Nicole Maines Joins Forbes’ 30 Under 30
A rising star and LGBTQ+ advocate.
Nicole Maines is making covers yet again, and she ate. The actress, who first stole our hearts as Nia Nal/Dreamer on The CW’s Supergirl—aka the first trans superhero in TV history—is now killing it as Lisa in Showtime’s Yellowjackets.
And as if her 2024 couldn’t get any bigger, she was just named one of Forbes’ Hollywood & Entertainment 30 Under 30 stars for North America. This honor isn’t just about her screen presence; it’s a nod to her using her platform to make life better for LGBTQ+ youth. We’re talking next-level trailblazing energy here.
Nicole’s talents don’t stop at acting. She’s also a force behind the scenes, writing the debut comic story for her Supergirl character Dreamer in DC Pride 2021. Since then, she’s added more comics to her resume and dropped Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story, a graphic novel diving into her superhero alter ego’s origins. If that’s not enough, her memoir, It Gets Better… Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me, hit shelves in October, giving fans an unfiltered look at her life.
But before she was a star, Maines was already making headlines for all the right reasons. In 2014, she became a major figure in a landmark anti-discrimination case when her school district tried to ban her from using the girls’ bathroom. Spoiler alert: Nicole won. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled it illegal to block trans students from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Iconic.
When the Forbes news dropped, Nicole took to Instagram to share her excitement, writing, “Ummm.. Holy forking shirtballs????” Same, girl. Same. She went on to say how “insanely thrilled” and “honored” she was to share the list with big names like Saltburn’s Jacob Elordi and Lisa Frankenstein’s Kathryn Newton.
Nicole Maines is proof that breaking boundaries and being unapologetically yourself will always be in style. Forbes’ 30 Under 30 was just the latest win in her unstoppable journey, and we can’t wait to see what she conquers next.
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