Jen Richards

{{Short description|American writer, actress, producer, and activist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Jen Richards

| nationality = American

| occupation = writer, actress, producer, activist

| website = https://smartassjen.com/

}}

Jen Richards is an American writer, actress, producer, and activist.

Life and career

Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina. She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford University.{{cite web|last1=Heinichen|first1=Claire|title=Emmy Nominated Writer, Producer and Actress Jen Richards Joining Cast of Nashville|url=http://www.cmt.com/news/1770863/emmy-nominated-writer-producer-and-actress-jen-richards-joining-cast-of-nashville/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914032818/http://www.cmt.com/news/1770863/emmy-nominated-writer-producer-and-actress-jen-richards-joining-cast-of-nashville/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2016|website=CMT News|publisher=CMT|accessdate=June 21, 2017|date=September 13, 2016}}

In 2015, she appeared as a supporting cast member of Caitlyn Jenner's reality show I Am Cait. In 2016, she co-starred, co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the web series Her Story, which was nominated for an Emmy Award.{{cite news|last1=Anderson|first1=Tre'vell|title='Her Story' creators Jen Richards and Laura Zak highlight dating while transgender|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-her-story-jen-richards-laura-zak-transgender-20160117-story.html|accessdate=June 21, 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 19, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Stafford|first1=Zach|title=Her Story: the transgender-themed web series up for a 'shock' Emmy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/10/her-story-jen-richards-emmys-transgender-women|accessdate=June 21, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|date=August 10, 2016}} Richards also co-produced the series More Than T and wrote the Trans 102 series.{{cite news|last1=Petski|first1=Denise|title='Nashville' Casts Transgender Actor Jen Richards In Recurring Role|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/nashville-cast-jen-richards-recurring-1201818921/|newspaper=Deadline Hollywood|date=September 13, 2016}}

Richards joined the cast of the television series Nashville in 2017.{{cite magazine|last1=Betts|first1=Stephen L.|title=Transgender Actress Jen Richards Joins Cast of 'Nashville'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/transgender-actress-jen-richards-joins-cast-of-nashville-w439502|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 13, 2016|access-date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=September 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914220222/https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/transgender-actress-jen-richards-joins-cast-of-nashville-w439502|url-status=dead}} She became the first openly transgender person to appear on a CMT show, playing the first transgender character to appear on that network.{{cite news|last1=Yohannes|first1=Alamin|title=Actress Jen Richards Is Headed to 'Nashville'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/actress-jen-richards-joins-nashville-recurring-role-n647731|accessdate=June 21, 2017|newspaper=NBC News|date=September 13, 2016}} Richards also appeared in the 2017 film Easy Living.{{cite news|last1=Valentini|first1=Valentina|title=EXCLUSIVE: Jen Richard Pushes Hollywood Forward With 'Easy Living' and 'Nashville'|url=http://www.etonline.com/features/213429_jen_richard_talks_easy_living_and_nashville/|accessdate=June 21, 2017|newspaper=Entertainment Tonight|date=March 23, 2017}}

In June 2017, Richards wrote and appeared in a video open letter, presented by ScreenCrush and GLAAD, featuring trans actors asking for better representation in film and television.{{cite magazine|last1=Reynolds|first1=Daniel|title=Trans Actors Ask Hollywood for Roles With Dignity and Depth in Open Letter|url=https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2017/6/20/trans-actors-ask-hollywood-roles-dignity-and-depth-open-letter|magazine=The Advocate|accessdate=June 21, 2017|date=June 20, 2017}}{{cite web|author1=ScreenCrush|title=Why Hollywood Needs Trans Actors|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPU71jzrv-Q|via=YouTube|accessdate=June 21, 2017|date=June 20, 2017|author1-link=ScreenCrush}}

