Laverne Cox on 2014 Katie Couric interview that ‘shook the internet’ and how TV journalist became ‘incredible ally’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Laverne Cox has discussed TV journalist Kate Couric’s journey to trans allyship in a new interview with Attitude Uncut.

Speaking in the new issue of the digital-first magazine, available to read now on Apple News+ and the Attitude app, the Orange is the New Black icon also reflected on her headline-generating 2014 interview on the Katie talk show.

Speaking in conversation with Munroe Bergdorf, Cox said: “Even when someone as illustrious as Oprah would do a very humanising interview with a trans person, invariably the conversation would turn to the details of transition, genitalia.

“I theorised that the takeaway for the audience is always about the surgery, what they do in the surgery, and that dehumanises and objectifies trans people.”

“Katie got a lot of flak for it” – Laverne Cox

The star, whose new book, Transcendent, is out 9 June 2026 in the US and 25 June 2026 in the UK, continued: “When I came out on stage, Katie Couric asked me about this, and I supported Carmen Carrera and reiterated some of those points. This was a pre-tape, and to Katie’s credit, she didn’t cut it. Her producers actually asked her if she wanted to cut it, but she left it in. It aired at the beginning of 2014 and shook the internet.

“It was really the first time, based on my research, that I’d ever seen a trans person push back against that line of questioning in an interview. And Katie got a lot of flak for it, but to her credit, she said, ‘Well, if this is the conversation we shouldn’t be having, what should we have?’

“And she brought me back on. And I brought [activist] CeCe McDonald with me. I brought Tiq Milan [GLAAD Senior Media Strategist] and Chase Strangio [a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union], both trans men, with me and we talked about the lived experience of trans people. And Katie’s since become an incredible ally.”

To read this interview in full, check out Attitude Uncut on Apple News+ and the Attitude app.

Attitude – the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ media brand and Europe’s best-selling magazine for gay men – last year launched Attitude Uncut, an all-new digital magazine that will be published six times a year (between Attitude print issues) and available exclusively on Apple News+ and via the Attitude app. Featuring long-read journalism inspired by themes resonating within the LGBTQ+ community, each issue will provide a deep dive into topics as varied as sexuality, identity, health, relationships and beyond.