Few TV characters embed themselves in your living room the way Donna Pinciotti did. Laura Prepon played that role on That ’70s Show, then flipped the script entirely as Alex Vause in Orange Is the New Black.
Born: March 7, 1980 · Height: 5’11” (1.80 m) · Known for: Donna Pinciotti (That ’70s Show), Alex Vause (Orange Is the New Black) · Children: 2 · Spouse (2018–2022): Ben Foster
Quick snapshot
- Born March 7, 1980, in New Jersey (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- American actress (Biography.com (biography reference))
- Married Ben Foster in June 2018 (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- Two children: daughter born 2017, son born 2020 (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- Exact net worth — no official public figure (Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
- Current relationship status — not publicly confirmed (Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
- Child custody arrangement — private (Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
- Divorce finalization date — settlement reported in April 2025 (Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
- 1998–2006 — Donna Pinciotti on That ’70s Show
- 2013–2019 — Alex Vause on Orange Is the New Black
- June 2018 — married Ben Foster
- 2017 & 2020 — two children born
- Directing is a growing focus — TV Guide’s profile lists actress, director, and producer (TV Guide (entertainment guide))
- Continued TV work, including guest roles and voice projects (The Movie Database (industry database))
- Promoting The Stash Plan meal-prep and wellness approach (TV Guide (entertainment guide))
Nine rows, one pattern: the hard facts — birth date, height, roles, and family — are consistent across bios, while the dollar figure stays an estimate.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Laura Prepon |
| Date of Birth | March 7, 1980 |
| Place of Birth | Millburn, New Jersey, USA |
| Height | 5’11” (1.80 m) |
| Occupation | Actress, director, author |
| Known For | Donna Pinciotti (That ’70s Show), Alex Vause (Orange Is the New Black) |
| Spouse | Ben Foster (2018–2022) |
| Children | 2 |
| Net Worth | Estimated $10 million |
What happened to Laura Prepon?
The short version: Prepon turned a sitcom breakout into a Netflix-era career, then added director and author to her résumé. Her personal life shifted in the same period — marriage, two children, and a divorce that made headlines.
Career milestones: from That ’70s Show to Orange Is the New Black
- 1998: sent an audition tape for That ’70s Show and landed the role of Donna Pinciotti (Biography.com (biography reference))
- Before acting, she modeled in Paris, Milan, and elsewhere in Europe (IMDb (film database))
- 2013–2019: played Alex Vause on Orange Is the New Black (per Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
She started directing episodes of Orange Is the New Black in 2015, then co-authored “The Stash Plan” in 2016. Each move pushed her further from the sitcom role that made her famous.
The film resume is modest compared with the TV work: Southlander (2001), Come Early Morning (2006), Lay the Favorite (2012), The Girl on the Train (2016), and The Hero (2017) are the frequently listed credits, per Us Weekly.
Prepon is one of the rare TV stars who turned two ensemble hits into a solo career as a director and author. The paradox: her most famous roles were playing someone’s friend, yet her most durable move was taking control behind the camera.
For most viewers, though, Prepon exists in two eras — the wisecracking neighbor and the guarded prison lifer.
Personal life changes: marriage, divorce, and motherhood
- Engaged by 2017; daughter Ella born that year
- Married Ben Foster in June 2018
- Son born in 2020
- Separated in 2022; divorce settled April 2025 (per Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet))
The family timeline moved fast: engagement, wedding, and two children within four years. The separation came two years after their son was born. Public interest has focused on the divorce ever since, even as Prepon has stayed quiet about the details.
The pattern: every major turn in Prepon’s career — sitcom star, Netflix lead, director, author — has been a deliberate move away from repeating the last act.
What happened between Ben Foster and Laura Prepon?
The headline: the couple married in June 2018, separated in 2022, and settled their divorce in April 2025, per Us Weekly (celebrity news outlet).
Were Laura Prepon and Ben Foster married?
- Married: June 2018
- Separated: 2022
- Divorce settled: April 2025 (per Us Weekly)
They kept most of the relationship private. The public milestones are the wedding, two children, and the split — plus Foster’s November 2024 divorce filing, according to Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia), which cited irreconcilable differences.
Before Foster, the relationship record was mostly out of the spotlight. It is a quieter romantic history than the tabloid coverage of the divorce would suggest.
What this means: the marriage stayed out of the headlines for years, and even the divorce has been reported in broad strokes rather than scene-by-scene drama.
Is Laura Prepon single now?
- No publicly confirmed partner since the separation
- Recent public posts focus on work, travel, and cooking
Prepon hasn’t made a new relationship announcement. Her social media reads like a working parent’s feed — London trips, meal prep, and project promotion.
The takeaway: “single” is the accurate public label by default, not by announcement — and that’s a statement about the record, not about her private life.
How many kids does Laura Prepon have?
Two. Prepon and Ben Foster have two children: a daughter born in 2017 and a son born in 2020.
Does Laura Prepon have custody of her children?
- Daughter Ella: born 2017
- Son: born 2020
- Custody terms: not made public
Neither parent has aired custody details in public. The practical arrangements remain a private matter, as is typical when minor children are involved.
Custody interest is natural when a famous couple splits, but the actual terms are private. Any claim about who gets what that isn’t official is speculation, not reporting.
Why this matters: the children are the most protected part of Prepon’s public life, and the absence of custody coverage is itself the signal.
How much money does Laura Prepon have?
