Michaela Jaé Rodriguez made her Broadway debut as Columbia in the revival of The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54. Her stage career includes her acclaimed Off-Broadway performance as Angel in the 2011 revival of Rent, for which she received the Clive Barnes Award. She has also starred as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at the Pasadena Playhouse, becoming the first transgender woman of color to play the role in a major production.
Rodriguez is a Golden Globe-nominated actress and cultural trailblazer best known for her groundbreaking role as Blanca Evangelista on the FX series Pose, for which she became the first transgender woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in a lead acting category. Her additional screen credits include Apple TV+'s Loot (opposite Maya Rudolph), Tick, Tick... Boom!, and Ugly Betty. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and the Newark Arts High School.