Photo: lev radin / Shutterstock
Meet Emily Ritz!
By Deauna Roane — Written on Sep 29, 2020
You may know Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman, the main character in Netflix's original series Orange is The New Black. Now, she's starring in the new Hulu Original Series, Monsterland, which hits the streaming service on Oct. 2. Schilling has been very private about her personal life, saying that it can be "pretty invasive" and that putting oneself in a box is "too reductive." However, the actress recently came out and is in a loving relationship with artist Emily Ritz. So, what do we know about Taylor Schilling's girlfriend, Emily Ritz?
Who is Taylor Schilling's girlfriend, Emily Ritz?
Emily Ritz is a talented woman from Hudson, New York. She is a musician and a multidisciplinary visual artist. According to her mission statement on her professional website, Ritz uses her “drawing, painting, sculpture, and embroidery to bring her unique vision of beauty to life."
Ritz's early career involved touring in California with two bands: Yesway and Honeycomb. After having a few wild adventures on the road, she moved back to upstate New York and released a solo album, Pattern Recess, in 2018. While focusing on her music, Ritz also attended California College of the Arts in pursuit of an art degree in 2011.
How did Taylor Schilling and Emily Ritz meet?
The pair apparently met through mutual friends in the entertainment industry. They hit it off and ended up developing the friendship into a more romantic relationship later in 2019.
Taylor Schilling and Emily Ritz are Instagram official.
Schilling and Ritz started dating in late 2019, and in June of 2020, they came out to the public as an official couple through sweet Instagram stories for pride month. Schilling added Ritz's Instagram story of the couple hugging on a hike with the caption, "I couldn't be more proud to be by your side @tayjschilling, Happy Pride!” and added a rainbow and several heart emojis of her own. After making their relationship Instagram official, they have received nothing but best wishes from the public.
Ritz battles Lyme disease.
Ritz has been battling Lyme disease her entire life. Emily was diagnosed with the disease when she was only five years old, and states that her art is an outlet to help her deal with all of it.
"I've had a roller coaster in such a broad range of ability to disability experiences," she said. When she was ten, she was diagnosed with Lyme arthritis. Ritz said that she had to pivot from dance and gymnastics to art as a kid because her body couldn't handle the exertion.
"I just couldn't be that active anymore," she revealed. But, as she grew up, she learned how to care for her disease.
"I take a lot of medication. I take really good care of myself. And that works pretty well," she continued.
"I think in my adult life, where my illness got more serious for a time and I did completely lose my abilities to function in the world, my art practice definitely became a place where I could feel a sense of purpose and confidence and, you know, express myself," she added. And express herself she did! You can take a look at her incredible artwork on her Instagram page here.
Deauna Nunes is a writer who covers pop-culture, self, and love topics.