What Happened to Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein?

Natasha Lyonne, born Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein, has carved out a unique and enduring career in Hollywood, transitioning from a child actor to a critically acclaimed actress, director, writer, and producer. Her early career included roles in films like "Slums of Beverly Hills" (1998), "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999), and the "American Pie" series. After a period of personal struggles, Lyonne experienced a significant career resurgence, notably with her role as Nicky Nichols in the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black" (2013-2019), which earned her Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Her creative influence expanded dramatically with the Netflix series "Russian Doll" (2019-2022), which she co-created, wrote, directed, and starred in, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. This success was followed by her starring role as Charlie Cale in Rian Johnson's Peacock mystery series "Poker Face" (2023-2025), for which she also directed an episode and received further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Although "Poker Face" concluded its second season on Peacock and is currently being shopped to other networks with discussions of a potential lead recast, Lyonne is expected to remain an executive producer.

Beyond acting, Lyonne has made significant strides as a filmmaker and entrepreneur. In 2019, she co-founded the production company Animal Pictures with Maya Rudolph, which has produced projects like "Russian Doll" and "Poker Face." In May 2024, Animal Pictures signed a talent deal with Sister, an independent entertainment group. More recently, Lyonne co-founded Asteria, an artificial intelligence film studio, with filmmaker Bryn Mooser, her partner since 2022. Through Asteria, she is set to make her feature directorial debut with the AI-driven film "Uncanny Valley," a hybrid project blending live-action and AI-generated elements, co-written with Brit Marling. She is also developing another feature film, the semi-autobiographical "Bambo," which she is writing and directing.

Lyonne's recent acting credits include the Netflix film "His Three Daughters" (2024) and voice roles in animated projects like "What If...?" (2024), "Smurfs" (2025), and "The Bad Guys 2" (2025). She also appeared in Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (2025) as Rachel Rozman. In September 2025, it was announced she would star alongside Matt Berry in the Sky Original action-adventure comedy "Force & Majeure". In April 2026, her Netflix comedy "Roommates" premiered.

In her personal life, Lyonne has been candid about her struggles with addiction and her journey to sobriety. In January 2026, she publicly revealed a relapse after years of sobriety, sharing her experience on social media and emphasizing that "recovery is a lifelong process". This was followed by a public incident on April 7, 2026, when she was reportedly escorted off a Delta flight after attending the "Euphoria" Season 3 premiere, leading to her missing a scheduled appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show". Most recently, in June 2026, Lyonne made headlines for appearing to slur her words during a Q&A session at the Tribeca Film Festival. Despite these personal challenges, Lyonne continues to be a prolific and respected artist, recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. She is currently in a relationship with filmmaker Bryn Mooser.