Reneé Mary Jane Rapp (born Reneé Jane Rapp; January 10, 2000) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Rapp gained recognition for starring as Regina George in the Broadway musical Mean Girls (2019–2020). She reprised the role in the 2024 film Mean Girls and also contributed to its soundtrack. Rapp has also starred in the Max comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021–present).
Rapp released her debut EP Everything to Everyone in 2022, which was followed by her full-length studio album Snow Angel in 2023.
Early life and education[]
Rapp was born on January 10, 2000. She attended Hopewell High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte, for two years, performing in the theater program and playing on the varsity women's golf team before transferring to Northwest School of the Arts. Corey Mitchell, Rapp's theater teacher, said Rapp "has a special distinction...There is a difference when that vocal ability is coupled with sincere emotions that can move an audience and that literally can excite an audience".
In 2018, Rapp won the Best Actress award at the Blumey Awards, Charlotte's premiere musical theater awards, for her portrayal of Sandra in her school's production of Big Fish. Rapp then attended the tenth annual Jimmy Awards in New York City, where she ultimately won "Best Performance by an Actress", beating forty other competitors for the award. This win earned her a $10,000 scholarship. Actress Laura Benanti, who presented the award to Rapp, said, "I will never be as confident as that 18-year-old". Additionally, the New York Magazine coverage of the Jimmy Awards claimed that Rapp "set the stage ablaze" with her winning performance, "prompting the stars of Mean Girls to collectively start sleeping with one eye open".
Career[]
In 2018, Rapp was cast as Wendla in Theatre Charlotte's regional production of Spring Awakening. On July 27, 2018, Rapp performed at the 2018 Supergirl Pro Surf and Music Festival. On September 23, 2018, she took part in The Educational Theatre Foundation's fourth annual Broadway Back to School event held at Feinstein's/54 Below. In December 2018, she read the role of Monteen in Roundabout Theatre Company's reading of Parade. On January 12, 2019, Rapp performed at BroadwayCon's 2019 Star to Be event, singing "They Just Keep Moving the Line" from the NBC musical drama series Smash. She was next seen on March 4, 2019, performing at Feinstein's/54 Below's 54 Sings The High School Musical Trilogy, followed by their FOR THE GIRLS event on March 28.
On May 28, 2019, it was announced that Rapp would be taking over the role of Regina George in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical, Mean Girls, first for a limited run from June 7–26, then permanently starting September 10, 2019. On June 3, Rapp performed at The Green Room 42, singing songs from the show after an introduction by Tina Fey. The production closed on March 12, 2020, in accordance with Broadway's shutdown; it was later announced on January 7, 2021, that the show would not reopen.
On October 14, 2020, Rapp was cast as Leighton Murray, one of the four leads in Mindy Kaling's Max teen comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls.
On November 14, 2022, Rapp announced her first tour; "Everything to Everyone: The First Shows." There were four tour dates across the United States, in Los Angeles, Manhattan, Boston, and Atlanta. Due to high ticket demand, there was a new date added in Brooklyn as well as extra shows in Los Angeles and Manhattan, and upgraded venues in Manhattan and Atlanta. Rapp's sold-out US tour ran from December 6–18, 2022, with a total of 8 shows.[citation needed]
On December 9, 2022, it was announced that Rapp would reprise her role as Regina George in a film adaptation, Mean Girls.
On January 12, 2023, Rapp announced her first international performance of her debut EP Everything to Everyone. On January 19, 2023, she performed a three time venue upgraded sold-out show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.
In February 2023, a deluxe version of her EP Everything to Everyone was released, featuring two new songs. Her debut studio album Snow Angel was released on August 18, 2023. On June 16, 2023, Rapp announced an international Snow Hard Feelings tour, supported by Alexander 23 and Towa Bird. On November 17, 2023, a deluxe version of Snow Angel was released, featuring four new songs, including a remix of "Tummy Hurts" with Coco Jones. The official video for the remix was released on November 17, 2023.
In a October 2023 interview, Rapp stated that she did not have a desire to return to acting following the release of Mean Girls as she wants to focus on her music career and because of the anxiety the environment gave her.
On January 20, 2024, Rapp performed on the comedy and variety series Saturday Night Live where she performed "Snow Angel" and "Not My Fault" (featuring Megan Thee Stallion). The episode was hosted by Jacob Elordi, and Rapp's Mean Girls predecessor Rachel McAdams introduced her set. Rapp also appeared in one of the sketches as "little lesbian intern Reneé".
Personal life[]
Rapp identified herself as bisexual in a 2022 interview, and came out as a lesbian in 2024 through social media and interviews. She has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
From 2019 to 2021, Rapp was in a relationship with fellow Broadway actor Antonio Cipriano. In August 2023, it was revealed that she was in a relationship with TikTok personality Alissa Carrington.
Stage[]
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Spring Awakening | Wendla | Theatre Charlotte | |
| 2019–2020 | Mean Girls | Regina George | August Wilson Theatre | |
| 2021 | Sisgendered | Producer/Herself | Feinstein's/54 Below | One-night only concert |
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | The Sex Lives of College Girls | Leighton Murray | Main role | |
| 2024 | Mean Girls | Regina George | ||
| 2024 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Musical guest |
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | GER | NZ | UK | ||
| Snow Angel |
|
44 | 42 | 76 | 31 | 7 |
Soundtrack albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | ||
| Mean Girls (Music from the Motion Picture)(by the cast of Mean Girls (2024) |
|
124 | 97 |
Extended plays[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| USSales | ||
| Everything to Everyone |
|
47 |
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USBub. | USPop | CAN | IRE | NZHot | UK | |||
| "Tattoos" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "In the Kitchen" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Everything to Everyone | |
| "Don't Tell My Mom" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Too Well" | — | 32 | — | — | 17 | — | ||
| "Snow Angel" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | 35 | — | Snow Angel |
| "Talk Too Much" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Pretty Girls" | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | ||
| "Tummy Hurts" (featuring Coco Jones) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Not My Fault" (with Megan Thee Stallion) | 2 | 19 | 82 | 54 | 8 | 61 | Mean Girls | |
Other charted songs[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZHot | |||
| "World Burn"
(with the Mean Girls cast) |
2024 | 34 | Mean Girls |
Tours[]
- Everything to Everyone Tour (2022)
- Snow Hard Feelings Tour (2023–2024)
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | BroadwayWorld Charlotte Awards | Best Actress in a Musical (local) | Spring Awakening | Nominated |
| 2018 | Jimmy Award | Best Performance by an Actress | Big Fish | Winner |
| 2023 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best New Artist | Herself | Nominated |
| 2023 | MTV Video Music Awards | PUSH Performance of the Year | Colorado | Nominated |