Who is Jenji Kohan? See Net-worth, Quote, Awards, Fact, Wiki

Jenji Leslie Kohan Wiki Biography

Jenji Leslie Kohan was born on 5 July 1969, in Los Angeles, California, USA,of Jewish descent. Jenji is a producer and writer, best known for creating the TV series’ “Weeds” and “Orange is the New Black”. Aside from that she’s been the writer for several other popular series and all her efforts have helped in putting her net worth to where it is now.

How rich is Jenji Kohan? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $15 million, mostly earned through her success in producing shows. Kohan has also been known to collaborate with other networks and companies. Additionally she owns the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles which she uses at times for productions. As her work continues, her wealth is expected to rise further.

Jenji Kohan Net Worth $15 Million

Jenji was born into a family who were very involved with show business; she is the daughter of producer, writer and composer Alan W. “Buz” Kohan and novelist Rhea Arnold Kohan. She also has two older brothers who are twins. Most of them have been known to win Emmy Awards. Jenji attended Brandeis University and later transferred to Columbia University where she completed a degree in English language and literature.

One of Kohan’s first opportunities came as a writer for “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, and later she would get opportunities on shows including “Tracey Takes On…”, “Friends” and “Mad About You”. She also worked with her brother on the show “Will and Grace”, but later they went on their separate career paths due to differences in working style. She would then create the show “Weeds” of which she was the executive producer and head writer. The show which featured Mary-Louise Parker would go on and run for eight seasons, earning them multiple award nominations. After the success of “Weeds”, Jenji would go on and create “Orange is the New Black” for Netflix based on the memoir “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” by Piper Kerman. The popularity of “Orange is the New Black” earned it the title of the most watched original series on the internet television service. Netflix’s formula has proved successful because of how it makes full seasons available on release. It has also helped give a huge boost in Kohan’s net worth.

Aside from television and film, Kohan often uses the second floor of the Hayworth theatre as a production office. She also has a deal with Lionsgate TV for productions and the like.

Throughout her career, she’s received a total of nine Emmy Award nominations, including a win as producer of “Tracey Takes On…” She also has nominations for Writers Guild of America Awards and a Producers Guild of America Award. One of her most popular shows “Orange is the New Black” was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards.

For her personal life, Jenji is known to have married Christopher Noxon, a freelance journalist, in 1997; they have two sons and a daughter, and are known to be active in Judaism, as Christopher converted before their marriage.



