Is Taylor Schilling, 30, dating 40-year-old ‘Portlandia’ star Carrie Brownstein?

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Occasionally, Bedhead & I chat about Orange is the New Black, or more specifically, how the actors on the show can sometimes be a snooze to cover. Taylor Schilling – the lead! – is especially boring in real life. I’ve tried and failed to care about Schilling enough to cover her interviews a few times, and usually the reaction is “meh.” So let’s see if this sparks any interest! Star Magazine says that Taylor has started quietly dating hipster icon Carrie Brownstein, best known as one of the ladies in the trio Sleater-Kinney, and also known from her comedic turn in Portlandia, a show which she not only stars in, but developed and writes for it along with Fred Armisen. Carrie is a big deal in riot grrl and hipster circles. Taylor hooked herself a major romance!

Life is imitating art for Taylor Schilling: On her hit show Orange Is The New Black, the 30-year-old is romancing a woman in prison—and off-screen, she’s fallen for Portlandia star Carrie Brownstein, 40 (who previously dated St. Vincent).

They film on opposite coasts, but the couple, first spotted together in March in Portland, “text, call and visit whenever they can,” says an insider.

Taylor has even attended shows by Carrie’s band, Sleater-Kinney, in cities as far away as Glasgow, Scotland, tweeting her appreciation. “She loves everything about Carrie,” adds the source. “It’s rare to find someone special in this business. They’re doing everything they can to keep the spark alive! This could be the real deal.”

[From Star Magazine]

In this situation, Taylor is the pretty young ingénue and Carrie is the more established figure. Which is sort of annoying because it feels like Carrie has been a big deal throughout my entire adult life. If I’m being honest, I didn’t realize both women were bisexual or gay, but the heart wants what it wants. I think they make a cute couple!

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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70 Responses to “Is Taylor Schilling, 30, dating 40-year-old ‘Portlandia’ star Carrie Brownstein?”

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  1. OSTONE says:

    Good for them but heck, what a random couple!

  2. Kiddo says:

    Nope, still relatively boring. Hopefully, they are happy. That red dress is terrible.

    • Tristan says:

      Blimey no kidding! Those cutouts are really unfortunate

      • SnarkySnarkers says:

        That dress is hideous and way too small for her! I didn’t realize these women were gay either buts its actually really nice that a joint statement didn’t have to be made with interviews and People covers declaring them to be lesbians. Who cares if people are gay or straight? Its so annoying that people have become so obsessed with knowing everyones sexual preference.

    • MsGoblin says:

      OMG that dress! You know Taylor is a stick figure, but that dress makes her look pudgy.
      Time for a stylist … or a new stylist.

    • Suzanne says:

      I agree about the dress…and as far as her being gay….Jesus…is EVERYBODY suddenly GAY or is it just seeming that way?

  3. Alex says:

    I want to love them but I’m too jealous of Taylor. Great looking couple.

  4. Sugar says:

    It’s fine that they’re dating, but, oh my goodness, that red dress is HIDEOUS. Taylor is a thin little twig but that dress makes it look like a muffin top is valiantly making an escape attempt through those cutouts.

  5. Ratchetosity says:

    I don’t want to sound country or sheltered but I just want to say that I’m happy that I live in the day in age where this is reported so casually. Like two leading ladies of two popular shows are dating each other. And its not a gimmick. Its not a Lindsay Lohan / Samantha Ronson. Its not a Kristin Stewart / her girlfriend fascination. Its like oooo, new couple alert.

    Its about time.

    That is all.

    • Tiffany says:

      Yep. And also throw equality shade on the gossip front.

      Also, am I the only one who finds Carrie Brownstein annoying.

      • Kat says:

        Tiffany: You’re not the only one. Sleater-Kinney is my all-time favorite band, and I still find Carrie annoying as hell.

