Who is Lauren Morelli? Orange Is The New Black star Samira Wiley splits from wife seven years after tying the knot

Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli announced on January 28 that they are amicably divorcing after nine years together.

They emphasized their ongoing commitment to co-parent their daughter, George Elizabeth, born in 2021. The two first met on the set of Orange Is the New Black in December 2012. While Morelli worked as a lead writer and producer on the show, Wiley played the role of Poussey Washington.

Lauren Morelli is a writer, producer and director best known for her work on Netflix series like Orange Is the New Black. She has also executive-produced projects such as the Tales of the City reboot.

While working on OITNB, Morelli realized that she is gay which led to her divorce from Steve Basilone. Soon after, she began dating Wiley, which led to their engagement and then their wedding in March 2017. Four years later, they welcomed their daughter Elizabeth.

Read on for more.

Everything to know about Lauren Morelli amid Samira Wiley’s divorce

Lauren Morelli was born in July 1982 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburb of McCandless. She graduated from Winchester Thurston School and initially pursued dance at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.

After completing her education, Morelli pursued her passion for dance until a serious back injury ended her dancing career, prompting her to shift to writing. She began writing short stories, scripts, and blog posts for herself and eventually secured a position as the lead writer for Orange Is the New Black. She worked on the series for five of its seven seasons.

Morelli met actress Samira Wiley during the production of the Netflix series, Orange Is the New Black in late 2012. At that time, she was married to a man named Steve Basilone. While writing for the show, Morelli realized her own attraction to women.

The show was based on a same-sex love story that helped Morelli to accept her real sexual identity. She described it in her 2014 Mic essay:

“I realized I was gay in fall 2012, one of my first days on the set. It wasn't so much one thing, but the sum of many small details.”

She added:

“I was finally forced to consider a question that had never, ever occurred to me before: Holy shit, am I gay?"

After divorcing her husband, Morelli and Wiley officially started dating as a couple in 2014. She told Out magazine that it felt “huge” to walk with Wiley while holding her hand while walking through the streets of New York. She added:

“It had been such a journey to discover my sexuality, and to claim it in this public way was incredible for me.”

In October 2016, she proposed to Wiley in Palm Springs, California. The proposal reportedly took place shortly before a weekend trip to the area. They later tied the knot in the same location in 2017.

After staying married for nine years, Lauren Morelli parted ways with Wiley. In an interview with Out magazine, she said:

Trending

“After nine years together we have decided to end our marriage, however, our lifelong commitment to co-parenting will forever remain.”

As of now, Lauren Morelli is indulged in her work as a television executive producer on the upcoming Netflix series The Altruists.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback