‘Henry Danger’ actor Michael D. Cohen reveals he transitioned 20 years ago: 'In my experience, I was born male'
Actor Michael D. Cohen, who plays "Schwoz" on one of Nickelodeon's longest-running live-action sitcom 'Henry Danger' and on The Adventures of Kid Danger recently revealed that he is transgender. In an interview this week, the actor revealed he was born female but transitioned to male nearly 20 years ago.
In an interview with Time, Cohen said he was "misgendered at birth. I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience — a transgender journey."
“This crazy backlash and oppression of rights is happening right in front of me. I can’t stay silent,” he said. “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.”
Cohen also revealed that his coming out is something he has been planning for the past 15 years. His one-man play, that he has been working on, titled '4 Cubits Make a Man' is the story of how the actor, his family, and loved ones learned to accept his true identity and how he came to terms with what it means to be a man.
Talking to People, the actor shared: “It was an epiphany for me. I said, ‘I need to know, it’s now or never.’ It all came together and from that day on, I was living as a man.”
“Who I am is male, that’s a non-negotiable part of me,” Cohen added. “I’m born with this… It’s not something that got evolved from the outside. It would’ve been much more convenient if I were female… But this is who I am.”
The 43-year-old actor also revealed that he does not prefer the word 'transgender' as a self-description. He said he finds something missing in it, especially since his 'core being' has always been male.
The Canadian actor began his transition in his early 20's. He had been living as a female and had also obtained a few acting roles. He started his transition in 2000, even as his acting career started with roles on TV shows like Moville Mysteries, Eastwick and Talking Friends.
In 2014, he landed the role of Schwoz on Henry Danger. Though he did not come out at that time, Cohen said that recent politics no longer gave him that privilege. “These are my people. I belong to this group,” he says.
“What’s going on in recent years with the rollback in rights of people with trans experience, it’s really disturbing to me,” he explains. “When it affects youth and kids, it really gets to me at my core, because they don’t have the life experience yet to be able to speak out or make changes. I feel like they need an advocate," Cohen says about the reasons for sharing his story now.
“In my experience, kids know who they are. I support kids to be their authentic self and express what that is,” he says, adding that he hopes his story will show them that, “there’s always going to be a safe place” for those who need it.
“Sometimes you have to really look for it, but you can always find it. Don’t give up,” he shares to People. “You can feel alone, but it doesn’t mean that you are alone. Those feelings are real, but they’re not the reality of the world. There will always be people that welcome you with open arms.”
If you have an entertainment scoop or a story for us, please reach out to us on (323) 421-7515.
