Summary

• Orange Is the New Black is based on the memoir of Piper Kerman, who was sentenced to prison for aiding in her ex-girlfriend's drug-smuggling operation.
• The show deviates from the true story and adds fictional elements, such as the reunion of Piper and her ex-girlfriend in prison.
• After her release, Piper Kerman became an advocate for prison reform and continues to speak out on behalf of incarcerated women.

While the Netflix smash hit has a rollercoaster plot full of dramatic twists and turns, Orange Is the New Black is based on a true story. Created by Jenji Kohan (Weeds), Orange Is the New Black introduces Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a woman who's sentenced to do time at the now-famous (but fictional) Litchfield Penitentiary after being caught helping her ex-girlfriend, Alex (Laura Prepon), transport money from a drug-smuggling operation. She's sentenced to 15 months in jail, only to be put in the same prison as the same ex who led to her very imprisonment.

Piper certainly isn't Orange Is the New Black's only main character. The show features an ensemble cast of female inmates, prison employees, and civilian loved ones from a wide variety of backgrounds. Piper Chapman is, however, based on a real person: Piper Kerman. Her 2010 book, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison is based on her own time in a real-life penitentiary. Certain elements of Kerman's story were tweaked for Orange Is the New Black during its seven seasons.

Orange Is The New Black Is Based On A True Story

Piper Kerman's Memoir Was The Inspiration For The Show

Orange Is the New Black's true story comes from Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison. The memoir follows true stories from her life, specifically the aftermath of getting involved in drug trafficking and money laundering with her ex-girlfriend. While she moved money for her, Kerman refused to move the drugs, eventually leaving her girlfriend and the organization.

Afterward, she attempted to get her life back together, but six years later, she ended up being sentenced to 15 months in prison for those crimes. The rest of the book discusses how prison changed her life. Her novel was well received and subsequently adapted into the Netflix show.

What Orange Is The New Black Changes From The Real-Life Story

The Netflix Show Changed Many Aspects Of The Book (And Added Many More)

Orange Is the New Black aired for seven years, eventually straying from the source material. Despite its roots in a true story, many of the details in Orange is the New Black were fictional. The real Piper did fall for a woman in a drug ring and was sent to jail because of it. In the show, Piper's prison reunion with this ex-girlfriend is a huge focus. But, as TV Time reports, the real Piper wasn't in the same prison as her ex like in Orange Is the New Black. The two only saw each other during their trial.

Most relationships and interactions with other inmates were embellished for the show. Orange Is the New Black showed Piper feuding with other inmates, including Red. Kerman said the inmates she interacted with in prison were incredibly welcoming. Iterations of many of those women she met made it into the show. For example, Den of Geek reported that a glamorous transgender woman referred to as Vanessa inspired Sophia's character, and the Russian maternal figure referred to as Pop became Red in Orange Is the New Black.

Both versions of Piper were sentenced to 15 months in prison. Kerman only served 13 months, as she was released early for good behavior. Both Piper Kerman and Piper Chapman were in prison for about a year, despite the series lasting seven seasons. But in both real life and in the Netflix series, prison changed Piper. In the Orange Is the New Black series finale, Piper is taking civil procedure courses. After Kerman got out of prison in real life, she became a fierce advocate for women's rights in the American prison system.

Both the fictional and real versions of Piper had a life-changing experience in prison that they used to make other women's lives better. Piper Kerman's true story was wild, but it wasn't as dramatic as Orange Is the New Black depicts. The hookups, adversaries, and more were blown out of proportion for the Netflix original show. Despite the changes from page to screen, both the fictional and real Piper's stories had the same message — women's prisons in the US are in major need of significant reforms.

What The Real Piper Chapman Is Up To Today

Piper Kerman Continues To Advocate For Reform In Women's Prisons

Since Orange is the New Black is based on her true story, Piper Kerman appears in the series twice in a nod to the real events of her life. She appears in the show’s opening credits as one of the incarcerated women. She also appears in the Orange is the New Black series finale as an inmate being visited by her real-life husband. During the last scene in the prison in which Piper visits Alex, Kerman can be seen two seats away from Alex.

Even before the show premiered, Piper Kerman was a huge advocate for women’s rights and prison reform. She’s spoken at several hearings on prison reform on behalf of incarcerated women. She’s also, however, a writer and teacher. Kerman has been a guest speaker and lecturer at many different universities around the United States. She’s also taught creative writing courses at different women’s prisons in Ohio. Today, Kerman uses what she learned about communication to work for non-profit organizations as a communication strategist.

The real-life inspiration for Alex Vause is Catherine Cleary Wolters, though Kerman used a pseudonym for her in her memoir. Wolters received a lot of publicity when her identity was revealed following Orange is the New Black. She wrote a memoir after being interviewed by Vanity Fair about the differences between reality and fiction for the story. Out Of Orange was published in 2015, but Wolters has remained largely out of the public eye since Orange is the New Black ended.

Other Netflix Original Shows Based On True Stories To Check Out

Orange Is The New Black Remains The Tip Of The Netflix True Story Iceberg

With no Orange Is the New Black season 8 on the way, there are plenty of other options on Netflix for those seeking real-life-inspired stories. Foremost among these is Mindhunter, which tells the story of the founding of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench ( Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) travel the U.S. interviewing incarcerated serial killers and high-profile murderers to develop a method of psychoanalysis that will help solve future crimes.

Unbelievable is another gripping crime story starring Toni Collette and Merritt Wever as two detectives attempting to get to the bottom of a rape case in which the victim (Kaitlyn Dever) recanted her testimony. Other Netflix series based on true stories include Narcos, which is about the rise of the Colombian cocaine trade in the 1980s, and The Crown, which follows the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Although they vary in topic and tone, all of these series bring their truth-based stories to the screen compellingly, just like Orange Is the New Black.