Full Name Jenji Kohan
Net Worth $15 Million
Date Of Birth July 5, 1969
Place Of Birth Los Angeles, California, USA
Profession Television Writer, Producer, Director
Education Columbia University
Nationality American
Spouse Christopher Noxon (m. 1997-)
Parents Buz Kohan, Rhea Kohan
Siblings Jono Kohan, Jono Kohan Lucas Prater
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0463176
Awards Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy, Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television – Comedy, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Or Music Program
Nominations mmy Award (television writer, television producer), CableACE Award (1996), Writers Guild of America Awards, Producers Guild of America (2007)
Movies “Weeds” (2005-2012) , “Orange is the New Black” (2013-), “The Stones” (2004), Gilmore Girls (2000), The Devil You Know (2015)
TV Shows Orange Is the New Black, Weeds, G.L.O.W., The Devil You Know, The Stones
Quote
1 When I got out of college in 1991, I had four jobs in four different parts of L.A. There was I Love Juicy, a smoothie bar in Venice, and the Videotheque on Sunset Boulevard, across from the old Tower Records. I was also an intern at the ‘Los Angeles Reader’ in the Miracle Mile and at ‘High Performance’ magazine downtown.
2 We still have this prudish, puritanical culture, but we also have so little exposure to a diversity of bodies. Bodies are beautiful and great and compelling.
3 My ex-boyfriend said, ‘You have a better chance of getting elected to Congress than getting on the staff of a television show.’ Which was the perfect thing for him to say, because my entire career is, ‘Well, screw you.’ And we broke up.
4 I’m never going to look like a Nordic model, so I play with what I’ve got. Instead of going gray, I dye my hair bright colors; I have bad vision, so I wear sparkly glasses. I embrace that I look like a crazy lady.
5 My first job is to entertain, but if, while you’re enjoying, you start to question something you never thought about before or empathize with, relate to, love someone you only thought of as ‘other’ once upon a time – how awesome is that.
6 Mainly, I’m doing my thing, and I hope people like it. I don’t say, ‘I’m going to write something radical and hope it reverberates throughout society.’ The goal is to write a solid, entertaining, engaging show.
7 I’m from the creative side of Hollywood. I’m up for anyone that wants to support my work. If you have eyeballs and give me a budget and are nice to me, I’m in.
8 I was broke when I lived in New York City during college, so I’d spend weekends walking around town, grabbing something to eat, and interacting with strangers. That ritual has stuck with me.
9 I don’t set out to write female lead shows, necessarily. I like deeply flawed characters. When they come to me, or when I’m introduced to them, I follow the stories and the people, rather than setting out to do a female lead thing.
10 I think great writers should write great shows, and I have trouble with, like, what you are in life shouldn’t automatically make you what you do in your art. It doesn’t necessarily translate.
11 I think shows that are completely dramatic are a lie. People use humor to cope. That is how we deal with things. In the darkest situations, there’s humor. And if you don’t show that, you’re not being true to real life.
12 I remember one of my writers on ‘Weeds’ got a new apartment and didn’t get cable or a dish. He just hooked his computer up to the TV. I was like, ‘This is it. This is how it’s happening.’
13 Personally, I like to yearn a little and long for the next episode. On the other hand, I’m also a glutton. My kids love to dive in and eat whole series at once.
14 It can go two ways with girls: They either bond or eat each other alive.
15 I love flawed characters, male or female, and I only want to talk about flawed characters, really, in what I do.
16 In my head I’m a rapper, but I’m not!
17 I’m a huge Ira Glass fan; I’m a huge fan of radio in general.
18 I’m not a public figure; I shouldn’t have to be held to a certain standard of beauty.
19 ‘Be nice’ is my family’s basic rule but one that often goes unfollowed in Hollywood. There’s always a moment when you can choose between being snarky and being kind. I opt for the latter – it’s much less exhausting!
20 A TV touchstone for me is ‘The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.’ That series was whimsical and smart and had the mix of comedy and drama that I now trade in – but with a dash of magical realism. I wanted to be Molly Dodd, but more than that, I wanted to be Jay Tarses, who created the show.
21 I can shoot off my big mouth and write my shows and run my shows, and I can recognize how lucky I am because my position is rare and my position is privileged.
22 What offends me more than something sexist is something poorly written or unfunny or cliched.
23 I believe in the power of media. I really do. It’s my soapbox. And I do have an agenda, because I’m enraged by the limitations forced on people – by poverty, oppression, hatred, fear – and I’m saddened by the kind of loss we all experienced due to the contributions that people cannot make because of their circumstances.
24 For a lot of people, film is still the dream – the captive audience in the darkened theater – but I love TV. I think it’s fantastic.
25 By nature, I sit alone in a room and type… My goal was never celebrity.
26 I am a huge, huge Regina Spektor fan.
27 Home is where your family is. Wherever you are, it’s about the people you’re surrounded by, not necessarily where you lay your head.
28 There’s more to us than the moment we made a bad decision.
Fact
1 One of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. [April 2014].
2 Daughter of Buz Kohan and Rhea Kohan, sister of David Kohan.

