Leisha Hailey

Early life

Born in Okinawa, USCAR (now Japan) to American parents, Hailey grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska.

At 17, she came out as lesbian before moving to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career

Music

With her Academy classmate Heather Grody, she formed the pop duo The Murmurs in 1991. In the 1990s, they released several albums and performed with Lilith Fair. In 2001, Hailey and Grody changed their name to Gush. The group disbanded when Hailey was cast in The L Word. In 2005, Hailey founded Marfa Records.

In July 2007, Uh Huh Her, an electropop duo consisting of Hailey and Camila Grey, released an EP entitled I See Red; over a year later they released their first album Common Reaction.

Hailey also co-wrote the Shakira hit song "Don't Bother" for her 2005 hit album Oral Fixation Vol. 2.

Acting

Hailey's television debut was in 1996 when she played a struggling musician on an episode of Boy Meets World. Her first major film role was in the 1997 movie All Over Me.

From 2004 to 2009, she starred as Alice Pieszecki, a journalist, television, and radio show host, on The L Word. At the beginning of the series, Hailey's character identified as bisexual. By the end of the series, specifically in season 5, her character dated mostly women. In 2007, Hailey was voted #1 in the AfterEllen Hot 100 list compiled by AfterEllen.com.

In September 2008, Showtime announced Hailey would star in The Farm, a "pilot presentation spinoff" of The L Word, to be written and produced by Ilene Chaiken, creator and executive producer of The L Word. It was announced in April 2009 that the show would not be picked up by Showtime.

Hailey's award-winning indie film La Cucina premiered on Showtime in December 2009, where she plays a straight pregnant newlywed.

Hailey has appeared in several Yoplait yogurt commercials as well as a BMW commercial. In April 2008, Hailey was named spokesperson for Olivia Cruises, a travel company which sells cruises and resort vacations marketed towards lesbian customers.

In 2011, she starred in the psychological thriller Fertile Ground. In 2015, Hailey appeared in an episode of long-running The CW show Supernatural as Amelia Novak, the estranged wife of Jimmy Novak (human vessel of the angel Castiel, played by Misha Collins.)

Writing

In 2025, Hailey co-authored a memoir, So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All, with her L Word co-star Kate Moennig.

Personal life

Hailey dated actress Kim Dickens from the age of 19 for ‘five nurturing and expansive years,’ up to 1996. Hailey dated k.d. lang for nearly five years until breaking up in 2001. She also had a relationship with Nina Garduno from 2004 to 2010. From 2011 to 2016, she dated her bandmate Camila Grey. In 2011, the couple were involved in a dispute with Southwest Airlines, after being ejected from a flight for arguing with a flight attendant who asked them to stop kissing. Hailey and Kim Dickens are currently in a relationship.

Filmography

Bibliography

• So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All (2025) by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey, St. Martin's Press,

References

References

1. [[Katherine Moennig. (3 June 2025). "So Gay For You". [[Macmillan Audio.
2. (14 September 2022). "Honey Pot". [[Apple Inc..
3. (June 17, 2020). "The L Word's Hailey, Moennig, Rachel Shelley Team up for PANTS Podcast".
4. [http://www.iowasafeschools.org/index.php/governors-conference/keynote-speakers/leisha-hailey Leisha Hailey] {{webarchive. link. (May 5, 2014)
5. [http://cltampa.com/tampa/getting-the-word-from-leisha-hailey/Content?oid=2031002#.U2dg-MfgVQY Getting the word from Leisha Hailey], cltampa.com; accessed March 6, 2016.
6. [http://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/byt-interview-uh-huh-her-feat-leisha-hailey-of-the-l-word.htm BYT Interview: UH HUH HER (feat. Leisha Hailey of The "L" Word)], BrightestYoungThings.com; accessed March 6, 2016.
7. [http://www.dennishensley.com/LWord.htm L is for Leisha] {{webarchive. link. (December 1, 2008 , a February 2004 interview with Dennis Hensley for ''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)). The Advocate]]'', dennishensley.com; accessed March 6, 2016.
8. (2022-01-17). "Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey of The Murmurs perform during the...".
9. [http://www.marfarecords.com/news.htm News from the Marfa Records website]
10. "Leisha Hailey - Rotten Tomatoes".
11. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dMMP94fw3mgC&dq=Boy+Meets+World+leisha+hailey&pg=PA224 Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite ... - Skin - Google Books]
12. [http://www.advocate.com/news/2004/02/03/l-leisha L is for Leisha. Advocate.com]
13. Nicole Kristal. (February 26, 2008). ""The L Word" Reinforces Negative Bisexual Stereotypes". AfterEllen.
14. scribegrrrl. (18 May 2007). "The AfterEllen Aesthetic: Making our own list of hotties".
15. Bendix, Trish. (2 Sep 2016). "And the 2016 AfterEllen Hot 100 Winners Are….".
16. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288495/ "The Farm" at IMDb]
17. [http://www.sho.com/site/announcements/20080904.do Leisha Hailey Cast in ''The L Word''pilot spinoff for Showtime] {{webarchive. link. (September 11, 2012 from the Showtime website)
18. [http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2009/04/showtime-doesnt-buy-the-farm.html Showtime Doesn't Buy 'The Farm' - Roger Catlin. TV Eye] {{webarchive. link. (May 5, 2014)
19. [https://variety.com/2009/scene/news/showtime-passes-on-all-pilot-orders-1118002342 Showtime passes on all pilot orders], Variety.com; accessed March 6, 2016.
20. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emp_CtPy1Gw "Leisha Hailey Yoplait Commercial" at YouTube]
21. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlyG-s5TsWM "Leisha Hailey BMW TV commercial" at YouTube]
22. [http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080428005303&newsLang=en Leisha Hailey Is the New Face of Olivia] from [[Business Wire]]
23. [http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37175/two-more-after-dark-originals-international-posters-seconds-apart-fertile-ground Two More After Dark Originals International Posters: Seconds Apart & Fertile Ground]
24. "Angel Heart".
25. https://www.autostraddle.com/so-gay-for-you-leisha-hailey-kate-moennig-l-word-book-memoir-review/
26. https://www.them.us/story/kate-moennig-leisha-hailey-the-l-word-book-so-gay-for-you-interview
27. Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey. (3 June 2025). "So Gay For You".
28. D'Zurilla, Christie. (September 26, 2011). "Gay Actress & Girlfriend Escorted Off Plane". The Daily Beast.