she confessed her boyfriend was a “huge fan of his.”
“We’ve been together three and a half years and your music has been the soundtrack of our relationship,” she gushed. “I’ve woken up many mornings with Billy Joel blaring as he’s making breakfast.”
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