It’s hard to remember a time before Lea DeLaria and Orange Is the New Black became synonymous with a very specific kind of TV revolution. Back in 2013, when the show first dropped on Netflix, we weren't exactly seeing "butch" lesbians as romantic leads, let alone as the heart of a prestige drama. Most queer characters back then were polished, "palatable," or basically just straight-adjacent.
Then came Carrie "Big Boo" Black.
She was loud. She was unapologetic. She was, as Lea puts it, a "big dyke with a smile on her face." Honestly, the casting was so perfect it felt like fate, but the behind-the-scenes reality of how she got the job—and how much of her own trauma went into that character—is a lot more intense than the memes suggest.
The Role That Didn't Actually Exist
Here is a wild fact most people miss: Big Boo wasn't in the original script.
When Lea DeLaria first went in to audition for Orange Is the New Black, she wasn't reading for the dog-loving, wise-cracking inmate we know today. She was actually up for the part of Wanda Bell—that mean, cynical prison guard who processes Piper Chapman into Litchfield.
Lea nailed the audition, but the casting directors had a "problem." They loved her vibe way too much to waste it on a minor guard role. They wanted her in the orange jumpsuit. So, Jenji Kohan and the writers basically looked at each other and decided to create a brand-new character specifically for Lea. They carved out the space for Big Boo because they knew the show needed that specific "butch" energy that only a pioneer like DeLaria could bring.
It wasn't just a job for her. It was a culmination of thirty years of being told "no." Before the show, Lea was mostly getting cast as "Police Lieutenant #3" or "Aggressive PE Teacher." She’s been very vocal about how Hollywood spent decades trying to put her in a box—usually a box where she was the butt of the joke. Orange changed that.
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Why Big Boo’s Backstory Hit So Hard
If you’ve watched the show, you remember "Finger in the Dyke" (Season 3, Episode 9). It’s arguably one of the most emotional hours in the series. We see Big Boo’s childhood—the struggle with her parents over her clothes, the refusal to wear a dress to a family event, and the eventual, devastating rift with her mother.
When Lea got that script, she reportedly called writer Lauren Morelli in tears.
"It feels like somebody’s read my diary," she told her.
The scenes where Boo’s mother refuses to see her on her deathbed weren't just "good writing." They were a reflection of the shared trauma of an entire generation of butch women. Lea has talked about how she used to "run" when Easter Sunday came around as a kid because of the fight over clothes. That’s why the performance felt so raw. It wasn't acting; it was history.
The "Strap-On" Moment That Made History
We should probably talk about the sex scenes, too. Lea has joked that she was just happy to "have sex with a human instead of an object" for once on screen. But she’s also very serious about the fact that her intimate scenes in Season 3 were groundbreaking.
Showing a butch woman’s sexuality—specifically using a strap-on—was a first for mainstream American television. It wasn’t played for a "male gaze" or as a punchline. It was just... life. For Lea, this was political. She’s been a radical activist since the '80s, working with ACT UP during the AIDS crisis and literally being the first openly gay comic on late-night TV (shoutout to Arsenio Hall in '93).
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Beyond the Jumpsuit: Jazz, Bowie, and Activism
People see her in the khaki prison gear and forget that Lea DeLaria is a legit jazz virtuoso. Her father was a jazz pianist, and she was singing standards in St. Louis clubs by the time she was eight.
While filming Orange Is the New Black, she didn't just sit in her trailer. She released a David Bowie tribute album called House of David.
Funny story about that: Bowie actually championed the record himself. He posted about it on his website and encouraged fans to help her get it funded. For a "queer kid from the Midwest" who grew up watching Bowie wear skirts on stage, that was the ultimate full-circle moment.
Life After Litchfield
Since the show ended in 2019, Lea hasn't slowed down. You might have heard her voice as the demolition derby bus Miss Fritter in Cars 3—a character the animators literally modeled after her facial expressions. She’s also been back on Broadway in POTUS and continues to host her legendary jazz brunch series at 54 Below in New York.
She’s still "in touch with her rage," as she says. Whether she’s confronting homophobes on the NYC subway (which actually happened and went viral) or fighting for better treatment of butch women in the actual US prison system, she’s the same person she was before the Netflix fame.
What Most People Get Wrong About Big Boo
There’s a misconception that Big Boo was just the "comic relief." Sure, she had the best one-liners, but if you look closer, she was the moral anchor for a lot of characters. Look at her friendship with Pennsatucky.
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Taking a character like Tiffany Doggett—who started as a meth-addicted, homophobic religious zealot—and turning her into Big Boo’s best friend was the smartest move the writers ever made. It showed that "the Butch" wasn't just a scary exterior; she was a protector.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're looking back at the legacy of Lea DeLaria in Orange Is the New Black, there are a few things we can actually learn from her journey:
- Authenticity is a long game. Lea spent 30 years being "too gay" for TV before she became the star of the biggest show on the planet. Don't dim your light to fit a temporary trend.
- Specificity wins. The reason Big Boo resonated wasn't because she was a "generic lesbian." It was because she was a very specific kind of lesbian with a very specific history.
- Art as a bridge. The Boo/Pennsatucky friendship is a masterclass in how to write characters who disagree fundamentally but find common humanity. We need more of that in 2026.
If you haven't revisited the early seasons in a while, go back and watch the scenes between Boo and Pennsatucky in the laundry room. It’s some of the best character work in modern television history.
Next time you see a "butch" character on screen who isn't a villain or a punchline, remember that Lea DeLaria basically kicked the door down so they could walk through it.
Pro Tip: If you want to hear the "real" Lea, check out her album Play It Cool. It’s a perfect mix of her brassy personality and her world-class jazz chops.