In August 2018, HBO announced a series pickup of Tom Perrotta's Mrs. Fletcher, a half-hour comedy based on Perrotta's 2017 novel of the same name; Richards is cast as Margo Fairchild, a transgender community college writing teacher, as a series regular.{{cite web |last1=Travees |first1=Ben |title='Mrs. Fletcher': HBO Orders Tom Perrotta's Comedy Series Starring Kathryn Hahn, Directed by Nicole Holofcener |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/08/mrs-fletcher-hbo-series-cast-kathryn-hahn-1201996614/ |website=Indiewire.com |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |accessdate=22 August 2018 |date=21 August 2018}}

Personal life

Richards is bisexual and transgender.{{Cite web|last=Reddish|first=David|date=2019-12-09|title=Transgender star Jen Richards of 'Mrs. Fletcher' on Jared Leto, Hollywood life & "Tales of the City"|url=https://www.queerty.com/transgender-star-jen-richards-mrs-fletcher-jared-leto-hollywood-life-tales-city-20191209|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Queerty}} In August 2020, she announced her engagement to Rebekah Cheyne, a professor from Arizona State University.{{Cite web|title=Jen Richards on Instagram: "I posted an ad on @lex.app one evening, and it just so happened that @bekahdc couldn't sleep that night, and had unknowingly turned off…"|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CEAqDSVpGqP/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/smartassjen/2378085547053968015_2378085543329568139 |archive-date=2021-12-25 |url-access=registration|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Instagram|language=en}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|date=2020-09-29|title=Rebekah Cheyne|url=https://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/content/rebekah-cheyne|access-date=2020-11-03|website=herbergerinstitute.asu.edu|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627163752/https://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/content/rebekah-cheyne|url-status=dead}}

Filmography

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! style="width:20%;"\| Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"\| Notes
2015 \| I Am Cait \| Self \| 7 episodes
2016 \| Her Story \| Violet \| Main role, also writer and producer. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
2016–2017 \| Nashville \| Allyson Del Lago \| 3 episodes
2017 \| Doubt \| McKayla \| Episode: "Clean Burn"
2017–2022 \| Better Things \| Jaia \| 5 episodes
2018 \| Take My Wife \| Naomi \| Episode 2.1
2018–2020 \| Blindspot \| Sabrina Larren \| 3 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 2019 \| Tales of the City \| Anna Madrigal \| 2 episodes
Mrs. Fletcher \| Margo Fairchild \| 7 episodes
2021 \| Clarice \| Julia Lawson \| 3 episodes
2023-2025 \|Mayfair Witches \|Josephine "Jojo" Mayfair \|6 episodes

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! style="width:20%;"| Title

! Role

! class="unsortable"| Notes

2015

| I Am Cait

| Self

| 7 episodes

2016

| Her Story

| Violet

| Main role, also writer and producer. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series

2016–2017

| Nashville

| Allyson Del Lago

| 3 episodes

2017

| Doubt

| McKayla

| Episode: "Clean Burn"

2017–2022

| Better Things

| Jaia

| 5 episodes

2018

| Take My Wife

| Naomi

| Episode 2.1

2018–2020

| Blindspot

| Sabrina Larren

| 3 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2019

| Tales of the City

| Anna Madrigal

| 2 episodes

Mrs. Fletcher

| Margo Fairchild

| 7 episodes

2021

| Clarice

| Julia Lawson

| 3 episodes

2023-2025

|Mayfair Witches

|Josephine "Jojo" Mayfair

|6 episodes

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! style="width:20%;"\| Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"\| Notes
2017 \|Easy Living \|Danny \|
rowspan="2" \| 2020 \|Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen \|Self \|Documentary film
Gossamer Folds \|Diana \|
rowspan="2" \| 2022 \| Framing Agnes \| Barbara \|Documentary film
MK Ultra \|Laura Stanley \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! style="width:20%;"| Title

! Role

! class="unsortable"| Notes

2017

|Easy Living

|Danny

rowspan="2" | 2020

|Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

|Self

|Documentary film