If you were watching the early seasons of Orange Is the New Black and wondered how the hell they found an actor who looked exactly like Sophia Burset for those pre-transition flashbacks, you weren't alone. It wasn't CGI. It wasn't a really good wig on Laverne. It was her actual twin.
His name is M Lamar, and honestly, he's probably one of the most interesting people you've never heard of. While his sister was busy becoming a household name and winning Emmys, Lamar was carving out a space in the New York underground that is, frankly, pretty wild.
Who is Laverne Cox twin brother?
Basically, Reginald Lamar Cox—who goes by M Lamar—is a "Negrogothic" artist. That’s his own term. He’s a composer, a performer, and an operatic countertenor. If you’ve ever heard him sing, it’s haunting. Like, "hair standing up on your arms" haunting.
They were born on May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Alabama. Growing up in the South wasn't easy for either of them. They were raised by their mother, Gloria, and a grandmother who was super religious. Laverne has talked a lot about the bullying they faced. People saw two kids who didn't fit the "standard" mold and made their lives difficult.
They both leaned into art to survive.
By ninth grade, they were at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Laverne was doing dance and theater, while Lamar was obsessed with visual arts. Eventually, he headed to the San Francisco Art Institute for a BFA in sculpture. He even got into Yale for grad school but dropped out because he found the elite art world "gross" and "opportunistic."
You've gotta respect that kind of integrity.
The Orange Is the New Black connection
Most people only know Laverne Cox twin brother because of his role as Marcus in OITNB.
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The backstory is actually kind of sweet. The show's creator, Jenji Kohan, didn't want to pressure Laverne into playing a male character during the flashback scenes. They were worried it would be traumatizing or just plain uncomfortable for her. Laverne was down to try it—she’s a professional—but then she mentioned, "Hey, I have a twin."
Problem solved.
Lamar appeared in two episodes: "Lesbian Request Denied" and "Mother's Day." It worked perfectly because they have the same bone structure and the same energy, but Lamar is very much his own person. He’s said in interviews that he basically took the job to pay his bills. He isn't an actor by trade and doesn't really have a desire to be one.
He’s a musician. A "doom spiritualist."
What exactly is a "Negrogothic" artist?
If you go to an M Lamar show, don't expect pop covers. He wears heavy black eye makeup, silver spikes, and often performs in total darkness or flickering light. He calls his style Negrogothic because it mixes the horror of the Black experience in America with the aesthetics of goth and heavy metal.
It's deep stuff.
He deals with big, heavy themes:
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- The legacy of the Middle Passage.
- Jim Crow era trauma.
- Sexual objectification.
- Transcendent Black consciousness.
He isn't just making "songs." He's making movements. He has albums like Negrogothic (2015) and Funeral Doom Spiritual (2017). He even worked with Hunter Hunt-Hendrix from the black metal band Liturgy. It’s a mix of opera, metal, and avant-garde piano that most people find "challenging."
But that’s the point. He isn't trying to be famous.
The "Claim to Fame" moment
In 2022, Lamar popped up on the ABC reality show Claim to Fame. He went by "X" and tried to keep his identity a secret. He wore these amazing, high-fashion funeral-esque outfits that kept everyone guessing.
When he was finally eliminated, he gave this incredibly moving speech about Laverne. He talked about how she "endured all kinds of insanity" to get where she is. He called her his moral compass. It was one of those rare TV moments that actually felt real.
Laverne posted about it later, saying:
"I am an immensely blessed woman in a plethora of ways. One of the most important is that I have known my brother my entire life."
They are close. Like, really close. Even though they live in different worlds—one in the Hollywood spotlight, the other in the experimental art scene—they seem to be each other's anchors.
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Why you should care about M Lamar
It’s easy to write someone off as just "the sibling of someone famous." But Lamar is a serious intellectual. He studies bel canto technique with legendary teachers like Ira Siff. He wins grants from the Jerome Foundation and the Harpo Foundation.
He’s also been really open about the friction in their family. In a public talk at Baruch College, they discussed how Lamar hasn't spoken to their mother in over a decade. It was raw. They disagreed on stage, they laughed, they got intense.
It’s a refreshing change from the "perfect celebrity family" narrative.
Actionable takeaways for the curious
If you want to understand the world of Laverne Cox twin brother beyond the Netflix cameos, here is how to dive in:
- Listen to "Lordship & Bondage": This 2019 work is probably his most accessible point of entry into his "Negrogothic" philosophy.
- Watch his Baruch College talk: You can find clips of him and Laverne discussing "GenderFluid" week. It’s a masterclass in how twins navigate different identities while staying bonded.
- Follow his aesthetic: Lamar’s Instagram is essentially a living art gallery. It’s a great place to see how he uses fashion as a form of resistance.
- Re-watch OITNB Season 1, Episode 3: Now that you know he’s a classically trained operatic countertenor who hates the mainstream, his performance as a firefighter feels totally different.
Lamar isn't trying to be a star. He’s trying to be a vessel for history. Whether he's playing a pre-transition version of his sister or screaming over a piano in a dark gallery, he’s consistently, unapologetically himself.
In a world of filtered celebrities, that’s pretty rare.