Sure, you’ve seen Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, but what’s the real story behind the show? You have probably been wondering…is Piper real? The answer is more complicated than you realized. Piper Kerman, known to Orange is the New Black fans as Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), is the woman who the show is based on. Now, let’s get into what’s real about this drug crime, Piper’s prison time and what they left out…
Based On Piper’s Book
Basically, the series is based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is The New Black. In real life Piper Kerman was convicted of felony money-laundering charges. Thus, she did spend a year in prison. However, the show, Orange Is The New Black, brought to fans by creator Jenji Kohan of Weeds, is not a strictly nonfiction account or docuseries. So, what exactly comes from the real story? Is there a real former lover like Alex too?
Based On Piper’s Book
Her Crime
In real life, Piper Kerman fell for someone she calls Nora in her book and got caught up in…you guessed it, an international drug ring. On the show, this Nora character is called Alex (Laura Prepon). So, long story short she ended up smuggling $10,000 from Illinois to Belgium while with Nora. Fast forward ten years and it came back to haunt her. Reflecting on her mistakes in her early twenties, Piper Kerman told NPR, “It was a reckless and selfish time in my life.”
Her Crime