    • bellenola says:

      Amen Rachetosity! 🙂

  6. Debbie says:

    Boring couple but I like when actors on shows real lives are boring then I can actually enjoy the show and get lost in the characters and not be thinking about all the weird stuff we know about their personal life. Let their characters be weird and them be non descript.

    I mean admit it since you know all that crazy stuff about tom cruise, John travolta Jennifer garner, Katie Holmes etc it’s harder to see them as the characters they play.

    • Lucy2 says:

      I agree, I have no problem with someone being “boring” in real life. That’s what keeps them an actor, not a celebrity, and generally makes their work more interesting to watch.

  7. jill says:

    I guess you didn’t know that Carrie hooked up with Taylor while she was still in a relationship with Annie Clarke (currently dating Cara). Annie was in such a terrible state of mind, people around her were really worried that she might try and hurt herself.

    As for Taylor, she might look innocent and vanilla but she knows how to play the game. Cheating is something I can’t defend so both of them deserve each other.

    • may says:

      LMAO. You’re obviously one of those kids who believes everything in L Chat. Pathetic. I have a close friend who works for St. Vincent and apparently she and Carrie broke up long before she started dating Taylor. It was messy and they were on and off-ish and tried to salvage the relationship towards the end but ultimately they ended it. It’s not really as ~dramatic~ as some people are making it out to be.

    • Sammy says:

      There is absolutely no reason to think there was cheating. There is nothing at all to suggest she and Annie were still together in August. And I doubt Carrie is dumb enough to be openly with Taylor at all the Emmy stuff in August and caught on video leaving with her if she had a girlfriend. She’d have been a lot more subtle. There is a lot to suggest there wasn’t cheating like Annie having nice things to say about her recently. Something I wouldn’t do if my ex cheated on me like four months earlier. Or the fact that mutual friends post pics of Taylor like it’s no big deal.

      Seems like Annie was pissed that Carrie moved on so quickly. Then got a teeny bopper to play with and got over it. Typical dyke drama.

      It all feels so long ago now! Seriously feels like Taylor/Carrie and Cara/Annie have been on for years.

    • Beatrix says:

      Well, this blind item was widely speculated as truth involving these people: http://blindgossip.com/?p=69973

    • VV says:

      Whenever gossip about these two are around I read this. And I was like YAY! drama and was given some links and stuff to research it. And I was very sad to find out it’s all based on nothing. Basically a bunch of sad lesbians didn’t get a memo that Annie and Carrie had broken up and then felt like *they* were cheated on when they saw her with someone new. It’s the most pathetic reading ever. Even Annie’s “heartbroken” stuff is so overblown. She had like a sad tweet, unfollowed a bunch of people, and looked sad on a talk show. Her friends were kind of bitchy about Taylor. Like, you know, people act when they break up. A bunch of stuff was even totally made up. Like her screaming ” fucking cheater” randomly in the middle of a concert (it’s a concert and she’s very clearly saying “cheer” and the audience then does cheer). It was the weirdest saddest reading. People all need lives.

      Maybe they cheated. I don’t know. But there is no reason to think it that from what I saw on those lesbian forums. Like the person above said no fucking way is Carrie Brownstein stupid enough to be with Taylor Schilling at all the Emmy parties and stuff if she was still with Annie Clark. And St. Vincent got over it all pretty quickly if that were the case.

  8. Jenns says:

    Am I the only one who thinks Taylor Shilling is a terrible actress? She ruins OITNB for me. There was a scene this season where she was giving what was suppose to be a funny speech, and she was so awful that I was cringing.

    • Lisa says:

      I think she is good at playing a terrible character/person. Piper is the worst. I thought that whole scene was meant to be terrible in a funny way and she did it really well.

      • lana86 says:

        agree

      • Kitten says:

        Yeah I think she nailed that scene. It was supposed to be awkward and cringe-worthy. I don’t envy Taylor having to play the *straight woman* on a show full of colorful, interesting, and engaging characters.

        Nobody want to be the Lisa Simpson.

