Laverne Cox is promoting Doubt, her new courtroom drama series on CBS costarring Katherine Heigl. It’s a groundbreaking role in that Cox is playing a transgender character, which marks the first time a transgender person has played a transgender character on TV. The show premiered last night premieres tonight (Wednesday) and is getting mixed reviews. I feel bad for Cox, but this seems like par for the course for Heigl.
At Sunday’s Grammys, Cox gave the introduction to Lady Gaga’s performance with Metallica. As we covered yesterday, she inadvertently missed saying Metallica’s name but she meant to. She said “Eight time Grammy award winners and six time Grammy award winner Lady Gaga.” Then, when Metallica performed, their lead singer James Hetfield’s mic wasn’t working properly and you could only hear Gaga singing at the start of the song, “Moth Into Flame.” They solved this by using the same mic but it’s ridiculous that the Grammys had so many sound problems. Laverne apologized on Twitter afterwards and said that she was a Metallica fan, which she also said in interviews on the red carpet that night. She said that she listened to Metallica and metal in high school because a boy she liked was into metal.
In a new interview on Sirius XM’s Sway in the Morning, Laverne apologized again and explained what happened:
“I know Metallica, so this is the thing—people think that I do not know Metallica,” she explains. “It was on the teleprompter and I was in a moment, and I just thought I said them until afterwards.”
“It was just a mistake,” she continues. “I love Metallica, I love metal, and I got into heavy metal actually because a lot of the boys I was interested in back in the day were into metal. It was not me dissing them at all. I love Metallica—I’m so sorry. I apologized to them on Twitter and to all the fans. It was just a mistake. I’m human.”
As I said yesterday, I can’t imagine being under that kind of pressure. To her credit, Laverne apologized and she’s handled herself like a pro since. She’s also continuing to champion transgender rights and she brought invaluable exposure to Gavin Grimm, a 17 year-old high school student from Virginia, who will bring his case to the Supreme Court in March. Grimm is fighting for his right to use the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity. As Cox explained to CBS This Morning, this is the first transgender rights case to be brought to the Supreme Court.
“What people should know about these bathroom bills that criminalize trans people — like criminalize me using the women’s room — is that these are not about bathrooms; they’re about whether trans people have the right to exist in public space,” Cox said. “If we can’t access public bathrooms, we can’t go to school, we can’t work, we can’t go to health care facilities. This is about public accommodations and… public accommodations are always key to civil rights.”
I had the honor of seeing Cox speak in an university in my town and I learned so much about transgender rights and history. She’s so well spoken on these issues and I’m grateful that she’s around to educate me and others. She may be doing that with her new show too, Cox told CBS that her attorney character on Doubt may help people see trans folks in a new way. “We have to tell our story in new and different ways and so people get to see us in a new light.”
And she got to meet Beyonce!
photos credit: WENN, Fame, Instagram/Laverne Cox
I cant imagine the pressure of standing there introducing a band you really like, it was a simple mistake and you can tell that she meant to say it. I believe her apology is genuine and I would be more annoyed at the Grammys for the sound issues personally. Leave it go now people…concentrate on something more important.
I thought a transgender woman played a transgender woman on sense8? I guess that is on netflix though…its funny how mainstream it is i forget sometimes its not TV LOL
What about Orange is the New Black?
Was gonna say that– but I guess Netflix is not equal to regular TV?
What about dirty Caitlyn’s J’s friend on Dirty Sexy money, was the character trans? Also, her show premieres tonight, it didn’t last night as per the post.
It’s Jamie Clayton, and she is amazing. Laverne is a goddess…
I have to question myself- do I, does society, place more value on those who ‘pass’ more than others? There is probably a whole dialogue out there that I would love to read.
she’s so beautiful inside and out, and I love her!
Yeah, apart from the campaigning for the release of a convicted child murderer and rapist. But yay queen I guess…
I’ve never heard that story until now and just went to Google and read.
😔
I can´t find any sources on her campaigning for the convicts release? Do you have any links to share on that? Only thing I can find through a quick google search is that she read a letter the convict had wrote to highlight the struggles of trans people in prison and when she was made aware of his charges she deleted the video and apologized.
Me too, she is so fun and Classy and seems like also a Good time at the events, I also Happen to love how she stans for the famous people she does, like a regular person
Didn’t Candace Cayne play a transgender woman on Dirty, Sexy, Money?
That being said I’m so glad Ms. Cox had this opportunity. She’s an amazing person and I’m so glad she was able to get this show and represent transgender people so well unlike some other folks. *cough*CaitlynJenner*cough*
Yes, I remember that too.
I applaud Laverne for really working hard on behalf of the transgender community.
Yes! And that was over ten years ago now! Yay for Laverne but let’s not diminish that contribution.
Oh Metallica. First, Laverne forgot to introduce you then a stage crew pulled off the mic on James Hetfield. Also, the house band played Master of Puppets as Megadeth accept their Grammy.
That sample in the background is always random. I doubt the house band is aware of the Megadeth/Metallica problem. 🙂 And if anything, joke was on Dave Mustaine then.
I couldn’t believe it when I had heard about MOP being played while Dave and megadeth went up to get their first Grammy ever. Terrible. I was glad to see Dave handle it well. I love megadeth and that was a ridiculous mistake!
I cannot get over the mic malfunction at a freaking MUSIC award show. How is that even possible? The Grammys are an epic mess.
That green dress is my absolute favourite.
My goodness she is stunning!
People need to chill out. Mistakes happen. I can’t believe someone has to apologize for misreading a teleprompter.