Uzo Aduba and other Litchfield Max alums mark 10-year anniversary of ‘Orange is the New Black’

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Just one decade ago, Jenji Kohan brought us the very first episode of “Orange Is the New Black,” and many of the show’s stars commemorated the groundbreaking series’ anniversary on Tuesday by sharing throwback photos and messages of gratitude.

“10 Years Ago—I really didn’t know what direction I was headed—with my art, my career or my life,” Uzo Aduba, who played Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, wrote in a post on her Instagram page on Tuesday.

She added that “through the power of (Kohan) and the world and characters she created on @oitnb my life and the lives of our cast and crew would never be the same.”

“Jenji, Thank You for seeing us and taking a chance on new voices and possibilities for stories,” she also wrote.

Danielle Brooks, another breakout star on the show who played Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson, shared a similar sentiment on her Instagram page Tuesday, writing, “Ten years ago, my life changed forever. I landed a career changing job and became a part of a beautiful creative family @oitnb I am forever grateful for every second I got to play Taystee.”

“We’ve supported one another through marriages, breakups, deaths, births, new adventures, and so much more. I love these women (and men) all the way up!,” she also wrote.

The hour-long Netflix dramedy first premiered in July of 2013 and quickly became one of the more impactful entries of the “Peak TV” era in the 2010s by shattering stereotypes, celebrating stories about women of every age, size, race and sexual orientation, and for its critical commentary on the US justice system.

It also produced many other breakout stars, including actor, host and transgender advocate Laverne Cox, who became a leading voice in highlighting stories from the LGBTQ+ community.

Cox echoed Brooks by writing on her Instagram page on Tuesday that “Orange” changed her life, going on to mention that the series “changed television. What a gift this show has been to my life. I miss my cast mates and our incredible crew.”

Piper Kerman, who wrote the 2010 memoir “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” that the show was based on, paid tribute on her Instagram story Tuesday by remembering her own experience, writing, “Today I’m thinking about all the women who survived prison, and those still locked up.”

“I hope we changed people’s minds about #MassIncarceration and other things,” she said in another slide.

“Orange” was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards and won four throughout its seven seasons, including Aduba’s two wins in the guest/supporting acting categories.

“To everyone who watched Orange, then and now, THANK YOU! We simply wouldn’t be here without you. Orange forever!” Aduba wrote at the end of her post.

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