      • msw says:

        I agree. The whole point of her character, it seems, is to be the pretty, shiny girl with all the shine rubbed off. She is blonde, thin, pretty, well off, in love (at the start of the show) – basically, everything people want. And yet, she is horribly boring, and while she has “manners,” she’s a complete a-hole. You’re not supposed to like her.

    • vera says:

      Piper is a shitty and annoying character but I think Taylor does great with what she’s given. I’ve seen her perform live in A Month in the Country with Peter Dinklage a few months back and she was terrific. Maybe it’s because I can actually separate the character from the actress….

    • Sol says:

      I think she’s a pretty fantastic actor. Piper is difficult but she nails it. And I just saw The Overnight and she was the best thing about the movie.

    • SarahM says:

      Nah, she’s a great. She consistently cracks me up as Piper.

    • Amy Tennant says:

      That was an uncomfortable scene to watch. I know it was supposed to be over-the-top and awful, but imo it went on waaaaaay too long.

      But cheers to the happy couple!

    • Jacob says:

      I think she’s wonderful.

    • bns says:

      She sucks.

    • ican'tsnap says:

      Yes, she’s terrible.

      Piper’s also supposed to be a kind of terrible person, but that’s neither here nor there, I’ve never needed a likable protagonist. No, she’s a straight-up dreadful actor. I do not enjoy watching her act.

      I’m an actor and a highly critical viewer, BUT, I feel like anyone who even halfway pays attention, could AT BEST rate her a serviceable actor. That she gets praise, award nominations, is a testament to brilliant work the supporting cast does.

      • msmb says:

        I’m a writer who’s spent my life around theatre and actors and I think she’s darn good. It’s a difficult role, in part precisely because the supporting cast are all character actors, and she is our entry point and ‘straight man’ (as others here have pointed out). She’s like a really great guard in basketball who doesn’t get to score a lot of points but has to hold the team together.

  9. Dana says:

    The “boring couple” comments are making me laugh because this couple’s drama has been all over lesbian sites for months.

    Carrie was previously dating the musician St. Vincent (Annie Clark) & allegedly cheated on and/or dumped her for Taylor Schilling.

    Things got messy as Annie wasn’t exactly discreet about how hard she took the break-up, though she bounced back enough to start dating Cara Delevingne a few months later.

    • ell says:

      lmao exactly, there’s nothing boring about it.

    • Dubois says:

      That’s what I was thinking. This is old news. Plus Taylor set up Natasha Lyonne with Fred Armisten, Carrie’s co-star on Portlandia.

      • Veronica says:

        Natasha and Fred have been together for over a year. Before Carrie and Taylor got together. Pretty sure she arranged Carrie/Taylor not the other way around.

        Plus, I don’t get the vibe that Taylor is Fred’s biggest fan. And she definitely loves Natasha. So, I don’t think she’d do that to her.

      • Dubois says:

        They were being referred to as a “new couple” in August 2014, so ,no, not well over a year.

  10. Sol says:

    I wouldn’t say they are starting to date. They’ve been dating off and on for almost a year and the start was all drama. But they’ve grown on me. I think they are cute. Really quickly went from pure drama to seeming like an old couple that have been together for 15 years so they are definitely lesbians.

  11. Dolce crema says:

    The brunette is forty? She looks extremely youthful! They are both very nice looking,

  12. TheOtherMaria says:

    She’s a rough thirty.

    • Brittney B says:

      I hate the whole “rough ___” but I was honestly surprised to see her age too.

      I think Piper’s in her mid-30s, so that might explain my surprise. I’m also turning 28 myself this month, and I didn’t realize she was only two years older than me. Makes me feel less than accomplished, to say the least.

      • Lisa says:

        Her age surprised me, too. I think it’s because she looks so rough on OITNB because, ya know, prison.

    • Piper is the worst says:

      What a rude comment. She’s a perfectly attractive woman. I do think her makeup is a little harsh at times, tho.

