Biography

Alyssa Milano is an American actress who rose to fame on television in the 1980s and 1990s. In October 2017, she revived the #MeToo hashtag on social media, helping to turn it into a global movement against sexual violence.

Alyssa Milano(1972 — ?)

Alyssa Milano

États-Unis

5 min read

SocietyPerforming Arts21st CenturyEarly 21st century, marked by the rise of social media as a space for citizen and feminist mobilization.
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Frequently asked questions

Alyssa Milano is an American actress born in 1972 in Brooklyn (New York), who became famous as a teenager with the series Who's the Boss? (1984-1992). But what really matters is that in 2017, she relaunched the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, turning a local initiative into a worldwide movement against sexual violence. Unlike an ordinary celebrity, she used her fame to spark a collective awakening.

Famous Quotes

« If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.»

Key Facts

  • Born December 19, 1972, in Brooklyn (New York)
  • Rose to fame as a child in the television series Who's the Boss? starting in 1984
  • Held a leading role in the series Charmed (1998-2006)
  • On October 15, 2017, revived the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal
  • Her tweet sparked a global wave of testimonies against sexual harassment and assault

Works & Achievements

Who's the Boss? (1984-1992)

Television series that introduced her to American audiences as a child.

Charmed (1998-2006)

Globally successful fantasy series in which she plays one of the three witch sisters.

Mistresses (2013-2016)

American drama series in which she holds a leading role.

Launch of the viral #MeToo (2017)

A major act of activism: her tweet turned #MeToo into a worldwide movement against sexual violence.

Sorry Not Sorry (2021)

Autobiographical book in which she looks back on her career and her causes.

Time's Up commitment (2018)

Helped found a movement against harassment in the workplace.

Anecdotes

On October 15, 2017, Alyssa Milano posted a message on Twitter inviting women who had experienced sexual harassment or assault to reply "Me Too." Within hours, hundreds of thousands of people responded to her, causing the movement to explode on a global scale.

Alyssa Milano was at first unaware that the phrase "Me Too" had been coined more than ten years earlier, in 2006, by the African American activist Tarana Burke. Upon learning this, she publicly credited Burke as the true founder of the movement.

A child star, Alyssa Milano began acting at the age of 12 in the television series *Who's the Boss?*, which made her famous in the United States in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, she received so much fan mail and so many unauthorized photos circulating on the internet that she took legal action, becoming one of the first celebrities to challenge the illegal distribution of images online.

In 2019, she actively campaigned against a highly restrictive abortion law passed in Georgia (United States), going so far as to call for a boycott of film productions in that state.

Primary Sources

Alyssa Milano's tweet launching #MeToo (October 15, 2017)
If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.
Alyssa Milano's follow-up message on Twitter (October 15, 2017)
If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.
Alyssa Milano's statement acknowledging Tarana Burke (October 16, 2017)
I was just made aware of an earlier #MeToo movement, and the origin story is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring.

Key Places

Brooklyn, New York

Borough of New York City where Alyssa Milano was born in 1972.

Hollywood, Los Angeles

Hub of the American film and television industry where she built her acting career.

Los Angeles, California

City where she lives and works, and from which she launched her #MeToo message.

State of Georgia (United States)

State where she campaigned in 2019 against a law restricting abortion rights.

Give them back their memoryCharactorium is also a game on Pi Network: revive the forgotten figures of History, one at a time.Play in Pi

See also