Laverne Cox on Meta, Conservatives and The Battle For Trans Rights

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Transgender kids and adults have become a political punching bag for conservatives — but Laverne Cox is stepping into the ring. Kara talks with the transgender activist, Emmy award-winning producer and four-time Emmy-nominated actor, known for her groundbreaking role as Sophia Burset in Orange is The New Black, about the Trump campaign’s $200+ million spend on anti-trans ads during the election (and the Harris campaign’s lack of response); why Meta’s decision to no longer monitor hate speech could lead to more gender violence, and not just against trans kids; and how to stay resilient in the fight for civil and human rights (including packing a go bag). Plus: Laverne and Kara bust myths in a speed round about gender-affirming care, which is being targeted by laws across the country, and talk about her upcoming Prime Video comedy series Clean Slate. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, how you doing?
0:01.3	Hello, I'm just making a jacket adjustment.
0:03.7	Shall I take off my less attractive jacket?
0:06.5	Like, much less attractive.
0:07.9	Hi, everyone.
0:19.4	From New York Magazine in the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:21.8	This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:24.6	My guest today is four-time Emmy-nominated actress producer and activist Laverne Cox.
0:29.7	I've been a fan of hers since forever when she was on Orange and Zim Black.
0:34.0	She was a promising young woman.
0:35.9	I just think she's fantastic.
0:39.0	I recently ran into her and met her for the first time last fall on the set of the Daily Show, and I knew I had to
0:44.2	have her on and immediately asked her right there, like a crazy fan. Cox has been an actress for
0:49.5	decades. As I said, she's been a household name and her role as the in-house hairstylist
0:54.0	Sophia Berset on Orange is the New Black. I watched the entire show. As I said, she's making them a household name and her role as the in-house hairstylist,
0:57.9	Sophia Berset on Orange is the New Black. I watched the entire show.
1:01.1	Everybody stands out on that show, but she was a particular standout.
1:04.9	In 2014, she was nominated for an Emmy in that role.
1:09.5	That year, she also became the first transgender person to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
1:12.3	Since then, Cox has been in dozens of movies and TV shows, including, as I said, the Oscar-winning film Promising Young Woman,
1:16.7	and Please See It If You Haven't, the miniseries Inventing Anna and the dystopic sci-fi movie Uglies that was a hit this fall on Netflix.
1:25.0	She's also hosted her own podcast, and until recently, Cox was a host
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from New York Magazine, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of New York Magazine and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.