Tammy Lynn Michaels

Tammy Lynn Michaels (née Doring), also known by the surname Etheridge from her relationship with Melissa Etheridge,^[1] is an American actress.

Tammy Lynn Michaels
Born	Tammy Lynn Doring
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Partner(s)	Melissa Etheridge (cp. 2003; sep. 2010) (registered domestic partnership)
Children	2

Michaels portrayed mean girl Nicole Julian on The WB's Popular.

Career

Michaels developed a passion for acting in junior high school, and after graduating, moved to New York City to pursue it. She attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and completed three semesters but withdrew from the school before graduation. While working as a bartender at a restaurant, she was discovered by Alayne Skylar, a talent scout.

After moving to Los Angeles, Michaels landed the role of Nicole Julian on Popular.

In 2002, Michaels had a recurring role on the Fox show That '80s Show playing Roger's equally materialistic girlfriend followed by a guest appearance in 2004 on the Showtime drama The L Word. In 2005, she played the character Tess on the NBC series Committed.

In 2003, Michaels played the role of Max in the short-film D.E.B.S.. The film received several awards^{[citation needed]} and later was expanded to a feature-length film of the same name and released in 2004. However, most of the actresses in the original D.E.B.S. were replaced for the expanded version, including Michaels.

Personal life

Michaels is openly a lesbian.

She started dating singer Melissa Etheridge in 2001. The couple had a commitment ceremony in September 2003 and they became registered domestic partners in 2005.^[2] In April 2006, the couple announced that Michaels was pregnant with twins. Michaels gave birth to a daughter and a son in October 2006.^{[citation needed]}

On April 15, 2010, Michaels and Etheridge confirmed that they had ended their nearly nine-year relationship.^[3] In May 2012 it was announced that their two-year child support battle had been settled.^[4]

Since 2005, Michaels has kept a blog, in which she discusses politics, current events and her personal life.^[5][6][7]

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999-2001	Popular	Nicole Julian	Main role
2002	That '80s Show	Patty	"Double Date", "Beach Party", "Sophia's Depressed"
2003	D.E.B.S.	Max	short film
2004	The L Word	Lacey Haraway	"Pilot", "Let's Do It Again", "Longing"
2005	Committed	Tess
2019	Heartstrings	Bitsy	episode: "Cracker Jack"[8]