Celebrity net worth is never audited, so every figure is an estimate. The most commonly repeated number for Prepon is around $10 million, built from acting, directing, and book sales.
Who is the richest actor from That ’70s Show?
- Laura Prepon: estimated $10 million
- Ashton Kutcher: estimated $200 million — the richest cast member
- Industry trackers, not official statements, are the source for these figures
The gap between the two estimates is a reminder that net-worth lists mix career earnings with investments and guesswork. The numbers make for good headlines, but they are rankings of estimates, not audited balances.
Net-worth figures for celebrities are estimates built from incomplete data. Treat the $10 million figure as a directional signal, not a verified bank balance — and the same caution applies to Kutcher’s $200 million ranking.
Why this matters: net-worth rankings measure trackers’ estimates, not money in hand. Prepon’s actual position is probably steadier than a snapshot number suggests, given her directing credits and book royalties.
What ethnicity is Laura Prepon?
Public bios describe her as an American actress with Dutch, English, and German ancestry. Her father was an orthopedic surgeon and her mother a high school teacher, per IMDb (film database).
Is Laura Prepon religious?
- Raised in a Christian family
- Identifies as spiritual rather than strictly religious
The public record is thin; the labels she has used come from her own descriptions over the years. She has not built a public platform around faith.
The distinction: “raised Christian” and “spiritual now” are two different answers, and both can be true at once.
Where does Laura Prepon live?
- Based in Los Angeles, California
- Recent social posts place her in London for work
Los Angeles is the anchor for her industry work. London appears to be a working home base for projects, based on her Instagram invitation to followers.
The pattern: LA is home base; London is the work trip.
Timeline signal
The dates below are the ones most consistently reported by the sources cited in this article.
- 1998–2006 — Donna Pinciotti on That ’70s Show (per Us Weekly)
- 2001 — Film debut in Southlander (per Us Weekly)
- 2013–2019 — Alex Vause on Orange Is the New Black (per Us Weekly)
- 2015 — Began directing episodes of Orange Is the New Black
- 2016 — Published “The Stash Plan” cookbook
- 2017 — Daughter Ella born (per Wikipedia)
- 2018 — Married Ben Foster (per Wikipedia)
- 2020 — Son born (per Wikipedia)
- 2022 — Separated from Ben Foster
- 2025 — Divorce reported settled in April (per Us Weekly)
The pattern: a steady professional climb paired with a personal timeline that moved fast — and then diverged.
Confirmed facts and what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Born March 7, 1980, in New Jersey (per Wikipedia)
- Rose to fame as Donna Pinciotti on That ’70s Show, 1998–2006 (per Us Weekly)
- Played Alex Vause on Orange Is the New Black, 2013–2019 (per Us Weekly)
- Married Ben Foster in June 2018; two children born 2017 and 2020 (per Wikipedia)
- Height of 5’11” (1.80 m) appears consistently in bios
What’s unclear
- Exact net worth — tracker estimates, not verified statements
- Current relationship status — no public confirmation since the split
- Custody arrangement details — private
- Exact divorce finalization date — April 2025 is the reported date, not a court record
- Which projects she will direct next — no announced slate
- Whether a return to the That ’70s Show revival is planned — no public confirmation
The dividing line is verifiability: if a source can’t name it, it belongs in the unclear column.
In her own words
Prepon’s social media is mostly promotion and travel — but the tone is distinctly her own.
Come hang with me for a day in London!
— Laura Prepon, Instagram
#GetYourPrepOn for quick dinners, healthy lunches, and more!
— Laura Prepon, Facebook
In 1998 she sent in an audition tape for That ’70s Show and landed the role of Donna.
The through-line in her own words: work, food, travel — and very little drama.
The takeaway
The clearest through-line in Prepon’s career is the pivot: from sitcom actress to Netflix lead, then to director and author. For fans checking breakup headlines, the useful filter is simple — verify the date, name the outlet, and treat net-worth figures as estimates. For viewers who grew up with Donna Pinciotti, the choice is clear: follow the directing credits, not the divorce coverage.
imdb.com, tv.apple.com, allocine.fr, boredpanda.com, sh.wikipedia.org, rottentomatoes.com
Frequently asked questions
Did Mila Kunis and Laura Prepon get along?
Public reporting shows no feud between the two co-stars. They played on-screen best friends on That ’70s Show, and neither has publicly described a personal conflict.
Did Topher Grace and Laura Prepon get along?
There is also no public record of a falling-out. Prepon and Grace played the show’s central couple, and their on-screen pairing was one of the series’ defining dynamics.
How tall is Laura Prepon?
5’11” (1.80 m), according to biographical profiles.
What is Laura Prepon’s cookbook ‘The Stash Plan’ about?
“The Stash Plan,” published in 2016, is a cookbook focused on meal-prep cooking. Prepon’s own promotion sums it up: “#GetYourPrepOn for quick dinners, healthy lunches, and more!”
What are Laura Prepon’s most notable TV shows and movies?
That ’70s Show (1998–2006) and Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) are the anchors. Her film work includes The Girl on the Train (2016) and The Hero (2017).
How did Laura Prepon start her acting career?
She modeled in Europe before acting, then sent an audition tape for That ’70s Show in 1998. Per Biography.com, she landed the role of Donna Pinciotti.
Prepon’s career and personal life illustrate the gap between her public roles and private facts.
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Noah Gagnon is Senior Reporter at Canada Scope, covering daily news and breaking stories across Canada.