Laverne Cox, trailblazing actress, producer and longtime champion for transgender rights, is opening up about her life and legacy in a new memoir titled Transcendent, set for release on June 9, 2026. The book traces Cox’s path from her childhood in Alabama to her groundbreaking achievements in Hollywood, offering her most personal reflections yet.
Cox, 51, has long been considered one of the most influential transgender figures in entertainment. She made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person to earn a Primetime Emmy acting nomination for her role as Sophia Burset in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. The performance ultimately earned her four Emmy nominations over the show’s seven-season run.
In 2015, Cox became the first transgender person to win a Daytime Emmy when she served as executive producer on the documentary Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word. Since then, she has continued to build a dynamic, multi-hyphenate career, from red carpet hosting to podcasting to activism on some of the nation’s biggest political stages.
Photo: Sequoia Emmanuelle
According to a synopsis provided by the publisher, Transcendent follows Cox from her early life in Mobile, Alabama, to her studies at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and her eventual move to New York City. There, she spent years navigating depression, financial struggle and the stark realities of working as a trans woman hoping to break into Hollywood. The memoir recounts her time performing at a drag restaurant, the emotional lows that nearly pushed her away from acting and the moment everything changed: landing the role of Sophia.
“Her world changed overnight,” the synopsis states, describing Cox’s ascent from “a struggling trans actress to a cultural movement.”
The memoir promises behind-the-scenes stories, candid insights and unfiltered reflections on the trauma, resilience and determination that shaped her life. It also highlights Cox’s advocacy work, from using her platform on major red carpets to speaking at Supreme Court hearings — and the ways she continues to fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Cox said she waited until she had the emotional bandwidth to approach her story with honesty and depth. “I needed the time, emotional steadiness and fortitude to grapple with the deeper truths of the facts of my life: the beautiful parts, the difficult, painful parts and the parts I’m still making sense of,” she told People.
“I hope these words, these stories from my life and what I’ve learned, how I’ve fallen, gotten back up and tried again, can be of service to someone out there,” she continued. “The reason I’m still alive is to be in service to something bigger than me.”
Transcendent is available for preorder now wherever books are sold.