    • Adrien says:

      Iz becoz showbiz age. She’s probably in her mid 30s.

      • Fallon says:

        She’s not – I have a good friend who went to college with Taylor. She just looks older.

      • MindlessContemplations says:

        Nope she is definitely, 30 I went to HS with her and she was a Freshman when I was a Senior, growing up she was the “bratty girl from down the street”. She has grown into a beautiful accomplished woman and frankly I am glad not to have to read about Lohan level antics with her. She lives her life and does her thing

      • Veronica says:

        @Mindless
        Did you know she was gay back then?

  13. Kori says:

    Taylor has been the guess/answer for a few blinds about a closeted actress. If this story is true, good for her.

    • G says:

      how was she closeted? She never talked about her love life and people assumed she was 100% straight, that’s not her problem

  14. JENNA says:

    They have been together for a while but no one cares about Taylor.

    • Brittney B says:

      Yeah, I was gonna say… this is news? They cheated on their exes with each other, according to indie music blogs; Cara Delevingne is now with Carrie’s ex, Annie of St. Vincent.

      • Jacob says:

        Cheated on their exes? What? I have never once heard any rumor that Taylor was with someone and cheated when she got with Carrie. Her dating history previous to this is a total blank slate (which means gay, gay, gay). And there is also no reason to think Annie and Carrie were still together in August when they hooked up.

      • msmb says:

        FYI, Taylor was single prior to meeting Carrie, so she didn’t cheat on any ex–and the stories of Carrie cheating have been widely debunked, so don’t state it as fact please.

    • G says:

      @jacob – why does it mean gay, gay, gay?

  15. Adrien says:

    That red bandage dress Piper is wearing is two sizes too small.

    • msmb says:

      Which is scary because she’s a stick. So the dress was made for a skeleton I guess.

  16. Jacob says:

    I’m a gay man but I saw Taylor Schilling on the Daily Show recently and thought “I think I might be in love with her”. I think she’s adorable.

    That being said, boring is very clearly what the two of them are going for since they shaved the six or so more exciting months off their relationship when they leaked the news. Funny in articles I’ve seen saying they’ve been together since March they often use pictures of the two of them together at the Emmy parties, in August.

  17. Tal says:

    It takes a lot of work to be boring in Hollywood. Taylor Schilling is obviously very good at this game. Any hint of impropriety at the start of this has been totally erased (I don’t even buy the cheating stuff but Carrie Brownstein moved on from St. Vincent reallll quick). And there is no tea about her from before this (heard she was hooking up with Danielle Brooks when the show started but nothing more). That’s not boring that’s savvy.

    • snowy says:

      I agree! I had literally no clue about what Taylor does in her private life all these while because she is so incredibly private. Now reading this, I wonder what made her start to open up more. Anyway super refreshing to see this “boring” couple. They don’t make a big deal of it and are just living their lives as openly as they can.

  18. Veronica says:

    And Taylor’s co-star Natasha Lyonne is dating Fred Armisen from Portlandia. Natasha and Taylor are pretty close. Hipster foursome.

  19. lilly says:

    Cute couple! Both cool talented ladies. Good for them.

  20. msw says:

    This is old, old news. There were photos of them getting close months ago.

  21. Lisa says:

    I’m not sure why, but it’s weirding me out that Taylor is only three years older than I am. I thought she was close to 40.

  22. G says:

    I knew about this what feels like a year ago!

  23. Miss Ann Thropic says:

    Who gives a f*#€ about any of these people? Carrie Brownstein is an arrogant, entitled, unlikeable asshole. Ask her bandmate Janet Weiss. Cara D is an alcoholic mess. Portlandia is the ugliest show on TV. Fred Armisen looks like a puckered anus. I could go on and on… #nonnews #snore #hipsterdomisdumb

  24. ican'tsnap says:

    I am disappoint. Carrie Brownstein can do better!

  25. jenn12 says:

    Founding member of Sleater Kinney…. love Carrie Brownstein!!