Writer

Title Year Status Character
G.L.O.W. 2017 TV Series writer – 1 episode filming
Orange Is the New Black TV Series creator – 39 episodes, 2013 – 2015 created by – 28 episodes, 2016 – 2019 written by – 9 episodes, 2013 – 2016
The Devil You Know TV Mini-Series creator – 1 episode, 2015 written by – 1 episode, 2015
Weeds TV Series creator – 102 episodes, 2005 – 2012 written by – 22 episodes, 2005 – 2012
Tough Trade 2010 TV Movie creator / written by
Ronna & Beverly 2009 TV Movie
The Stones 2004 TV Series creator
My Wonderful Life 2002 TV Movie
Will & Grace 2002 TV Series written by – 1 episode
Gilmore Girls 2000 TV Series written by – 1 episode
Tracey Takes On… TV Series writer – 15 episodes, 1996 – 1999 written by – 3 episodes, 1997
Sex and the City 1998 TV Series story by – 1 episode
Mad About You TV Series written by – 3 episodes, 1996 – 1997 story – 1 episode, 1997
Boston Common 1996 TV Series writer – 1 episode
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 1994 TV Series teleplay – 1 episode

Producer

Title Year Status Character
G.L.O.W. 2017 TV Series executive producer – 2 episodes filming
Orange Is the New Black 2013-2017 TV Series executive producer – 57 episodes
Weeds 2005-2012 TV Series executive producer – 102 episodes
Tough Trade 2010 TV Movie executive producer
Ronna & Beverly 2009 TV Movie executive producer
Me & Lee? 2007 TV Movie executive producer
The Stones 2004 TV Series executive producer
My Wonderful Life 2002 TV Movie executive producer
Gilmore Girls 2000-2001 TV Series producer – 12 episodes
Tracey Takes On… TV Series producer – 12 episodes, 1996 – 1997 supervising producer – 2 episodes, 1999
Mad About You 1996-1997 TV Series producer – 24 episodes
The Best of Tracey Takes On… 1996 TV Movie producer

Actress

Title Year Status Character
Weeds 2010 TV Series Woman at airport

Self

Title Year Status Character
The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 TV Special Herself – Nominee: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Clippin’ the Buds: Medical Marijuana and the Marijuana Pill 2013 Video short Herself
Everyday Advice from Guru Doug 2013 Video short Herself
Weeds Season 8: The Wrap Up 2013 Video short Herself
2012 Writers Guild Awards 2012 TV Special Herself – Presenter
America in Primetime 2011 TV Series documentary Herself – Creator, Weeds
Bye-Bye Botwins 2011 Video short Herself
Fandamonium: Weeds Creators Tell All 2011 Video short Herself
Crazy Love: A Guide to the Dysfunctional Relationships of ‘Weeds’ 2010 Video short Herself
Anatomy of a Script 3: Jenji Kohan 2008 Video documentary Herself
My Tale of Two Cities 2008 Documentary
Reinventando Hollywood 2008 TV Movie documentary Herself
Burbs to the Beach 2008 Video short Herself
Tour of Bubbie’s House 2008 Video short Herself
Weeds: Suburban Shakedown 2005 TV Short documentary Herself

Won Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
2015 PGA Award PGA Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 Gold Derby TV Award Gold Derby Awards Comedy Episode of the Year Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2006 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Episodic Comedy Weeds (2005)
1997 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Tracey Takes On… (1996)
1996 CableACE CableACE Awards Variety Special or Series Tracey Takes On… (1996)

Nominated Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
2015 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Comedy Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2015 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Drama Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2015 Gold Derby TV Award Gold Derby Awards Drama Episode of the Year Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2015 Screenplay Competition Screenwriters Choice Awards, Online Best Television Comedy Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Comedy Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA New Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Episodic Comedy Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 Gold Derby TV Award Gold Derby Awards Comedy Episode of the Year Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 OFTA Television Award Online Film & Television Association Best Writing in a Comedy Series Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2014 Screenplay Competition Screenwriters Choice Awards, Online Best Television Comedy Orange Is the New Black (2013)
2010 PGA Award PGA Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy Weeds (2005)
2009 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Comedy Series Weeds (2005)
2009 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Weeds (2005)
2009 PGA Award PGA Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy Weeds (2005)
2007 PGA Award PGA Awards Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy Weeds (2005)
1999 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Tracey Takes On… (1996)
1997 WGA Award (TV) Writers Guild of America, USA Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series Tracey Takes On… (1996)
1997 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Mad About You (1992)
1997 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program Tracey Takes On… (1996)
1996 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special The Best of Tracey Takes On… (1996)
1996 Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program Tracey Takes On… (1996)

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