Nickelodeon star reveals he transitioned genders 20 years ago
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Actor Michael D. Cohen, who voices the character Schwoz Schwartz on Nickelodeon’s longest-running live-action sitcom, “Henry Danger,” has just revealed that he is transgender.
“I was misgendered at birth,” Cohen tells Time. “I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience — a transgender journey.”
In the profile, Cohen reveals that his transition occurred before his entertainment career took off more than two decades ago, but recent events have inspired him to open up about his “journey.”
“This crazy backlash and oppression of rights is happening right in front of me. I can’t stay silent,” he says. “The level of — let’s be polite — misunderstanding around trans issues is so profound and so destructive. When you disempower one population, you disempower everybody.”
The Canadian-born actor started on the studio sets of Toronto as a female playing female roles until the year 2000, when he began the process of medically and socially transitioning genders. By 2014, Cohen had a full-fledged Hollywood career, and began appearing on “Henry Danger,” whose audience of more than 750,000 kids tune in every week to watch. His other credits include prequel series “The Adventures of Kid Danger,” Coen brothers film “Suburbicon” and commercials such as Wendy’s current “Biggie Bag” ad.
Cohen’s coming out is also tied to a project he’s been planning for 15 years. His one-man show, called “4 Cubits Make a Man” — a reference to da Vinci’s Vitruvian specimen — is the story of how the actor, his family and loved ones came to terms with his true identity, and how he reconciled what it means to be a man.
“In my experience, I was born male. What my body said about it was irrelevant,” Cohen says. “No matter how hard I tried, it was not up for negotiation. Believe me, it would have been so convenient if I was actually a woman.”
The actor also says he shies away from identifying himself as transgender.
“I have worked so hard to get to the truth and I’ve taken on labels in the past that didn’t feel true for the sake of convenience at that moment,” he says, explaining that, for him, his “core being” has always been male, and he fears the term could undermine that.
“My chromosomes do not dictate my gender. I’m a man.”
Still, he stands with the LGBTQ community on the political front: “These are my people. I belong to this group.”
“Henry Danger” showrunner Chris Nowak tells Time that Nickelodeon supports Cohen’s disclosure, and sees him as “just a guy who’s real good at his job.” The show’s lead Jace Norman, who plays Henry Hart, writes in an email, “It’s in the best interest of the entire world to have every type of person represented on TV.”
Cohen hopes his story, like those of so many who have shared theirs before him, will inspire people who struggle with their own identity.
“If I tell my truth,” Cohen says, “that gives other people permission to tell theirs too.”
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