Jesse James Rose (she/they) is an award-winning author, actor, & labor leader based in New York City. She is best known as @jamesissmilingon social media, and for her memoir,sorry i keep crying during sex.

Jesse holds degrees from NYU in Music Theatre and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies, and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell Univeristy. 

As an actress, Jesse made queer theatre history as the youngest openly non-binary performer to take on the title role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch professionally. This year she starred in the film “A Homecoming,” which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Jesse is a principal vocalist on the forthcoming Original Cast Recording of ERNXST, an electro-pop musical written by powerhouse duo Kerrigan-Lowdermilk. Other theatre credits include the Emcee in Barrington Stage’s production of CABARET, Luisa in The Fantasticks, and a sold-out run of their solo show, Men I’ve Had, at 54 Below.

After publicly speaking out against sexual violence in theatre, Jesse turned her attention to the labor movement and was elected to National Council for Actor’s Equity Union where she sits on the Committee to Prevent Harassment among many others. She hopes to build a world where this committee is rendered obsolete.

As an author, Jesse’s debut memoir SORRY I KEEP CRYING DURING SEX was met with rave reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, and LA Review of Books called it “One of the funniest books [they’ve] ever read.” The audiobook, which she recorded, debuted at #1 on Amazon’s LGBTQ+ Audiobook chart, and her subsequent international book tour has spanned 15 cities. She is currently working on a novel.

Jesse gained worldwide attention as the transgender activist attacked by Donald Trump, as covered by Rolling Stone and THEM. Her dedication to trans liberation remains unwavering. #StopTransGenocide.

From her social media work, Jesse was appointed an ambassador for Planned Parenthood in 2023 where she created educational content on transgender healthcare, reproductive justice, and sex education. She also consulted for Instagram’s headquarter company Meta to assist in eliminating pro-eating disorder content on the platform. As of 2021 users are able to report content that glamorizes, glorifies, or promotes disordered eating as a violation of the app’s community guidelines. Jesse reaches a community of 650,000+ on Instagram, Tik Tok, & Threads. She values authenticity, political action, and hopes to make the internet a little better than she found it.

Photo by Curtis & Cort Photography