Jenji Kohan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenji Kohan
Kohan at 2014 Paley Fest
Born	Jenji Leslie Kohan (1969-07-05) July 5, 1969 (age 56) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Columbia University
Occupation	Television writer, producer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Christopher Noxon ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2018)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Buz Kohan Rhea Kohan
Relatives	David Kohan (brother) Jono Kohan (brother)

Jenji Leslie Kohan, born on July 5, 1969, is an American television writer and producer. She is well-known for creating and leading popular TV shows. These include the comedy-drama series Weeds for Showtime and Orange Is the New Black for Netflix. She has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards and won one as a supervising producer for the comedy series Tracey Takes On....

Early Life and Family

Jenji Kohan was born in Los Angeles, California. Her family is Jewish, and many of them work in the entertainment industry. Her mother, Rhea Kohan, is a television writer and novelist. Her father, Alan W. "Buz" Kohan, is an Emmy Award-winning television writer, producer, and music composer.

Jenji is the youngest of three children. Her older brothers are twins Jono and David. David is also an Emmy Award-winning television producer. Jenji has shared that her father was very successful in creating variety television shows. He wrote and produced big events like the Oscars.

Kohan grew up in Beverly Hills, California. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1987. She first attended Brandeis University. Later, she transferred to Columbia University, where she earned a degree in English language and literature in 1991.

Her Career in Television

Jenji Kohan's first job in the TV industry was working on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She wrote one episode for the show. She later described this as a challenging start to her career. After this, she worked as a writer on several other shows. These included Mad About You, Tracey Takes On..., and Friends.

She also worked with her brother, David Kohan. They wrote a script for Will & Grace. The siblings also teamed up on a sitcom called The Stones for CBS. However, that show was not very successful. Jenji has explained that her career path was different from her brother's. She said, "David took the big, commercial, funny route; I was always a little darker personally, and not terrific within the system. I had to make my own way."

Creating Weeds

Jenji Kohan is the creator of the TV series Weeds. This show was a dark comedy-drama for the Showtime channel. She was the main producer and head writer for the show. She worked on it at her writing studio, Tilted Productions, in Los Angeles, California. Weeds ran for eight seasons, and Jenji was involved in every one.

Orange Is the New Black

Kohan also created the popular Netflix comedy-drama Orange Is the New Black. This show was inspired by a true story. It came from Piper Kerman's book about her experiences in a women's prison. As the main producer and head writer, Jenji runs the team of writers. They work at her studio, Tilted Productions, in Los Angeles. The show itself is filmed in New York.

Netflix is a streaming service, which means people watch shows online. It's different from regular TV because Netflix doesn't share exact viewing numbers. However, Orange Is the New Black became known as one of the most-watched original series on Netflix. This new way of watching TV allows people to watch entire seasons at once, which is called "binge viewing."

Other Projects and Ventures

Jenji Kohan has a special agreement with Netflix to create more shows. She has been an executive producer for other Netflix series. These include Teenage Bounty Hunters and The Decameron.

Kohan also owns the historic Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles. She uses one floor for producing shows and two floors for editing them. She plans to turn the main auditorium into a place for live performances.

Personal Life

Jenji Kohan has three children. Her oldest child, Charlie, sadly passed away in a skiing accident on December 31, 2019. Her middle child is her daughter Eliza, and her youngest is her son Oscar. Jenji and her family live in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. They are part of the Reform Jewish faith.

Filmography

Here are some of the TV shows and movies Jenji Kohan has worked on:

• 1994: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – writer (1 episode)
• 1996: Boston Common – writer (1 episode)
• 1996–1999: Tracey Takes On... – writer and producer
• 1997: Mad About You – producer, writer (1 episode)
• 1998: ... and the City – story (1 episode)
• 2000: Gilmore Girls – producer (12 episodes), writer (1 episode)
• 2002: Will & Grace – writer (1 episode)
• 2002: My Wonderful Life (TV movie) – writer, executive producer
• 2004: The Stones – writer, executive producer
• 2005–2012: Weeds – creator, writer, executive producer (102 episodes)
• 2009: Ronna & Beverly (TV movie) – writer, executive producer
• 2010: Tough Trade (TV movie) – creator, writer, executive producer
• 2013–2019: Orange Is the New Black – creator, writer, executive producer
• 2015: The Devil You Know – creator, writer, executive producer (1 pilot episode)
• 2017–2020: GLOW – executive producer
• 2019: American Princess – executive producer
• 2020: Teenage Bounty Hunters – executive producer
• 2024: The Decameron – executive producer

Awards and Nominations

Jenji Kohan has received many awards and nominations for her work in television.

See also

In Spanish: Jenji Kohan para niños