Jenji Kohan
Birthday:
5 July 1969, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name:
Jenji Leslie Kohan
Jenji Kohan was born on July 5, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Jenji Leslie Kohan. She is a writer and producer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Weeds (2005) and Tracey Takes On... (1996). She has been married to Christopher Noxon since 1997. They have three children.
There's more to us than the moment we made a bad decision.
There's more to us than the moment we made a bad decision.
Home is where your family is. Wherever you are, it's about the people you're surrounded by, not necessarily where you lay your head.
Home is where your family is. Wherever you are, it's about the people you're surrounded by, not necessarily where you lay your head.
I am a huge, huge Regina Spektor fan.
I am a huge, huge Regina Spektor fan.
By nature, I sit alone in a room and type... My goal was never celebrity.
By nature, I sit alone in a room and type... My goal was never celebrity.
For a lot of people, film is still the dream - the captive audience in the darkened theater - but I love TV. I think it's fantastic.
For a lot of people, film is still the dream - the captive audience in the darkened theater - but I love TV. I think it's fantastic.
I believe in the power of media. I really do. It's my soapbox. And I do have an agenda, because I'm enraged by the limitations forced on peo...Show more »
I believe in the power of media. I really do. It's my soapbox. And I do have an agenda, because I'm enraged by the limitations forced on people - by poverty, oppression, hatred, fear - and I'm saddened by the kind of loss we all experienced due to the contributions that people cannot make because of their circumstances. Show less «
What offends me more than something sexist is something poorly written or unfunny or cliched.
What offends me more than something sexist is something poorly written or unfunny or cliched.
I can shoot off my big mouth and write my shows and run my shows, and I can recognize how lucky I am because my position is rare and my posi...Show more »
I can shoot off my big mouth and write my shows and run my shows, and I can recognize how lucky I am because my position is rare and my position is privileged. Show less «
A TV touchstone for me is 'The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.' That series was whimsical and smart and had the mix of comedy and drama that ...Show more »
A TV touchstone for me is 'The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.' That series was whimsical and smart and had the mix of comedy and drama that I now trade in - but with a dash of magical realism. I wanted to be Molly Dodd, but more than that, I wanted to be Jay Tarses, who created the show. Show less «
'Be nice' is my family's basic rule but one that often goes unfollowed in Hollywood. There's always a moment when you can choose between bei...Show more »
'Be nice' is my family's basic rule but one that often goes unfollowed in Hollywood. There's always a moment when you can choose between being snarky and being kind. I opt for the latter - it's much less exhausting! Show less «
I'm not a public figure; I shouldn't have to be held to a certain standard of beauty.
I'm not a public figure; I shouldn't have to be held to a certain standard of beauty.
I'm a huge Ira Glass fan; I'm a huge fan of radio in general.
I'm a huge Ira Glass fan; I'm a huge fan of radio in general.
In my head I'm a rapper, but I'm not!
In my head I'm a rapper, but I'm not!
I love flawed characters, male or female, and I only want to talk about flawed characters, really, in what I do.
I love flawed characters, male or female, and I only want to talk about flawed characters, really, in what I do.
It can go two ways with girls: They either bond or eat each other alive.
It can go two ways with girls: They either bond or eat each other alive.
Personally, I like to yearn a little and long for the next episode. On the other hand, I'm also a glutton. My kids love to dive in and eat w...Show more »
Personally, I like to yearn a little and long for the next episode. On the other hand, I'm also a glutton. My kids love to dive in and eat whole series at once. Show less «
I remember one of my writers on 'Weeds' got a new apartment and didn't get cable or a dish. He just hooked his computer up to the TV. I was ...Show more »
I remember one of my writers on 'Weeds' got a new apartment and didn't get cable or a dish. He just hooked his computer up to the TV. I was like, 'This is it. This is how it's happening.' Show less «
I think shows that are completely dramatic are a lie. People use humor to cope. That is how we deal with things. In the darkest situations, ...Show more »
I think shows that are completely dramatic are a lie. People use humor to cope. That is how we deal with things. In the darkest situations, there's humor. And if you don't show that, you're not being true to real life. Show less «
I think great writers should write great shows, and I have trouble with, like, what you are in life shouldn't automatically make you what yo...Show more »
I think great writers should write great shows, and I have trouble with, like, what you are in life shouldn't automatically make you what you do in your art. It doesn't necessarily translate. Show less «
I don't set out to write female lead shows, necessarily. I like deeply flawed characters. When they come to me, or when I'm introduced to th...Show more »
I don't set out to write female lead shows, necessarily. I like deeply flawed characters. When they come to me, or when I'm introduced to them, I follow the stories and the people, rather than setting out to do a female lead thing. Show less «
I was broke when I lived in New York City during college, so I'd spend weekends walking around town, grabbing something to eat, and interact...Show more »
I was broke when I lived in New York City during college, so I'd spend weekends walking around town, grabbing something to eat, and interacting with strangers. That ritual has stuck with me. Show less «
I'm from the creative side of Hollywood. I'm up for anyone that wants to support my work. If you have eyeballs and give me a budget and are ...Show more »
I'm from the creative side of Hollywood. I'm up for anyone that wants to support my work. If you have eyeballs and give me a budget and are nice to me, I'm in. Show less «
Mainly, I'm doing my thing, and I hope people like it. I don't say, 'I'm going to write something radical and hope it reverberates throughou...Show more »
Mainly, I'm doing my thing, and I hope people like it. I don't say, 'I'm going to write something radical and hope it reverberates throughout society.' The goal is to write a solid, entertaining, engaging show. Show less «
My first job is to entertain, but if, while you're enjoying, you start to question something you never thought about before or empathize wit...Show more »
My first job is to entertain, but if, while you're enjoying, you start to question something you never thought about before or empathize with, relate to, love someone you only thought of as 'other' once upon a time - how awesome is that. Show less «
I'm never going to look like a Nordic model, so I play with what I've got. Instead of going gray, I dye my hair bright colors; I have bad vi...Show more »
I'm never going to look like a Nordic model, so I play with what I've got. Instead of going gray, I dye my hair bright colors; I have bad vision, so I wear sparkly glasses. I embrace that I look like a crazy lady. Show less «
My ex-boyfriend said, 'You have a better chance of getting elected to Congress than getting on the staff of a television show.' Which was th...Show more »
My ex-boyfriend said, 'You have a better chance of getting elected to Congress than getting on the staff of a television show.' Which was the perfect thing for him to say, because my entire career is, 'Well, screw you.' And we broke up. Show less «
We still have this prudish, puritanical culture, but we also have so little exposure to a diversity of bodies. Bodies are beautiful and grea...Show more »
We still have this prudish, puritanical culture, but we also have so little exposure to a diversity of bodies. Bodies are beautiful and great and compelling. Show less «
When I got out of college in 1991, I had four jobs in four different parts of L.A. There was I Love Juicy, a smoothie bar in Venice, and the...Show more »
When I got out of college in 1991, I had four jobs in four different parts of L.A. There was I Love Juicy, a smoothie bar in Venice, and the Videotheque on Sunset Boulevard, across from the old Tower Records. I was also an intern at the 'Los Angeles Reader' in the Miracle Mile and at 'High Performance' magazine downtown. Show less «
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