Isis King facts for kids

Isis King (born October 1, 1985) is an American model, actress, and fashion designer. She is famous for being on the TV show America's Next Top Model. Isis was the first openly trans woman to compete on the show. This made her one of the most well-known transgender people on television. Since 2021, King has been playing Sol Perez in the Amazon Prime Video romantic comedy series With Love.

About Isis King

Isis King was born a boy, but she has said that "mentally and everything else" she was "born female." She prefers the phrase "born in the wrong body." In high school, King told people she was "gay", but later felt that wasn't the right word for her.

King studied design and illustration at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She moved to New York to begin her journey to become a woman. Because her family didn't support her and she didn't earn enough money, she lived at the Ali Forney Center. This center helps young people who are homeless and are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2007, King was in an MSNBC special called Born in the Wrong Body. This show shared the stories of transgender teens across the United States. King started hormone therapy in 2007. This was part of her transition process. She had gender reassignment surgery in 2009. She talked about this on America's Next Top Model: All-Stars.

Early Career and Modeling

Before joining America's Next Top Model, Isis King had been a runway model for seven years. She also took part in underground fashion shows called ball culture. In an interview, King said she was excited about runway modeling because she had been "walking" for a long time. After the show, she walked in many fashion shows, including the Amore Fashion Show and the Howard University Homecoming Fashion Show.

She also worked as a receptionist at a hair salon and helped a nonprofit organization.

America's Next Top Model Journey

First Appearances

Isis King was living at the Ali Forney Transitional Living Program when she heard about a photo shoot for Cycle 10.

King asked the show's art director, Jay Manuel, if she could be on the show as a girl "born in the wrong body." After the photo shoot, the show's host, Tyra Banks, asked her team to find King. Tyra wanted to encourage King to try out for the show because of how well she did in the photo shoot. King became one of the fourteen finalists for the eleventh cycle of the show. She was the fifth person to be eliminated.

Isis King also posed for photos about youth homelessness. This project helped her get chosen to return for Cycle 17.

All-Stars Season

After her first time on the show, King was chosen to come back for the first "All-Star" season. This was Cycle 17. She joined twelve other models who had been on past seasons. In the first week, she was called first, meaning she did the best. She was eliminated later in the season.

Taz Tagore, who helped start the Reciprocity Foundation, said that Isis King had a goal when she was on Cycle 17. She wanted to help break down unfair ideas and barriers for people in the LGBTQ+ community. She became a role model for many women in that community.

After America's Next Top Model

King appeared on The Tyra Banks Show two times. In her first visit, she talked more about her life story. Tyra Banks surprised King by introducing her to Marci Bowers, a famous gender reassignment surgeon. Marci offered King a free surgery, which happened in 2009. New photos were taken after the surgery and shown in King's second appearance on the show. Her transition to being anatomically female was called "complete." She also appeared on Larry King Live in 2009.

Since then, King has worked with American Apparel. This made her the first transgender person to model for them.

In July 2015, Isis was a guest star on a few episodes of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

King played Gia in a guest role on season 7 of the Showtime show Shameless.

In Fall 2016, King's TV show Strut aired on the Oxygen Network. The show was produced by Whoopi Goldberg. It followed five transgender models and showed King's move from New York to Los Angeles.

In 2019, she starred in the Netflix series When They See Us. This show was created by Ava DuVernay. It tells the true story of the Central Park Five. King played Marci, the older sister of Korey Wise.

In August 2019, King was interviewed by Deadline. She talked about how important it is for transgender people to be seen and accepted.

On July 3, 2020, King appeared on fellow America's Next Top Model star Jay Manuel's web chat, Jays Chat. They talked about Cycle 11 of the show, which was King's first season.

King is now signed with AEFH Talent for acting roles and A3 Artist Agency for commercial work in Los Angeles.

Print Work

King has been featured in several magazines. These include Us Weekly (September 2008), Seventeen magazine (December 2008/January 2009), Out magazine, Mallard International magazine, and the cover of the Spring 2010 Swerv magazine. She also did many test photos that were used to promote her visit to The Tyra Banks Show. In 2012, she became American Apparel's first openly transgender model.

In 2014, King was on the fifth-anniversary cover of C☆NDY magazine. She was with 13 other transgender women, including Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, and Laverne Cox.

Cultural Impact

Isis King is one of a small but growing number of transgender people and characters seen in movies and on television.

Personal Life

King is a Christian and goes to Mosaic Church in Los Angeles.

In 2016, she moved to Los Angeles to focus more on her acting and modeling skills.

She is also a motivational speaker. She shares her experiences with schools across the country.

Filmography

Film and Television

Podcasts

See also

In Spanish: Isis King para niños

• List of transgender characters in film and television
• List of transgender people