Actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox detailed her journey of healing from severe childhood trauma and shame during an interview on the Making Space Podcast with Hoda Kotb on July 8, 2026.
The Emmy-winning star revealed how early struggles influenced her path toward self-acceptance ahead of the release of her new book.
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Early Life and Struggles
Cox explained that her early life was marked by a deep sense of inadequacy rooted in her relationship with her mother and personal identity struggles.
Her early experiences included being left at an orphanage, undergoing conversion therapy, and facing severe bullying from peers.
"I was walking around feeling like I was a mistake," Cox told Kotb.
Raised in a strict religious environment, she struggled with internal conflict regarding her identity.
"I felt like this horrible burden. I felt unwanted, like I was a mistake who was ruining this woman's life," Cox said.
Following the passing of her grandmother, the emotional distress intensified as she navigated feelings of guilt and fear.
"I didn't feel protected. I felt shamed.
I felt judged. I felt terrified," she said.
The overwhelming shame culminated in a suicide attempt when she was 11 years old.
After surviving, Cox shifted her focus entirely toward achieving academic perfection as a survival strategy while living in Alabama.
"My grandmother was up in heaven, and she couldn't know that I was thinking these things. It was so much shame," Cox explained.
