Laverne Cox says she has lost significant income under Donald Trump’s second term as major brands and companies retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Emmy-winning actor and activist said the political climate has made corporations “very scared” to hire her, which has affected both brand work and speaking engagements, including college appearances that she says have dried up.
Cox said the financial pressure is especially difficult because she spent years rebuilding her finances after landing her breakout role as Sophia Burset on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black in 2013. She explained that when that success arrived at age 40, she still had student loan debt, no savings and no retirement fund. At the time, she was trying both to stabilize her own life and to support the transgender community through public speaking and advocacy.
According to Cox, the shift began after Trump returned to the White House for a second nonconsecutive term in January 2025, when several entertainment and media organizations started scaling back DEI-related initiatives. She said the administration has taken a punitive approach toward anything connected to DEI or “gender ideology,” creating a chilling effect for companies that might otherwise book her.
Cox said she has relied on savings and retirement funds to cover the shortfall, though she stressed that drawing from those accounts is not ideal. Still, she framed it as a sign of how far she has come financially after years of instability, even if the current situation remains frustrating.
Beyond acting, Cox has long used her platform to speak at universities and events across the country about trans visibility and representation. She said those opportunities were once an important part of both her income and advocacy work, helping her “humanize” trans people and share their stories with wider audiences.
Her comments highlight the broader economic fallout some public figures say they are facing as corporations revise language and policies tied to diversity initiatives. For Cox, the impact has been personal as well as professional, affecting the income stream she built after years of effort and career uncertainty.
