Laverne Cox is opening up about having some post-cop clarity. After previously revealing that she spent nearly four years seriously swooning over her MAGA-supporting police officer boo, she realized she was “betraying” herself by being in that relationship.
During a recent appearance on The View while promoting her upcoming memoir, Transcendent, the Emmy-nominated star reflected on her former relationship with a New York City police officer whose political beliefs sparked intense public conversation. According to The Independent, Cox addressed the backlash she received after previously revealing that she had dated a younger police officer who supported Donald Trump.
“We didn’t plan to fall in love, but we did,” Cox explained while discussing the relationship.
The Orange Is the New Black star said that when they first met, she was drawn to what she described as a kind and attentive partner who treated her better than anyone she had dated before. Cox eventually learned that he had not been completely honest about his profession and later discovered political differences that became increasingly difficult to ignore.
According to USA Today, Cox explained that while she initially wanted to see him as a human being beyond his job title and political affiliation, deeper issues eventually surfaced.
“People show you who they are eventually,” she shared during a television appearance.
The actress revealed that as time went on, she realized the relationship represented more than a disagreement about politics. Instead, she came to view it as a conflict in values. While Cox said she believes people can sometimes maintain relationships despite differing political opinions, she ultimately concluded that this situation involved fundamental differences in how they viewed the world.
“The political affiliation became obvious, but I’d already had feelings for him, and I wanted to see him as a human being beyond that,” the actress continued. “His politics and his unexamined life became clear after the three-and-a-half-years. I was like, ‘I love him, but I love myself more.’ And staying in this relationship betrayed myself.”
Deets about Laverne Cox’s ex date back to July 2025, when the actress came forward about the relationship while promoting her NYC show Laverne Cox: Gurrl How Did I Get Here?.
Cox shared that she was “madly in love” with the man who was 22 years her junior.
“My ex-boyfriend, when we met five years ago, at the height of the pandemic, he was 26. I was 48,” she said. “He is a blonde-hair, blue-eyed MAGA Republican voter who is a New York City police officer. We were madly in love. I did not develop any of these politics. I still have my own.”
After being blasted with criticism, Cox emphasized in a follow-up IG video that she never adopted her former partner’s political beliefs and continued challenging viewpoints she disagreed with throughout the relationship. She also stressed that her commitment to transgender rights and progressive advocacy never wavered.
“For the folks who say it’s a betrayal to my community because I fell in love with someone with different politics, I mean, I get it,” she said in a follow-up video. I” get it, especially now, and we aren’t dating now, and I think with this current administration, lines certainly have to be drawn, because we’re fighting for our lives in a different way than we were five years ago,” she said.
Laverne went on to note that, unlike her ex, she’d never voted for Trump.
Now, as she prepares to release her memoir, Cox appears focused on sharing the lessons she learned.
