Chloé Sarah Hayden (born 23 July 1997) is an Australian

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

host,

social media personality A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

, and an activist in the

disability rights movement The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...

. After gaining early attention on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, she became known for her performance of Quinn "Quinni" Gallagher-Jones in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

comedy drama series ''

Heartbreak High ''Heartbreak High'' is an Australian television programme created by Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon that ran from 1994 to 1996 on Network Ten and 1997 to 1999 on ABC, for seven series. It was also partially funded from 1996 by BBC2, with som ...

'', for which she won an AACTA Award and was nominated for a

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

. Diagnosed as

autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

at a young age and later with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

, Hayden is also an advocate for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

. She published the bestselling memoir ''Different, Not Less'' (2022) and hosts the

''Boldly Me'' (2023–present).

Early life

Chloé Sarah Hayden was born 23 July 1997 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. She grew up near the city of

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. At the age of 13, she had attended ten different schools and had severe depression and

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

as a result of severe bullying, leading Hayden to be

homeschooled Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

. She was diagnosed as autistic at age 13, and

at age 22. Hayden has also been diagnosed with

postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition characterized by an abnormally large increase in heart rate upon sitting up or standing. POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that can lead to a variety of symptoms, ...

endometriosis Endometriosis is a disease in which Tissue (biology), tissue similar to the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, grows in other places in the body, outside the uterus. It occurs in women and a limited number of other female mammals. Endomet ...

, and

adenomyosis Adenomyosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of cells that proliferate on the inside of the uterus (endometrium) atypically located among the cells of the uterine wall (myometrium), as a result, thickening of the uterus occurs. ...

. Hayden has a younger brother who is also autistic, as well as an adopted brother and sister from Taiwan.

Career

Hayden began posting to her

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel in 2016, under the pseudonym ''Princess Aspien''. In 2020, she went viral after she posted a YouTube video criticizing Australian singer Sia's debut film ''

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

'' for its portrayal of autism. In November 2021, she was cast as Quinni Gallagher-Jones in the

reboot of ''Heartbreak High''. Her character is autistic and was written with her input. This makes Hayden one of the first autistic actors to portray an autistic main character. Hayden herself says that she loves playing an autistic character as she can freely

stim STIM, ''Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå'' (Swedish Performing Rights Society), is a Swedish collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers. Its role is to act as an agent for its members in order to collect l ...

. In August 2022, Hayden released the book ''Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After'', a part

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, part

self-help book A self-help book is one that is written with the intention to instruct its readers on solving personal problems. The books take their name from ''Self-Help'', an 1859 best-seller by Samuel Smiles, but are also known and classified under "self-i ...

. Hayden stated, "I wrote this book because I wish I had it when I was diagnosed." Hayden appeared in the ''Women of the Year'' edition of the Australia ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

''. Since April 2023, she has hosted the podcast ''Boldly Me'' on

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

, in which she interviews several guests.

Public image and activism

Hayden's performance as Quinni in ''Heartbreak High'' was universally well-received, with many commending her for portraying a well-represented autistic character that is not stereotyped. Hayden wishes to break existing autism stereotypes by talking about her experiences. She has stated, "I see autism as a superpower, if you look at people at the top of their fields, so many of them are on the spectrum." She is a proponent of autism rights and

neurodiversity The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that considers the diversity within sensory processing, Motor skill, motor abilities, Social anxiety, social comfort, cognition, and Attention, focus as neurobiol ...

movements. In 2023, Hayden and other fans accused

Marvel Stadium Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

of ableism after they were barred from a sensory room during a concert for

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...

in February 2023. Marvel Stadium then stated that they would be building a second sensory room and retraining their staff.

Personal life

Hayden became engaged to her boyfriend Dylan Rohan in December 2022. They got married on 13 January 2024. Hayden is

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and vegan.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Writing

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Chole Living people 1997 births 21st-century Australian actresses Autistic actors Autistic writers People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Actresses from Melbourne Australian people of Irish descent Australian disability rights activists Australian Internet celebrities Australian activists with disabilities Autism activists Australian Christians Veganism in Australia YouTubers with disabilities YouTube channels launched in 2016 Australian autistic people