Laverne Cox will be in the interviewer’s chair for her first podcast, a weekly series from Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Audio and iHeartMedia.
“The Laverne Cox Show” (working title), hosted by the “Orange Is the New Black” star, is slated to debut in February 2021. Each week, the show will feature Cox’s conversations with guests who “provoke thought and potentially new outlooks,” according to Shondaland Audio. The show “was created in hopes that it may foster perspectives that might inspire new behavior in each of us, to in turn get us closer to becoming the very best versions of ourselves,” the company said.
“I’m thrilled to be continuing and expanding my relationship with Shondaland by doing my first podcast with Shonda’s amazing team along with iHeartRadio,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “I can’t wait for everyone to hear the incredibly interesting conversations I have had with my guests.”
The upcoming podcast is Cox’s second project with Shondaland. As previously announced, she’s set to star in “Inventing Anna,” a limited series for Netflix created by Shonda Rhimes about Instagram-legendary German heiress and con artist Anna Delvey.
Cox is a four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer, equal-rights advocate and public speaker. She’s best known for her groundbreaking portrayal of Sophia Burset in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” which made her the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted TV series as well as the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
Cox can next be seen in Focus Features’ “Promising Young Woman,” due out Dec. 25. She also is executive producer of “Disclosure,” currently streaming on Netflix, a documentary film exploring the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV.
“Laverne Cox is a one-of-a-kind talent and we are so excited that our Shondaland Audio division provides us the opportunity to continue our relationship with her,” said Sandie Bailey, Shondaland’s chief design and digital media officer. “We all know her onscreen talents and her role as a producer, but this show affords Laverne the opportunity to produce something very personal.”
Co-produced with iHeartRadio, “The Laverne Cox Show” joins the Shondaland Audio slate of podcasts, which are distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network (available on the iHeartRadio app and service, as well as third-party podcast platforms).
In early 2021, Shondaland Audio and iHeartMedia also will premiere a companion behind-the-scenes podcast to Shondaland’s regency era series “Bridgerton,” debuting on Netflix on Christmas Day. Also next year, the companies have slated the release of a podcast from producer Dream Hampton, as well as Shondaland Audio’s first foray into scripted podcasts with “#Matter” and “American Coup.”
In August, Shondaland Audio and iHeartMedia launched three new original podcasts; “You Down? with Obama’s Other Daughters” hosted by the Black female comedy troupe of the same name; “Go Ask Ali” hosted by actress and author Ali Wentworth; and “Criminalia,” a historical true-crime podcast with a playful take on the genre, hosted by veteran podcaster Holly Frey and co-host Maria Trimarchi. Shondaland Audio’s first podcast, “Katie’s Crib” — hosted by “Scandal” and “Waitress” actor Katie Lowes — is currently in its third season.